Jane McGowan talks to Emma King-Farlow, founder of Unbroken, an arts festival promoting mental health awareness
Festival season may be drawing to a close, but not before Unbroken – a three-day, mixed-media event taking centre stage at Barnes’ OSO Community Arts Centre this month. The brainchild of Barnes resident and theatre impres
“I began working with ex-servicemen and women who were suffering from PTSD, and it soon became clear that mental health was something we really needed to start addressing,” explains Emma. “And what better way than through the arts?”
What indeed. From a humble one-day debut in 2016, the festival has now grown in to a three-day event comprising a short film competition, a series of free creative workshops and a spectacular showcase featuring dance, spoken word, drama and live music.
Throughout the weekend, mental health charity Richmond Borough Mind will be on hand to offer practical sessions for young people aged eight to 25.
“We want to encourage people that it’s okay to talk and to open up. A big part of what the festival is about is starting a conversation. The arts has always been the place where people feel more free to express themselves and where being different is celebrated.”
Having said that, as a theatre professional herself, Emma is all too aware of the mental strength that performers and creatives need to survive in such a cut-throat industry. In recognition of this, the Barnes festival will host a Wellbeing for the Arts session, as well as a panel discussion looking at mental health in the arts.
“As a writer or director you are constantly having your work rejected or critiqued and for actors their very selves are routinely rejected at auditions and this takes a lot of resilience,” Emma explains. “So we have joined forces with Wellbeing for the Arts and Stage Directors UK to hold some great workshops offering advice on how to keep your mind safe.”
Emma relies on a small team of volunteers who toil tirelessly for months to bring the event to the people, and she is hoping that all the hard work will help to keep mental health at the forefront of the political agenda.
“We are so pleased to be in Barnes, and the OSO has such a wonderful feel – it’s an amazing fit for us. Moving to three days is a big step so we really hope the community gets behind it. Mental health is so important and younger people are under so much pressure from all areas, whether it’s schools, their peers or social media, and we really need to keep talking - the more something is talked about, the easier it is to keep talking.”
Unbroken runs from Aug 31-Sep 2 at the OSO Arts Centre in Barnes. For further details, visit: unbrokenfest.com
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