An acclaimed hard-hitting play, exploring three generations of black male anger, has secured Arts Council funding to showcase two performances at MAC Birmingham on Friday 19 April 2019.
Revealed, which debuted with a sell-out show in February 2018, is the first production from the new Menologues platform, founded by The Red Earth Collective, to highlight diverse stories of the mental well being of racialised and marginalised men through the arts. The play is inspired by the worrying fact that black men are 17 times more likely to be diagnosed with a serious mental health illness than white men.
Written by Rites of Passage Productions co-founder Daniel Anderson, the production explores three black men from the same family: Malcolm, a restaurant owner, his son Luther and Malcolm’s father Sidney, who are in the family restaurant while a violent protest at yet another death in custody rages on the streets. What follows is a passionate unravelling of emotions, where three generations of anger are revealed.
Sandra Griffiths, director of The Red Earth Collective and executive producer of Menologues, said: “After last year’s sell out show at the Midlands Art Centre, the production team was bowled over by the audience’s reaction. For many audience members the play portrayed a reality for them: the difficulties some black men face expressing emotional pain and love. This is a reality that they don’t see in the theatre. We hope that Revealed will show black men that opening up emotionally doesn’t make them less male. Just human.”
Daniel Anderson, who wrote and stars in Revealed said: “Writing Revealed gave me an opportunity to reflect on my own journey as a black man in the UK who has battled with bouts of depression, used violence as an expression and suffered in silence many times. Mental health stigma can be challenged and explored using creativity and I hope the play encourages men and those in their lives, to step out of their comfort zones and take action.”
Jay Crutchley, director of Revealed, added: “Theatre is an extremely powerful and engaging way to explore the counter narratives we don’t hear and the ones that challenge the status quo. Theatre lets us experience empathy which leads to understanding among our communities. Revealed opens up the conversation and asks questions on what makes a healthy relationship within families and the impact it can have on your mental health.”
The play will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Daniel Anderson, along with Beresford Dawkins, community engagement manager at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust, Terry Rigby, founder and director of Forward for Life and Rico Johnson-Sinclair, director and programmer of CineQ. The panel discussion will be facilitated by Ian Sergeant, PhD researcher and curator.
Revealed plans to tour in theatres and community settings across the country to create a social movement where black men are encouraged to talk more openly when in emotional distress.
If you are a theatre or organisation that would like to book our production, contact us at hello@redearthcollective.org.uk