A thought-provoking piece of theatre exploring a community’s response to self-injury is about to embark on a national tour as it seeks to break down the stigma surrounding mental illness.

The Silk Tent Theatre Company, based in Wanaka, is one of only five recipients of a New Zealand Mental Health Media Grant, selected from more than fifty applications last year.

The local group’s production Girl with no Words – listening to the language of cutting debuted at a private premiere for the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners in Wellington on 9 September.

They start a tour of public performances next week at Wanaka Masonic Lodge (16-20 September), followed by Auckland Carrington’s Café (8-11 October), Clyde War Memorial Hall (17 October) and Queenstown St. Peter’s Parish Centre (18 October).

The Auckland shows take place during Mental Health Awareness Week in a venue that is fittingly on the grounds of a former psychiatric hospital. The play will also tour Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin in 2010.

The script for this project was funded by a NZ Mental Health Media Grant and proudly supported by the Ministry of Health's Like Minds, Like Mine Programme and the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand

Judi Clements, Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand Chief Executive, says, “Grants provide an opportunity for creative groups to carry positive messages and promote discussion about mental health issues via theatre, art and music to audiences that might otherwise be much harder to reach.”

Ms Clements and Mental Health Foundation, Chair, Materoa Mar, attended the private premiere on Wednesday night and say, “Girl with no Words is a very powerful and very sensitive drama about a subject that doesn’t often get discussed.

“The performance clearly brought out the misunderstanding and discrimination that someone who self-injures can experience, and yet at the same time there was a clear message of hope and recovery – and that the two most important responses people can offer are compassion and humanity.”

The multi-media production uses songs, poetry, film and visual art to tell the moving story of a young woman’s experience of self-injury as well as the reaction of people around her – family, healthcare professionals and the wider community. It explores a difficult subject with energy, imagination, humour and empathy.

Girl with no Words is written by Gilly Pugh (Four Play with Friends), Lucy O'Hagan (Festival of Colour’s Witches over Wanaka) and Lizzi Yates (a prize winning visual artist). They are joined in this collaboratively directed performance by John Schwarz (Four Play with Friends).  Like all of us, these four have either suffered emotional distress or supported others.

Lucy O’Hagan, also a General Practitioner, says the play is accessible to everyone. “We think this topic is particularly relevant in an economic recession because it looks at how communities can support and sustain their members. We want our audience to think about understanding and compassion in the face of mental suffering.

“We’ve used the best traditions of story-telling to approach the human condition and the end result is intended to be provocative, informative and ultimately hopeful.”

At the end of each performance there will be a short break followed by an opportunity for the audience to participate in a discussion forum on the issues raised. There will also be an invited guest at each forum.

Tickets cost $20 and are available online at www.patronbase.com/ticketfest or by calling 021 154 5511.

The production is supported by several other organisations including Lion Foundation, Central Lakes Trust, Southland Community Trust and Upper Clutha Community Arts Council.