'The Possibility of Colour' is an exciting new play written by Pete Carruthers.

The play explores themes around mental health, voice hearing, synaesthesia, neurodiversity, forced treatment, AI in healthcare, private healthcare and much more.

The play has been written with input at every stage from mental health professionals, academics, student practitioners and people with lived experience of the themes explored in the play.

Note:

- This initial production and tour is dependent on the outcome of a current ACE project grant bid. We will have a decision from ACE no later than the 9th of September.
- If the bid is rejected, we will reschedule the initial tour for Spring 2023 and reapply for funding.

Northwest Tour schedule:

The first full production and small tour will take place in late 2022, with 10 performances across 3 venues in Northwest England plus 2 online sharing events:

Salford:

- Thu 17th Nov: 2 pm
- Thu 17th Nov: 7 pm (press night)
- Fri 18th Nov: 2 pm
- Fri 18th Nov: 7 pm

Preston:

- Wed 23rd Nov: 7 pm
- Thu 24th Nov: 2 pm
- Thu 24th Nov: 7 pm
- Fri 25th Nov: 2 pm

Ormskirk:

- Tue 29th Nov: 7 pm
- Wed 30th Nov: 2 pm

Online sharing of recorded performance – plus live Q&A:

- Thu 1st Dec: 7pm - via Microsoft Teams and YouTube
- Fri 2nd Dec: 7pm - via Microsoft Teams and YouTube

- Running time of the play will be approximately 90mins.
- All performances followed by a Q&A discussion.
- 15min break after each performance before the post-show Q&A.
- All evening events will start at 7 pm and finish no later than 10 pm.
- All matinee events will start at 2 pm and finish no later than 5 pm.

This initial tour will partly be used to generate reviews and attract programmers ahead of a planned national tour in late 2023 and early 2024. We will also film one of the performances to be shared at online events and to send to programmers who can't attend a performance in person.

Funding:

- This initial production and tour is dependent on the outcome of a current ACE project grant bid. We will have a decision from ACE no later than the 9th of September.
- If the bid is rejected, we will reschedule the initial tour for Spring 2023 and reapply for funding.
- ACE have funded both previous R&D phases of the play, the project satisfies many of ACE's aims and objectives and we have approximately 40% match funding confirmed, so we are quietly confident of a 'yes'.

Partnership with Health Education England:

- An important aspect of the project is that Health Education England (HEE) are paying for up to 1200 student nurses to attend performances and post-show Q&A discussions with expert guests as an official part of their nurse training.
- This means that we already have approximately 50% ticket sales guaranteed for the initial tour.
- HEE, who have also provided match funding towards the overall production costs, plan to expand this approach to student nurses and other student health practitioners right across the country as part of the national tour of the play in 2023/24.
- This an exciting opportunity to use theatre to inspire real change in the practice of our future health professionals.