Loss and grief is not a topic of conversation that is brought up every day but something that everyone will experience at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, while grief is a normal response to the loss, we are often unprepared for how painful, time-consuming and exhausting it can be.
It can be challenging for those facing grief and loss to acknowledge those feelings, but we must give space to the emotions. This is why personal journeys of loss and grief are explored in our new Creative Matters season.
This season follows last year’s impactful Loss and Grief season, which used our Digital Stage to host talks, readings and theatre remotely. We are pleased to now run the season in person across all three of our venues: Royal, Playhouse and Stage Two. This season is presented in association with Rosedale Funeral Home and will feature a mix of performances, film and workshops, to stimulate discussion and make connections through creativity.
Sam Patel, Head of Creative Engagement at Norwich Theatre, said: “Grief and loss have been woven through the last few years, meeting some of us head-on with the loss of loved ones due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While this may not have touched all of us in the same way, bereavement is something we will all have to face. This is why this Creative Matters season seeks to provide a safe and inclusive space to explore our own personal responses to loss and grief.”
The performances and workshops create an inviting, safe space for anyone who is looking to explore what can be difficult emotions. Performances on offer include Who the Who, Who by MOCO Theatre Company, on 8 March at Stage Two. This performance is a one-woman show exploring what happens when you are no longer a daughter. Who are you? And will the pieces of the ‘life-jigsaw’ ever fit in the same way again? This is a safe, immersive performance where the lines between performer and audience, and performance and life, are blurred.
All of Me is a show about depression and death written and performed by Olivier Award nominee Caroline Horton. It’s an intimate and often absurd exploration of wanting to live, wanting to die and what can happen if we sit together in the dark. All of Me is a grudgingly hopeful, occasionally funny, unapologetically dark show about dark things. Come and see it on 10 March, at the Playhouse.
On 3 March, there is an interactive performance by Norfolk based Su Squire about life, love and funerals. The End of the Road Show is a heartfelt piece of theatre that blends storytelling, poetry and music to make you laugh and think about how to talk about death with your loved ones in a positive and meaningful way. It is an informative and empowering look at end-of-life planning told with warmth, wit and humanity.
Other events include a free and sensitive workshop on 15 March for those who have experienced the loss of a baby through stillbirth or neonatal death. The Memory Making Workshop: The Bunting Project with the bereavement support team from Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, allows attendees to share memories of their baby whilst creating a keepsake memento.
For a more informal conversation, join us in Café Royal for an afternoon of tea, cake, and informal conversation about death as we host a Death Café, a worldwide movement. It is for anyone who considers themselves mortal and who enjoys drinking tea and eating cake!
One of the key aims of the season is to start the conversation about loss and grief, whether this is through watching a performance and listening to people’s experiences, or taking part in a discussion about your own experiences.
Take a look below at the full programme running from 3 – 15 March 2022.