i talk to the clouds and they cry with me
A beautifully moving and honest dance theatre show about loneliness, forgiveness and friendship.
Set within a spectacular and dramatic cloud structure, and based on a true story,
two performers tell one man's struggle through illness and suffering, and his desire to live in the sky.
TEAM
Choreographer/Director Rhiannon Faith · Creative Producer Maddy Morgan · Devised and Performed by Nikki Watson and Stuart Waters · Set Design Laura Louise Cottle · Lighting Design Azusa Ono · Music Direction Molly O’Brien · Sound Design Mark Webber · Photography Foteini Christofilopoulou.
CREDITS
Commissioned by Harlow Playhouse as part of their Mental Health Project 2019. Supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
I Talk To The Clouds and They Cry With Me was part of the Mental Health Project 2019, delivered in partnership between Rhiannon Faith Company and Harlow Playhouse to tackle mental health issues in Harlow. The show was based on the real life story of Rhiannon’s friend, a local man who completed suicide, and was presented on the roof of the Harvey Centre car park, a location which sees high rates of suicide attempts. The aim of the work was to raise awareness and compassion around suicide in young men.
The project included the ‘Cloud Hub’. We worked with the Harlow Playhouse Young Practitioners to repurpose an empty shop unit in the Harvey Centre. We painted it pink, installed a kettle and a fridge, and offered free workshops and community activity to tackle loneliness and suicide in Harlow.
The show was performed to 60 people and reached another 2500 via a live stream in 2020. 400 people joined us at the Cloud Hub, with many reporting improvements in wellbeing. You can read more about the impact of the project in the project report below.
“Emotional, thought provoking and sometimes funny this play was also utterly engrossing.
So much so that this reviewer forgot that it was raining during the performance”
“Incredibly powerful piece of theatre. It made you laugh and cry but most importantly it made you think. So important we talk about mental health and recognise the daily struggle of people with depression”
“Had a great time meeting new people and getting help with my mental health and learning
how to make something new
”
