Theatre NewsSeptember 30, 2018

Man Up

MAN UP is a ground-breaking performance about masculinity and mental health, created with and starring men from Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A gritty, humorous & revealing performance from the frontlines of masculinity & mental health.

MAN UP is a ground-breaking performance about masculinity and mental health. Originally performed at Goldenhill Working Men’s Club in August 2018 – created with and starring men from Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire.

Man Up is a beautiful gift of a show. Full of fury & fragility, challenging expectations & building resilience. An urgent reminder of the breadth of experience of masculinity

Real-life stories, furious dancing and an unforgettable soundtrack as they take to the floor of a Working Men’s Club… cash bar and comfy seats included.

Man Up was an important piece of theatre for Staffordshire, and a magnificent example of what can be created from the seed of an idea centred around a critical issue of our time.

Please take a minute or two to watch the video overview, and then go on to read the superb diary blog about the project, about how and why it was conceived, and the thoughts from the Staffordshire men who participated.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1458774858440{background-color: #e8e8e8 !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1458953109567{padding-right: 40px !important;padding-left: 40px !important;}”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”FURTHER INFORMATION” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1459497267986{padding-top: 10px !important;}”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner css=”.vc_custom_1459497212116{margin-bottom: 10px !important;}” offset=”vc_col-lg-6 vc_col-md-12″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1549930203967{padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”]

MORE ABOUT MAN UP

Men from Stoke-on-Trent volunteered to take part in a theatre production called Man Up tackling the issues of masculinity and mental health among men.

Many men find it difficult to open up and talk freely about their emotions without being told to ‘man-up.’ Statistics show that suicide is the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK. On average, 84 men take their own life every week.

The male volunteers worked together over ten months to create a groundbreaking live performance, using the real voices of men in Stoke-on-Trent allowing them to be heard; their experiences, their views, their stories of mental health, and the pressures of living a man’s life in a masculine world.

One such volunteer Rob Mitchell-James, aged 48, said: “This group of blokes who never knew each other from Adam have come together to pull this off.

It’s bold and it’s brave, there are shades of the Full Monty and I like that.”

You can explore more of the voices from those men involved at the Man Up website here[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”1752″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner offset=”vc_col-lg-6 vc_col-md-12″][vc_column_text]

MORE ABOUT RESTOKE

Restoke is an arts organisation who put the people of Stoke-on-Trent at the heart of artistic adventures. They produce performances in surprising locations – from pottery factories to disused chapels, from swimming pools to a working mens club…

They work with people of Stoke and professional artists in dance, music and spoken-word to co-create performances and programmes, driven by the stories, talents and commitment of those who take part.

Restoke was co-founded in 2009 by Clare Reynolds, Paul Rogerson and Sarah Nadin

Clare trained at Trinity-Laban in Dance Theatre and as well as choreographing & directing shows, she leads the participatory aspects of the work.

Paul has a background in music production, composition and community music delivery. As well as composing for and directing their shows, he composes music for film, animation, theatre and dance as well as being inventor of interactive musical instrument Khoros.

Sarah hails from a visual arts background, training as a graphic designer before developing a career in public art and creative consultation. Sarah is also marketing manager for Middleport Pottery alongside her work with Restoke.

More about the RESTOKE team on their website.

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If any of the information in this article is incorrect or out of date or any information provided amended please let us know.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKmoo9jRntY” title=”MAN UP by RESTOKE”][/vc_column][/vc_row]