Inside Out

About Inside Out

The project to date

Inside Out of Mind is an innovative project which has brought together ethnographic researchers with theatre practitioners to tackle the challenge of dementia care.

Writer Tanya Myers and Director Stephen Lowe of Meeting Ground have worked with researchers Simon Bailey and Kezia Scales to create a workshop production which brilliantly illustrates the multiple realities of life on a dementia ward.

In July 2011, an invited audience across a broad spectrum of interest groups saw the work in progress.

Inside Out Trailer

The next stage

The Inside Out of Mind MIN (Managed Innovation Network) was established to build on the successful workshop production of Inside Out of Mind and to enable the next phase of development work.

Our ultimate goal is – like the project itself – multi-layered. We aim to create and tour a finished theatre production which reaches the widest audience of general public and to enable greater understanding and better care within the dementia sector.

During 2011-12, the core creative team of writer, director, music director and ethnographers, plan to work with choreography and puppetry to add to the theatricality of the end piece.

How you can help

We are seeking funding to enable us to develop the next stage of creative research and development, and to deliver our vision of a completed, touring theatre production of this groundbreaking work.

If you are interested in supporting the further development of this work with resources in terms of finance, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Inside Out Programme.pdf [Adobe Acrobat PDF - 821.73 KB]

alt Inside Out biographies [Adobe Acrobat PDF - 956.87 KB]

Reviews

A truly remarkable piece. I found the soundscape particularly affecting. Of particular value was the balanced portrayal of behaviour and the issues. Thank you.

David Connelly, Clinical psychologist, Mental Health services for Older People

Keep on with paradox. YES let‘s talk/workshop manikins/animate the inanimate.

Stephen John

It was a very powerful and emotional presentation beautifully portrayed in a such compelling and sen-sitive way. It touched me deeply and I have given much thought to it since. In my view, a full produc-tion is a must and I believe would be an excellent tool to enlighten a wide cross-section of society.

Linda Francis

I found the play very interesting and I sincerely hope that it gets a wider audience. Perhaps it could be told that they are allowed to laugh!

C. Latham

Simply moving, excellent piece of work. It refreshed my reasons as to why I choose to work in the area of dementia. It is vital that those staff on the shop floor see this production. As the lady who played Grace said—we are all getting older—who is going to care for us?

Sharon Howe, Modern Matron.

A very beautiful observation of a world that’s too often hidden from public view. The work captures the perspective of and voices of those with dementia and their carers and weaves these together. The picture presented is both provocative and accessible.

Laura Slinger.

Really enjoyed the play, brought me to tears. Very insightful and true to reality on the wards with some heart-wrenching aspects of ‘oh God—I have seen that’. ‘Grace’ was excellent.

Tracey Elvin

Excellent production and highlighted very interesting issue—I think however that the point really needs to be clearly made that this is about a mental health ward and not an acute medical [health care of older people] ward. What you would see there is very different – in terms of the busyness of the staff and the noise levels.

Sarah Goldberg

Theatre seemed a particularly appropriate form for an area where “we cone to exist in the memories of other people” - starts to define identity. How you “scale it up” into a full play may close down the openness it has at the moment. The move into dance seems to be a fruitful development—leaving the text loose, fluid & expressive & play off against physical images & movements.

Frank Abbot.

Fantastic play, very easy to watch and the time went really quickly. I think that it has to be stressed that this is a ward environment and not a care home. Wards are noisy, busy, well staffed, care homes are very poorly staffed but are there to make a profit, no other reason. Needs to be funnier as on wards people do have a lot of laughs, which makes people want to go to work.

This worked so well, even though I know a lot of what was coming, I was still ‘blown away’. It would even work with these scenes presented as a self-contained play.