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THE BEST EVENTS, TALKS AND SPORT
* Maggie’s Building Life Walks Around 4,000 people are expected to participate in these sponsored ten-mile walks. taking in the buildings that are open to the public as part of Doors Open Day. and raising funds to set up a network of Maggie's Centres to support those affected by cancer. be they a patient. family member or friend. To take part. call 0141 341 5669 or email dee@maggiescentres.org. Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow. Sat 22 Sep.
3|: Last Monday at Rio A poetry and spoken word night for the West End. The headline act this month is The Makar Poets, a precision quartet of rapid-fire rhymemongers. There's an open mic session too - contact compere Robin Cairns (robin.cairns@btconnect.com) if you would like to perform. Rio Cafe, Hynd/and Street, Glasgow. Mon 24 Sep. 8—10pm. Free.
III Zinnia Harris: Playwriting Skills The award- winning playwright. known best for Nightingale and Chase and now writing for television. including Spooks. shares the secrets of her success over six fortnightly sessions. starting this week. Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. Mon 1 Oct.
Wht sin
Talki eads
Ahead of Scotland’s first Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. Kirstin Innes spoke to organiser Lee Knifton about dialogues, drama and positive mental action
incent y'an (logh. Virginia Woolf. Syly'ia l’lath.
lirnext Hemingway. lan ('urtix. Andy Warhol.
Andy Kaufman. Daniel Johnson. Sarah Kane. Kurt (‘obain. I could go on. There‘s a litany ol' high profile creatiy'c figures known to hayc suffered from some form of mental illness. gltlltiot'ixc‘tl and iconilied throughout history and on bedroom walls. Hollywood loyes its ‘tortured geniusex' too. churning out gltmy. tragic biopicx almtwt annually.
Si\ months ago. l.ec Knifton. who \y'ol‘k\ tor the NllS tackling mental health stigma in Scotland. began plans for a two-day cinema l‘estiyal oi more t'ealixlic lilmx that celebrated and highlighted the liltk‘x between mental health and creatiy'ity. The programme has grown since: Knifton is now the director ol a two-w eek long. 4(l-eyent multi-art t'orm l‘estiy'al. about to take oyer lo Venues across Glasgow and l.anark\hire. and while palpably excited about the programme. he's ttlxo hugely aware of public preconceptions.
"l‘his isn't a campaign ~ it’s an arts f'extiyal. We're not trying to deliy'er any sort of message: w e're not putting out any sort of. negatiye instruction like ‘don't discriminate'. We're just trying to itic‘l‘c‘thc‘ aw arenexx ot' the positiye contribution people with mental health issucs can and hay e madef
As the programme expanded. increasingly w ell- know'n Scottish inuxicians. Lli‘Ii\I\. filmmakers and comedians haye come on board. but Knifton is clear that this isn't jllxl another issue-driyen opportunity for stars to make themselyes look worthy.
‘l’m really wary of~ this attitude we seem to be getting a lot of recently: 'Hey'. you'ye got an ixxue? Let's hay e a
concert lot it that bcal'\ no relation to anything" \Ve'ic not just thing the art» ax a ychicle to hitch a catlxc on lllL‘llltll llL‘Llllll ix l-tli’ llltllly tll'il\l\ .I \Htllcc ill llllL'L‘ inspiration. and there are \o many proyen lllllx\ between mental illness and creatiy ity. Being able to e\plore llll\. with the public. ill a mine sophlxticatctl way. I\ what w e'rc hoping to get from thix programme.’
The l'cxtiyal ix diyitlctl into Iomc \trantlx. t'\llll\lllltll\ and theatre e\amine the lli\ltlt'y ol mental health awarenexx ta play at the ('iti/en\ 'lheatre about the pioneering ;iitti-p\yc|iiati‘y [l\}y‘llltlll’l\i RI) laing ltax already sold outl. a Hit lillll competition illlL'l\ members of the public a chance to ineiacl with the itttagcx pt'cxcntctl. and a \el‘icx ol \inallct‘ L'\Clll\ will rise cinema. art and dixcuxxion forums to c\plore what mental health mean\ to yarioux marginalixed Scottish communities. The cinema and moxic line ups are thoroughly imprexxiye Billy Boyd. lamma l’ollock. ('oxmic Rough Ridci'x. 'l‘eenagc l'anclub\ \oi'nian Blake and the BMX littlitlilx were all confirmed at the time of going to prexx. alottgxidc \creenmgx ol (‘uiiim/ and The Der/"l um! Daniel .lu/mwn lpictured l.
'\\'c|l. there's no point being worthy ll the cyentx aren't any good] my Knifton. rcaxonably enough. "l‘he one single thing we want to do ix \park oil dialogue\ about the l\\llc\ w c're raisingT
To get people talking and actiyely engaging with mental health ixxuex‘.’ ‘Ycah. and (II'L’HIIIL’. you know ."
The Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival, Glasgow, Thu 4-Fri 19 Oct. See www.mhfestival.com for full listings.
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