Oldham Coliseum hosts solo show to highlight the impacts of mental health

'Work in Progress' will be performed at the Coliseum on the 28th June

A Unique solo show performed by Jess Gibson will be welcomed to Oldham Coliseum on Friday 28th June.

According to figures, one in six people report experiencing anxiety or depression every week, with 15% of the adult population experiencing depression in their lifetime.

Struggling to manage her mental health and suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder, anxiety and depression, Jess Gibson decided to be part of a show that helps her feel comfortable with feeling uncomfortable.

Jess moved to Sheffield as a positive step in her recovery from a mental health breakdown in 2014.

Since then she has worked in the North with Third Angel, Sheffield Theatres, SheFest, Quarantine, Hazard Festival, UnShut Festival and Theatre Delicatessen.

Her approach is inter-disciplinary as she merges movement, dance and comedy to create meaningful work with a social impact.

Through humour and a passion for dance, ‘Work in Progress’ is a warm, light-hearted show about being scouse, dancing to Britney Spears and sharing her stories of hope.

She welcomes everyone on her journey and apologises for her nan’s swearing.

The Oldham Chronicle spoke to Jess ahead of her show on Friday night, she said “I think sometimes depression and anxiety is always put into a pathological or clinical context, so brining it into a creative one has really drawn life on different aspects of the human condition and what it means to be emotional and alive.

I want to try and reduce stigma, representation and want to allow people to see the human side to mental health, bringing a sense of humanity and humour to it.

She said, “I struggle with all those things, I talk about how depression is different for every person, mines like a poisonous parrot that sucks away all of my energy and it’s nasty to me thats what it’s like for me.”

Click here to visit the Oldham Coliseum website.

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