Drama St Mary's Perform Hello, My Name is Anxiety

Students on the BA Drama and Applied Theatre programme at St Mary's University, Twickenham teamed up with Balance CIC to create a piece of new writing based around the themes of anxiety. The show saw students work with the Community Interest Company who aim to work with disabled and vulnerable people in the borough of Kingston, offering community activities and employment support. This project centred around the Aspergers Support work which aims to support adults with a range of needs. During the 12 week project students would collaborate with the members of Balance to create pieces of new writing which looked at the complex issues surrounding anxiety related disorders. The result was a performance involving both groups at Drama St Mary's Theatre. Academic Director Patsy Gilbert commented, "Drama St Mary's has always had a strong foundation in theatre as a tool for social change. Our links with community groups such as Balance is what makes our courses unique, and shows that theatre has a real purpose beyond entertainment. "Around 90% of university students say they have suffered from anxiety at some point during their degree which makes this a particularly relevant and important topic to explore." To find out more about Balance CIC and their work please go to: www.balance-cic.com