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Greetings Community!

Did you know that:

Black people are more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act.

Black men are seventeen times more likely to be diagnosed with a serious mental illness than their white counterparts.

Black people are more likely to experience risk factors associated with ill-mental health such as misdiagnosis, school exclusions, homelessness, poverty, contact with the youth justice system, and many more.

Mistreatment and lack of preventative measures are contributing to the epidemic of ill-mental health in Black communities. We are launching a new collaborative program with Black Thrive Lambeth, the Black Cultural Archives & Theatre Peckham to speak about examining and addressing well-being using theatre.

About the Project

DTA is staging a production of Una Marson’s play Pocomania between January 31st- February 5th 2023 at Theatre Peckham! This is accompanied by two community workshops happening on January 21st and February 6th.

‘Pocomania’ is a testament to the sweeping process of social change taking place across the Caribbean in a post-emancipation context. A newly emerging Jamaican middle class comprehends its national identity against colonial class structures. Religious traditions rooted in Africa are represented by the colonial system as barriers to a civilised society.

Set in the aftermath of the first World War Stella Manners, a young middle-class woman loses the love of her life to the war effort. Faced with depression Stella is fascinated by the sound of the drum coming from her neighbour’s yard. As she navigates the shifting landscapes of imperial Jamacia, Stella confronts themes of love, loss, displacement, manipulation, spirituality, and awakening.

This collaboration will bring Pocomania to the British theatre scene for the first time in history. The program will provide new ways for Black audiences to access and engage with conversations around mental health, including engagement with the Melba Wilson archive - a collection centered around mental health provision within Black communities in the UK.

How you can help 

The aim is to raise £10,000 to further support the production of the play to completion, as it has only been partially funded. Your support will allow the play to professionally be transformed into a digital format for television, so that it may be archived and accessed for generations to come. Please support and share our GO FUND ME to make this project a reality.

To donate please visit
https://gofund.me/39786bdb

For more information on this project please visit
https://www.decolonisingthearchive.com/pocomania

Tickets are to be released soon…


Love and Blessings,

The DTA Team.