The Guide
Sara Keating: First Fortnight bids to banish January blues and boost mental health in the arts
The annual festival is playing an increasingly key role in destigmatising the mental health stresses of artists, providing opportunities to boost well-being and changing social responses
In Timmy Creed’s autobiographical play Spliced, the author and actor exposes the dangerous ideas that shape male identity in intense sporting communities like the GAA. As a former championship hurler, Creed draws on his own experience of body dysmorphia and low self-esteem.
The confessional monologue has therapeutic benefits for Creed: putting a shape on the mental health challenges he faced helps him to overcome them. However, the performance context projects transformative possibilities for the audience ...
