There is so much pressure to know what you're doing in life and where you're going next. But let’s face it not everyone does and that’s ok. So join actor and playwright Yolanda Mercy, plus a host of industry professionals for this exciting afternoon retreat, inspired by her hit show Quarter Life Crisis. Reminding us that the best creative work and ideas stem from learning to be unapologetically ourselves, the afternoon promises uplifting discussions with leading arts practitioners, an empowering self-care workshop plus a relaxed listening party. Celebrate your individual journey so far by taking a few hours to reenergise and consider how you can carve your creative practice.
14.00
Overcoming Obstacles
Discussion and Q&A with speakers including writer and actor Nathan Bryon, producer Nassy Konan and actor and writer Joe Barnes-Phillips
15.00
Self-Care Workshop
Hosted by World of Self Care
16.00
Developing Relationships with Organisations
Discussion and Q&A focused on building relationships with arts organisations. With speakers including actor and filmmaker Matt Morgan, producers Tobi Kyeremateng and Jules Haworth.
17.00
Quarter Life Crisis Party
Performance followed by Q&A with Yolanda Mercy
Yolanda Mercy is a London based Actor and Playwright who trained at the Brit School, Laban and Central School of Speech and Drama. She was named Artist to Watch 2017 by the British Council, part of the BBC Writersroom and her writing has featured in Huffington Post. Yolanda is a Published author with Oberon Books. Her ★★★★★ productions have been described as "relatable, funny and very honest".
Twitter: @yolandamercy
Nathan Bryon is an Actor / Writer / Author/ filmmaker/ Lover of chicken wings / future billionaire. He is currently starring in Benidorm series 10 on ITV1. His web-series #Reality can be found here.
@NathanBryon
Jules Haworth is Education Producer at Soho Theatre and looks after Soho’s Writers’ Lab, Comedy Lab, Cabaret & Drag Lab and Theatremakers programmes for artists aged 11+. She is part of Soho Theatre’s Artistic team, considering and developing new work for the stages and has also read for a number of playwriting competitions including the Verity Bargate Award, Tony Craze Award and Muslim Writers’ Award.
As a dramaturg, Jules has worked shows including Brute by Izzy Tennyson (Ideas Tap Underbelly Award 2015, Underbelly), Muscovado by Matilda Ibini (Alfred Fagon Award 2015, Theatre 503), Villain by Martin Murphy (Offie Nominated, Kings Head Theatre), Quarter Life Crisis by Yolanda Mercy and Dust by Milly Thomas (Soho Theatre).
Twitter @JulesMHaworth
Nassy Konan is a Producer and Stage Manager, who has worked for various live performance organisations around the UK, including Ovalhouse, Roundhouse, Southwark Playhouse, Théâtre Sans Frontières, TakeOff: Theatre Hullabaloo Festival, LIFT festival, Greenwich + Docklands International Festival and Young Vic. Nassy is currently a Producing Coordinator and works within the Touring Team at Battersea Arts Centre to tour work across the UK and internationally plus also produces work which brings new artists into the programme including programming for poetry and spoken word nights.
Last year Nassy joined a team of young professionals who won the contract to run a new building, called the Streatham Space Project (SSP). SSP is a new theatre in South London set to open in June as a ‘neighbourhood headquarters’ to focus on bringing new and young artists to perform and create in the space, aimed at attracting younger and more diverse theatregoers.
Twitter: @mknassy
Tobi Kyeremateng is a theatre, festivals and live performance producer with a focus on artist development, artistic collaboration and community engagement. She has worked with organisations such as Old Vic Theatre, tiata fahodzi, Battersea Arts Centre, Ovalhouse, Big House Theatre Company, Bestival and Block9 @ Glastonbury, and has collaborated with organisations such as RichMix, Wilderness Festival, Citadel Festival and The Prince's Trust and more. She is currently Producer at Apples and Snakes, Executive Producer (Up Next) at Bush Theatre and Programme Manager at Brainchild Festival.
Twitter: @bobimono
Matt Morgan is an award-winning actor and filmmaker from London. His TV comedy-drama Dylan & Gracie is in development with Tiger Aspect Productions, and his feature film Mine, is in development with Georgia Goggin (producer of Iris Prize-winning We Love Moses). He is part of 4Screenwriting 2018 and BFI Flare Mentorship 2018. His short film Gracie won various awards and received a TV broadcast on London Live. As an actor his credits include Our Town (Almeida Theatre), Tommy (New Wolsey) and the TV series Cuffs, Wasted, Love Nina, Midsomer Murders and upcoming C4 Drama Pure.
Twitter: @mattjcmorgan
Joseph Barnes Phillips is an Actor and Writer. He has most recently been touring BigFoot his one man play which he wrote and performed in collaboration with HighRise Theatre, Black Theatre Live and Stratford Circus. He’s a publisher playwright and has also written for the Huffingtion Post about stamping out stereotypes of young black men. Joseph is Co-Artistic Director of an emerging theatre company HighRise Theatre that is taking the industry by storm though cultural anecdotes and Grime/Hip Hop which aid them in voicing forgotten communities that are underrepresented in the theatre.
Twitter: @HighRise_UK
