New Wolsey Theatre to host Tell Your Story exhibit

A community-based wellbeing programme entitled 'Tell Your Story' is driven by the New Wolsey Theatre’s Creative Communities team and photographer and artist Gillian Allard.

The exhibition will be open from April 6 to 9 at the New Wolsey Theatre's upstairs café & bar and on April 11 and 12 at the Endeavour House foyer.

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The project was funded by NHS Suffolk and North East Essex with aims to support people living with multiple conditions.

Throughout nine sessions, participants were guided on creating and editing images via an app on a tablet.

A portion of this initiative is dedicated to exploring other mixed media like cyanotype - an early photographic printing process.

Every participant has produced their own display for the exhibition to tell their story.

Participants used multi-media work to tell their story (Image: Submitted)

One participant said: “Coming on this course is me reclaiming me.

"This is my journey towards feeling as free, fun and creative instead of trapped and locked in where I have been.”

Another participant said: "Through this group, I have been able to express my life’s experiences and release them also, which culminates in creating that which otherwise has been suppressed.

"I can just be myself, there’s no pressure.

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"I don’t think I have felt this good in a long time.”

Chloe Davis, creative communities producer, said: “We have had a brilliant team of practitioners, funders and participants, who have all made this an incredibly special project to be a part of.

"In many cases, this programme has been life-changing for those that have been involved.

"The New Wolsey Theatre is hoping to run more programmes like Tell Your Story over the next year, to continue demonstrating the immense benefits of arts and culture activities."