NOW Festival 2020
Children and young people from across Liverpool will come together to perform in the city’s fifth annual NOW Festival next month (February).
Organised and directed by Merseyside Youth Association’s (MYA) mental health promotion team, in partnership with Liverpool Child Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Liverpool Cultural Education Partnership and the Arts Council, the festival will take place over four nights at the Epstein Theatre.
Hundreds of children and young people from over twenty schools and youth organisations across Liverpool will deliver a range of dramatic performances, exploring the theme of ‘Mental health and belonging’.
Speaking about the festival’s theme, Damian Hart, MYA’s principal development manager, explains: “Having a sense of belonging is essential to maintaining positive mental health; it makes us feel valued and accepted, improves our self-esteem and sits at the heart of resilience which strengthens us and can help us navigate our way through a crisis or mental distress.
“This year’s festival will showcase a mixture of drama, dance, musical theatre and film, all exploring the life-long effects of childhood; questioning how it affects our mental health.”
Click the image above to watch highlight’s from last year’s NOW Festival
The NOW festival focuses heavily on youth engagement, with the planning process beginning early on in the academic year. Participants have received support and mentoring workshops delivered by the NOW Festival team, with the initial workshop exploring the theme, whilst subsequent workshops focused on devising their performances including the opportunity to work with professional artists: Maurice Bessman (writer), Darren Suaraz (choreographer), Paul Furlong (filmmaker) and Carl Cockram (actor).
Damian added: “We’re inviting people to come along for an evening of moving and inspiring entertainment featuring real-life stories of belonging and exclusion, performed by Liverpool’s children and young people.”
The festival takes place February 10 – 13 at the Epstein Theatre. Tickets can be purchased from the box office, or online https://www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk/events/2198/
Supporting the Liverpool NOW Festival, the Sefton NOW Festival will take place at the Atkinson Theatre, Southport on Tuesday 11 February, 6:30pm
Wednesday 12 February, 12:30pm & 6:30pm.
Tickets can be purchased online > https://www.theatkinson.co.uk/events/now-festival-2020/