May Newsletter

We haven’t let Covid-19 slow us down! Throughout April we adapted and relaunched all of our groups to give our participants the most exciting programme of creative activities possible.

Our Edge Two performers have been using this time to focus their skills with an Acting for Screen/Radio module. Our newly created Theatre Club have been on 4 (virtual) trips to the theatre and put their questions to a host of industry professionals, including Jemima Rooper (One Man, Two Guvnors), Laura Elphinstone (Jane Eyre), Michelle Terry (Hamlet) and Harry Lister Smith (A Woman of No Importance).

We are now accepting new participants to Write Now and Drop-In Drama, and for the first time people can join us if you live outside of London! So if you want to get involved in our workshops to support your recovery and get creative, now is the time! Info about how to join is below.

Theatre Club with Michelle Terry (Artistic Director of The Globe)

Virtual Workshop Schedule

May 2020

All current OETC participants will have received an email and/or text message from us with information on how to join in the activities. If you are a participant who did not yet receive this information, please email [email protected] or call us on 0207 371 8020.

If you are new to OETC then please register your interest here, and one of the OETC team will contact you.

Mondays

6:30pm-8:30pm – Edge Two (Christopher & Julia)

Edge Two is availble for anyone who has been to 3 or more workshops with Outside Edge previously.

Tuesdays

6:30pm-8:00pm – Theatre Club (Molly)

Join us in a conversation about our weekly Theatre Trip! If you miss Thursday’s Virtual Theatre Trip, don’t worry you’ve got the weekend to catch up on the show and you can join us, and a guest from the show on Tuesday evening for the Theatre Club chat.

Wednesdays

3:30pm-5:30pm – Write Now (Sonya & Gemma)

6:30pm-8:30pm – Drop-In Drama (Tunde & Julia)

Thursdays

**NEW from May 21st** 12:30pm-2:30pm – Women’s Drama Group(Gemma & Charon)

7pm- Virtual Theatre Trip

Watch along with other OETC participants from the comfort of your home and join us the following Tuesday to share your thoughts about the piece. For the programme of plays we plan to watch in May, please see below.

31st April- Amsterdam (Orange Tree Theatre)

17th May – Romeo and Julliet (RSC)

14th May – Cyprus Avenue (Royal Court)

21st May – What the Butler Saw (Curve Theatre)

28th May – Albion (BBC Culture in Quarantine)

Fridays

1:00pm-3:00pm – Peer-led Check-in

The chat room is open for participants to support each other or just meet up to chat about how they are feeling. Topics can range from recovery maintenance advice to bread making recipes!

To keep up to date with the latest schedules check us out on Twitter (@ OutsideTheatre) and Facebook (@ Outsidedgetheatre) every Monday! Follow us on social media to see what Outside Edge is up to.

For the first time ever, geography doesn’t impact who can access our groups, and we plan to make the most of it! So we are opening our weekly drop-in groups (Write Now and Drop-in Drama) to new participants far and wide.

There are no entry requirements, except abstinence on the day, and you do not need to have prior experience of creative writing or drama to join. There has been no better time to get involved with OETC activities, all you need to do is register your interest below and OETC will be in contact with you.

Covid-19 Emergency Appeal

Ahead of Giving Tuesday on May 5th, we’ve launched a Covid-19 Emergency Appeal to us defray the cost of redesigning activities for online participation and the delivery of new support activities.

After listening to what our service users needed during this unprecedented time, we responded quickly and since April we have seen a 40% increase in attendance for our weekly recovery maintenance support groups. But, as with all small charities, we are struggling to meet this increased demand for our services and the unexpected costs we have incurred during this crisis.

We would be incredibly grateful if you consider supporting us during this challenging time to continue delivering our vital work.

How your donation will help:

£5.00
Pay expenses for befriending volunteer to support socially isolated people in recovery.

£25.00
Give a digitally excluded person mobile data for a month so they can join OETC’s online groups.

£50.00
Offer a digitally excluded person in recovery a tablet so they can join our online groups.

Even if you aren’t in a position to donate money yourself, please consider fundraising for us as part of the 2.6 Challenge or another fundraising drive, such as Giving Tuesday. As a bit of inspiration, please see the delicious cupcakes that one of our supporters made for her neighbours, which raised an impressive contribution towards our rapidly increasing costs.

Donate Here

Women’s Drama Group
Starts Thursday 21st May!

Female led, fun and free! Weekly drama group specifically designed for women in any way affected by addiction to come together in a creative space, meet new people and support one another.

You will learn new skills and build your self- confidence whilst having fun through drama games and creative exercises. This group is open to all ability levels and no previous experience needed to join.

Quotes of the month

The Phil Fox Award for Playwriting
6 weeks to go!

With just over 6 weeks to go until the sumbission deadline, and many of us find we have more time on our hands, now is the perfect time to get writing!

OETC is inviting playwrights with any level of experience from across the UK to submit full-length scripts about issues related to addiction.

The competition winner will receive a £6,000 commission from OETC to continue developing the winning script or to develop a new script about issues related to addiction. They will also receive mentoring from multi-award winning playwright Enda Walsh, who chairs the judging panel. Other judges include Simon Stephens, Barbara Broccoli, Denise Gough, Indhu Rubasingham, Matt Applewhite, Sonya Hale and Matt Steinberg.

Scripts can be submitted for the Phil Fox Award for Playwriting from 16th March until 16th June at 5pm BST. The competition winner will be announced in early November.

For more information on the 2020 Phil Fox Award for Playwriting, including how to apply, detailed eligibility criteria and FAQs, please click below.

Find Out More or Submit A Script Here

The Phil Fox Award for Playwriting is generously supported by:

An Anonymous Friend of OETC

The Well-Being Show

OETC’s CEO and one of our service users joined psychotherapist Noel McDermott to talk about recovery, mental health and performance on his Well-Being Show. Streamed live on Facebook on Wednesday 29th April. If you missed it you can watch the recording of the show below.

Catch up

Covid-19 Support for Hammersmith & Fulham, City of Westminster and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Residents

CGL Zoom Drop-in – Every Tuesday at 12 noon

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 244 560 733

Password: Stowe2020

CGL Zoom Coffee Morning – Every Thursday at 10am
Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 867 340 7325
Password: 8fh5BR

RBKC – Food and Essentials (Collection/Delivery)

If you are an RBKC resident and struggling to get food or any other essential supplies the council can help.

H&F CAN

Hammersmith & Fulham Council has launched the H&F CAN hotline and email to support vulnerable residents through the coronavirus pandemic. The freephone 0800 145 6095 and email [email protected] will be staffed seven days a week from 9am to 7pm, offering urgent food deliveries and support for those suffering from loneliness or isolation.

H&F Smile Brigade

If you are an individual enquiring about our COVID19 Relief – Free Meal Delivery Service then you can refer yourself or a friend via the following link. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please click here.

Fulham Good Neighbours

Fulham Good Neighbours will continue to help out with essential tasks e.g. emergency shopping, food bank deliveries, prescriptions collections. Please contact via info@fulhamgoodneighbours. org or on 020 7385 8850.

Westminster Helpline for Vulnerable People

A new helpline phone number for vulnerable Westminster residents, which also offers support in community languages, has now been set up by Westminster City Council on: 020 7641 1222. People can phone the number or register online here.

RBKC Covid-19 Hub

The hub will also be able to signpost and refer people to support who are not part of the NHS list but who do not have easy access to support and are vulnerable. The hub will be able to direct people to the incredible local support on offer.

You can contact the Covid-19 Hub [email protected] or call 020 7361 4326.

Thank You To Our Supporters!

During these difficult times we would like to thank our recent supporters who have made donations to Outside Edge this month:

Anonymous Friend of OETC

Everyone who donated to our 2.6 Challenge!

and

Support us

To continue to offer our creative activities for free we rely on the continued support of grants and donations. If you would also like to support Outside Edge to continue to offer these services please make a donation by following the link below.

If you would like to help Outside Edge through this challenging time and ensure we have the capacity to restart our activities for people in recovery as soon as possible, then please consider donating.

Donate

From our friends…