September Newsletter

Last month at Outside Edge was packed full of excitement: we partnered with LAMDA to create radio plays with our writers in recovery, we created a performance in collaboration with artistic recovery communities from Bristol to Brighton for Overdose Awareness Day and our readers were busy assessing scripts about addiction for the Phil Fox Award for Playwriting. September is Recovery Month and this feeling of excitement will continue throughout Autumn because Outside Edge’s reach is growing: this month our Drop-In Drama group is coming to South London and after requests from service users we are widening our artistic horizons in October as we dip our toes into the world of dance with help from our friends at Fallen Angels! Earlier this summer we shared our Reflect, Reset, Recover plans with you. As we continue to plan for a return to in-person work and expand our reach over the coming months we are now firmly in the Recover phase. And we need your support and involvement to continue building upon our successful response to the community’s needs throughout Covid-19. Whether that’s joining a NEW group, making a donation to our crowdfunder or telling a friend about us, we need your help to keep us reaching far and wide.

Online Workshop Schedule  September 2020 If you are new to OETC and would like to participate in any of these activities then please register your interest here, and someone from our team will contact you. Mondays 6:30pm-8:30pm – Edge Two & The Company (Christopher & Julia) Edge Two and The Company will finalise their Text Analysis project on The Seagull with a final recording on August 31st.  The group will share this work on September 28th, please see below for more details.   Tuesdays 6:30pm-8:00pm – Theatre Club (Molly) Join us in a conversation about our weekly Theatre Trip! Watch the play online ahead of the group then join us for a chat about the play and a Q&A with an exciting guest from the show. This month’s Theatre Trips have been chosen from productions at South London venues to celebrate our new Southwark group and also our upcoming dance group.  1st September – Tumulus (VAULT Festival) guests include actors Ian Hallard and Ciarán Owens.Link to be provided by text, if you would like to receive this information please email admin@edgetc.org  8th September – Upon Awakening & The War Within (Fallen Angels Dance Theatre) guest Paul Bayes Kitcher (Artistic Director of Fallen Angels) 15th September – Richard II (Shakespeare’s Globe) guest Adjoa Andoh (Director & Richard II) 22nd September – Check-In/Check-Out (VAULT Festival) guests to be confirmed. Link to be provided by text, if you would like to receive this information please email admin@edgetc.org  29th September – The Greatest Wealth (Old Vic) guests to be confirmed.  Wednesdays 3:30pm-5:30pm – Write Now (Sonya & Gemma) 6:30pm-8:30pm – Drop-In Drama (Tunde & Julia) Thursdays 12:30pm-2:30pm – Women’s Drama Group (Gemma & Charon) 7:00pm – Watch Theatre Club Show Watch the show for next week’s Theatre Club or catch up whenever you get the chance. The plays and viewing links are listed above. Fridays 1:00pm-3:00pm – Peer-led Check-in (Liam & Sue)The chat room is open for participants to support each other or just meet up to chat about how they are feeling. Open to all participants who have attended 1 other group previously. 6:30pm-8:30pm – **NEW** Southwark Drop-In Drama (Julia & Shiv)  Please note that all OETC groups will now be held on Zoom. All current OETC participants should 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 admin@edgetc.org or call us on 0207 371 8020.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.

NEW Outside Edge Groups! For Recovery Month Outside Edge is pleased to announce two **NEW** upcoming groups for Outside Edge Service Users. Southwark Drop-In Drama Outside Edge is coming to South London! We will be starting a NEW Drop-In Drama group in Southwark for anyone who has been affected by addiction.  Join us to play some fun, introductory improvisation games and have lots of laughs. You don’t need to have any experience of drama, you just need to be abstinent on the day of the workshop. This free weekly group is a great way to meet like-minded people, improve your wellbeing, learn something new and support your recovery whilst having fun!  Come and spend your Friday nights with us from 18th September 6:30pm-8:30pm.  All existing OETC participants are welcome and if you’re new to OETC register your interest here and one of our team will get back to you.  We are currently delivering Drama Taster Sessions in South London to promote this activity. If you are a South London Drug & Alcohol treatment facility and would like to find out more about how you can spread the news, please contact Molly (admin@edgetc.org). Southwark Drop-In Drama is supported by: Healthy London Partnership Dance and Movement Group You asked for it and we are pleased to announce that now you’ve got it! With help from our friends at Fallen Angels Dance Theatre, we are excited to announce that we will be starting a weekly dance and movement activity for Outside Edge service users from October. This isn’t dance as you know it, you will learn how to unlock your own movements and it’s accessible for everyone regardless of ability. Sessions will be led by acclaimed dancer and choreographer Paul Bayes Kitcher, who is also in recovery. More details to come, but if you want to get a flavour of the work Paul creates why not watch some of his captivating work and join us on 8th September at Theatre Club. More information in the Workshop Schedule above.  OETC’s Dance and Movement Group is supported by: Coronavirus Community Support Fund, distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund. Thanks to the Government for making this possible.  and  Collective Voice

Crowdfunding Campaign For the last 20 years we have strengthened the recovery of 97% of our participants. To continue this success, we are excited to launch a crowdfunding campaign this month to meet the new, unexpected needs and costs we face as a community due to Coronavirus. These funds will support the delivery of new projects as identified by our participants, including Dance and Movement, and Southwark Drop-In Drama, and ensure everyone has the digital capabilities to access our sessions. We welcome you to view our campaign here. We encourage you to share this campaign with anyone in your networks who you think would like to support us, or just learn more about Outside Edge. Please look out for and share our social media posts to promote the cause, and spread the word!

Save the date The Seagull Watch Party  During their summer module Edge Two performers have been exploring text through Chekhov’s The Seagull.  They have analysed the text, examined characters, rehearsed and filmed scenes that have been woven together to share with an audience of supporters over Zoom. Date: Monday 28th September    Time 7:00pm  Where: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 864 0644 2557 Passcode: 887052 Come and see how this group of performers in recovery has made this classic text their own. Edge Two is supported by: City of Westminster  and The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Last month’s performances Covid-19 regulations have challenged us to be more inventive with the way we connect to one another and share work artistically. During August we rose to that challenge and held not one but two creative sharings.  For Overdose Awareness Day (OAD) Outside Edge shared a beautiful bespoke piece of video art created by our performers in response to the issue of overdose. This was shared across social media in tandem with creative recovery communities from Brighton, Bristol and Plymouth. Each group across the country responded to the same issue but performed something that was completely unique to the voice of their group. If you missed the live sharing yesterday, you can catch up now on Facebook.  Our Write Now playwrights were able to hear their radio plays inspired by the title LOVE IN A CORONA CRISIS at our listening party this month. With support from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), one of the country’s top drama schools, the short plays were recorded by a team of actors. Our writers and their supporters were able to hear their words come to life in the mouths of professional actors. The Company is supported by Hammersmith & Fulham   Write Now is supported by The Mount Trust

Quotes of the month

Online Drama Taster Sessions! Have you booked one of our Online Drama Taster Sessions yet?  Outside Edge’s FREE 1 hour Drama Taster Sessions have been designed specifically for online delivery, so there is no need to wait until your groups are back in a physical space before adding some drama to your programme. Whatever your video conferencing tool (e.g. Zoom, Microsoft Teams etc) we will accommodate. Our specially trained facilitators can also make work accessible to Service Users who are only able to use audio and not video. The focus of the workshop remains the Five Ways to Wellbeing, using fun, fast paced exercises that allow participants to connect in an engaging, entertaining online environment. If you would like to book an Online Drama Taster Session please contact Molly for more information (admin@edgetc.org). Taster Sessions are supported by:

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: and

From our friends…