I was 23 when it came crashing into my life; without warning, when everything was going so well, just when I was really, really happy… With 90s pop, a costume box and a whole heap of glitter, Bright Places (Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd October) is a darkly funny and deeply honest autobiographical story about growing up in the shadow of chronic illness.
This award-winning play about Multiple Sclerosis, MS for short, not to be confused with M&S or S&M, is written by Rae Mainwaring and directed by Tessa Walker. Frustrated by the negative depictions of people living with MS, on stage and screen, Rae Mainwaring developed a full length play exploring being diagnosed with MS in her early 20s. She wanted to explore how she had coped with having her world turned upside down aged 23 and how she had learnt to live with an unpredictable chronic illness.
The Bright Places, are the white patches that appeared on her MRI scan, showing scar tissue that causes her symptoms. But, the Bright Places are also her places to hide; her fantasy escapes, where theatre meets rave, meets hospitals and endless naps. Bright Places is real and raw, hopeful and funny.
This three-woman, one-woman show sees three actors all playing very different versions of Rae with a theatrical form that reflects the unpredictability of life with MS. Bright Places looks at how to live your best ’20 something’ life with symptoms that can change constantly and an outlook that can be hard to gauge.
Rae Mainwaring, Playwright on Bright Places, said: “So much of my life; living with MS is unseen. That’s a common experience so it’s exciting to finally make MS visible and seen centre stage. People with MS rarely see themselves represented in an authentic way. This play delves into the complicated, knotty often contradictory relationship with an illness that is always moving the goal posts.”
The production is working with charity partner, Shift.ms: the digital community for people with MS.
Shift.ms, said: “Our partnership with Bright Places is an exciting opportunity to elevate the profile of multiple sclerosis and engage our core audience in MS storytelling through a different medium. MS stories are often confined to the silo of the MS community; Bright Places will take profound MS stories to alternative platforms while also offering MSers the rare chance to participate in creative workshops. We’re thrilled to work with Bright Places as a charity partner, and believe that the production can make a profound impact on people within the MS community, and the understanding of MS in wider society.”
Presented by Carbon Theatre, in association with Birmingham Rep, and supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. The play was originally commissioned by Birmingham Rep in 2020, with generous support from the Barry Jackson Trust.
To book tickets for Bright Places, please visit www.hulltruck.co.uk or contact the Box Office on 01482 323638. Don’t miss your chance to see this reflective yet raucous play about living with MS.