A recovery project for people battling drug addiction is set to host a variety-style theatre event this month in Glasgow.
Recovering Voices is a project devised by Mark MacNicol, a writer and director from Pollok, who was inspired by the death of his brother following a battle with drug addiction.
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Mark’s younger brother Jason died of a heroin overdose 15 years ago at age 30, which motivated Mark to use his own lived experience to create a six-month drama therapy programme for people in recovery.
On Tuesday, October 25, at the Oran Mor, participants will perform to an audience using a script they have developed over the past six months with the support delivery teams from Creative Change Collective.
The charity hopes that performances like this one, in addition to weekly support sessions for participants, will give support staff and policymakers valuable insight into recovery.
The project has been funded for three years by the Scottish Government through the Corra Foundation to support people in their recovery.
Mark said: “I have been working with Creative Change Collective, formerly Street Cones, for a few years mostly in the justice space and have seen the incredible results.
“We are definitely not a traditional drama group. Most of our participants have no interest in acting or writing.
“These sessions are designed to support people in their recovery through drama therapy-type activities.
“The idea was to mirror our success in the justice space, but specifically targeting drug and alcohol recovery work.
“Jason’s death was a big factor in motivating me.
“I tried everything to get him on the right path and although I don’t blame myself the reality is I was unsuccessful.
“It’s a big reason that I do the work with Creative Change Collective because it gives me the opportunity to work with people in the justice space, people in recovery, people who are struggling - and we get good results.
“The purpose of the programme is to keep people in recovery and keep them alive.
“If there is one person helped as a result of this then there is a family out there who doesn’t have to go through what ours did.
“The performance at Oran Mor will be first and foremost an opportunity for the participants to share something positive and celebrate their success with their friends and family.
“We also hope it will give valuable lived experience insights to policymakers.”
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Angela Constance, minister for drugs policy, has been invited to attend the West End performance.
Constance said: “I am pleased to see first-hand the results of the excellent work being done by the Creative Change Collective to support people through their Recovering Voices drama therapy programme.
“The work recovery communities are involved in doing up and down the country gives us all hope for a way forward out of this crisis.
“The Creative Change Collective is an excellent example of an innovative approach, and it is a pleasure to join them in celebrating this project with the people they help and their families and friends.
“We have invested £250m into our National Mission which aims to ensure people have access to the treatment which works for them, and I am determined every penny of that will make a difference.”
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