Cracking is a new play created by the award-winning arts organisation ‘Alright Mate?’. It tells the story of new parents unfolding on the counselling couch where the father is afraid of his own vulnerabilities triggered by new parenthood. It is inspired by the lived experience of couples who’ve been through postnatal illness. The piece has been reimagined as a three-part audio play which will debut at this year’s ESRC Festival of Social Sciences. Audiences will have online access to the episodes during the Festival, beginning with a listen-remotely-together debut of episode 1, and then join a live panel discussion on father’s perinatal mental health and the culture(s) that surround it later in the week. The panel will include the play’s writer and sound designer, peer support workers, experts by experience, innovators in the field and academic researchers from the University of Warwick.

Confirmed panellists:

Cally Hayes (Cracking writer); Hugh McCann (Alright Mate? CIC); Julian Bose (DadPad); Luke Burgon (expert by experience); Amelie Foster (expert by experience); Nikhwat Marawat (The Delicate Mind CIC); Dr Emma Langley (University of Warwick); Jodie Dowse (Bluebell Care); Dr Mark Pulsford (University of Warwick, panel Chair).

Attendees can listen to the 3-part audio drama on this webpage from 8pm on Saturday November 7th.

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