Credit: Ali Wright

A two-part session, about award-winning writer and performer, Alexandra Donnachie's experience of creating two trauma-based shows. Part 2 will be on Wednesday 26 April 2023.

Alexandra’s first play was an autobiographical piece which she performs with her younger sister, Kate Donnachie. The play (3 Years, 1 Week and a Lemon Drizzle) is an exploration of the effect Alex’s eating disorder had on the sisters’ otherwise very close relationship. They play was self-produced primarily for budgeting reasons and although it was very well-received when it toured across the UK, including a run at EdFringe 2018 (Underbelly), no safeguarding measures, which might now be seen as non-negotiables in a rehearsal room, were put in place and so the process of making and repeatedly performing the play unfortunately had a damaging effect on Alex especially.

In this session, Alex unpacks what she has since learnt from having the complete opposite experience when working on When We Died, which has numerous safeguarding measures in place for her, the wider creative team and, importantly, for audiences.

She’ll share what she would – and does – do now, and indeed what she would advise other artists to do to protect themselves and those around them when making trauma-based work.

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