Former Coronation Street and Emmerdale actor, Bipolar UK ambassador and Mancunian Natasha Rea, explores her struggles with mental health in a show based on her critically-acclaimed memoir, Me, Myself and Bipolar Brenda.
Previewing at Liverpool’s Hope Street Theatre (July 12 and 15), before transferring to the Edinburgh Fringe (August 21-25), A Night With Me, Myself and Bipolar Brenda, is the story of what it like to live with a serious mental illness within the UK’s mental health system.
After always feeling "different", it came as a relief when – after years of misdiagnosis and a suicide attempt – Natasha was told she was suffering from bipolar disorder.
Determined to take control of her illness, the new single mother embarked on a struggle to "turn madness into magic" and "become better" for her son, while battling for better provision within the mental health system. A book based on her journals became an Amazon bestseller and her subsequent play, in association with Bipolar UK, received standing ovations at its sold-out premiere at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester. As an ambassador for Bipolar UK, Natasha is passionate about changing the way bipolar illness is perceived. She initiated the #SpeakOutLikeBrenda campaign for Mental Health Awareness Week in 2020 and teaches the Living With Bipolar course at Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust.
“My struggles have become the road map to help others,” she said. “I’ve been battling my whole life with this illness, and I continue to do so. But I’m using it to create, to live better, and to take others along with me.”
More info and tickets here