Stroke Odysseys received a standing ovation at King's Greenwood Theatre on Saturday 3 November.

The performance was the culmination of a two-day events programmewith Rosetta Life, exploring the role of the arts in a health care context. Rosetta Life is a charity which offers people living with life-limiting conditions the creative means to explore narratives of illness and memory. 

Stroke Odysseys performance at Greenwood Theatre. Image by Etan Kinsella McLennan.

Stroke Odysseys, by award-winning choreographer Ben Duke and composer Orlando Gough, is an arts in health initiative that offers a participatory arts practice combining movement, music and song-writing.

The project helps participants to overcome issues, such as anxiety, depression and lowered self-esteem, which often hamper stroke recovery. 

Lucina Jarrett introducing Stroke Odysseys at Greenwood Theatre. Image by Etan Kinsella McLennan.

Founder of Rosetta Life, Lucinda Jarrett, introduced the performance by saying that ‘The cast of Stroke Odysseys are ‘stroke ambassadors’, who are advocating the optimism of life after having a stroke.’

She also says ‘The need for Stroke Odysseys has been identified by a wide network of clinicians, health care practitioners, patients and family members who are guiding the direction of the project through a series of practice research workshops. Following the project, a clinical evaluation report will be released to assess its effectiveness and make recommendations for future implementation.’

Participant discussion after the performance. Image by Etan Kinsella McLennan.

After the performance there was a discussion with project participants, with one commenting that ‘The most amazing thing about the brain is that we keep learning and we never stop learning. Recovery from stroke is possible, and there is hope.’

Stroke Odysseys has been touring around the UK during October and November 2018 at the following venues:

4 October: The Point, Eastleigh

12 October: Theatre by the Lake, Keswick

18 October: The MAC, Belfast

25 October: The North Wall, Oxford

3 November: Greenwood Theatre, King's College London

8 November: Lakeside Arts, Nottingham

16 November: Circomedia, Bristol