Work in Progress Industry Sharing

It doesn’t really feel like it was me at all because I had to make myself not there and had to shrug it off afterwards like an outfit that itches or doesn’t fit.

But it’s still lying unwashed in the corner of my room looking a bit like a sleeping bear.

At night, when I look at it out of the corner of my eye, I swear it’s getting bigger.

Ever wished you could talk to your past self? Carys has. Based on writer/performer Carys Wright’s own experiences, How to Catch a Bear is a semi-autobiographical journey through trauma to healing.

It’s a séance – past Carys is there but she keeps on interrupting. She’ll draw you pictures, she’ll sing you songs, she’ll hold your hand. Sometimes it’s hard to tell your own story. Join her on a journey to be reborn as she asks how can we ensure that trauma doesn’t define us.

Carys’ previous work includes Belong (co-written with River) at the Arcola and Lyric Hammersmith, and as an actor Belong (Lyric/Arcola), 100 Trillion (Southwark Playhouse/Old Vic Workrooms), Empty Beds (Arcola/Underbelly/Hope Theatre) and Table (New Diorama). How to Catch a Bear has received support from Clean Break and the Co-op Foundation, and was first conceived on Soho Writer’s Lab.

“Honest. Brave. Committed. Beautiful.” Lia Williams on Belong