Find Me

In November 1975 at the age of 20 Verity Taylor was charged by the Police with damaging a chair by fire - value £6 - in a locked ward of a mental hospital where she was a patient. She was remanded in custody to Holloway Prison for a period of three months. She was subsequently tried at Canterbury Crown Court and in February 1976 an order was made for her admission to a maximum-security hospital. On February 24th, 1976, Verity Taylor was admitted to Broadmoor, from where she may not be discharged or transferred elsewhere without the permission of the Home Secretary.

So begins Olwen Wymark’s 1977 play ‘Find Me’, based on journals, notebooks, and interviews with the real-life’ Verity’s’ family. This searing, impressionistic account of a damaged and frightened girl and her equally traumatised family still has resonance in the present day, for although diagnosis and treatments have improved, lack of funding and resources still frequently damage the experiences and outcomes of vulnerable patients with both mental illnesses and mental disorders.

This production, a final year performance by students of Regent’s University, draws on Wymark’s original dramaturgy and ideas for how this story should be presented. It is nuanced by Act Up Collective’s own unique style as a 12-strong group of students who have shared three years of working together and are now looking forward to launching their acting careers. 

Introduction written by Anna Sullivan (Co-Director)

https://www.instagram.com/actup.co?igsh=MTcyamhxbXJwZm41YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 May - 7:00pm
Plus a matinee on 8th - 2:00pm