Destinations

Destinations is the first project outcome of Theatre Room. Theatre Room is an ongoing Outlandish Theatre project whereby Bernie, Maud, Oli and James have taken up a semi-permanent space and residency in a health care setting. Theatre Room is primarily a place for the artist to play and invite staff and clients to engage in themes the artist is exploring. The room holds two chairs, a table, a sound desk and recording equipment, paper, pens and pencils and a suitcase full of props and instruments. The aim is to co-create as another option for patients and staff away from their everyday routine in the healthcare setting. To date Theatre Room has taken place in the Martha Whiteway Day Hospital at MISA and St. John's Hospital in Sligo. The first Theatre Room resulted in a performance outcome Destinations, co-created with 20 clients and members of staff at The Day Hospital.

Destinations is a sound performance project co-created with staff and clients of the Martha Whiteway, a mental health day hospital in MISA.

https://misa.ie/clinical-services/martha-whiteway-day-hospital/martha-whiteway-day-hospital/

Maud Hendricks and Oli Ryan of Outlandish Theatre set up Theatre Room in November 2022. In this room there is a sound desk, two mics, a zoom, two speakers and two chairs. People, who are waiting appointments with the team, nurses, medical occupational therapists, psychologists, art therapists and administrative staff, are invited to have a chat in the Theatre Room. With Maud the patients consider different Destinations, imaginary and real. Destinations of the past, present and future. We record the conversations if we feel like it. This heightens the experience. We perform our conversation to ourselves. The Project becomes a destination in and of itself.

With sound artist Oli Ryan the sound files are recalibrated into a new destination, an interpretation of the afterlife, not in the past, not in the now, not even in the future. An in between life station, where thoughts, ideas, sounds, whispers, after thoughts, light and darkness can co-exist. A rumination space, a space to die and to be reborn.

Destinations premiered as part of Bealtaine Festival 2023 in the common room of the Martha Whiteway Day Hospital at MISA performed by nurse Dermot Reilly, Maud Hendricks and Oli Ryan to staff, clients and invited guests.