Theatre Room Sligo

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.

In Sligo two artists took up residency for a week in April in 2024. One artist focussed on the development of a sound and movement installation responding to the architecture and the logistics of the hospital, whilst the second artist focussed on deep exchanges with staff and clients, individually and in group format. The week’s organic practice in the hospital setting resulted in multiple contact points resulting in a development of material or the creation of a spontaneous performance moment. Theatre Room in Sligo led to a performance "Susan Power" and a film "Hair" performed and screened to 40 staff members and clients in the Day hospital Room. The temporary residency inspired the individual artists’ practice development as well as infused the everyday environment with moments of meaningful arts exchanges for staff and clients.

Outlandish Theatre are developing the Theatre Room concept into a sustainable practice to be disseminated particularly in community hospitals, where the arts’ programme is upheld by staff and management without sufficient funding, enhancing the possibility for artist and healthcare setting exchanges.