Mental Health in the Entertainment Industry Symposium

Equity's ArtsMinds Symposium 2019

20/8/2019

Mental Health in the Entertainment Industry Event - EPK

Equity's Bristol & West General Branch are hosting “Mental Health in the Entertainment Industry” in Bristol Old Vic Theatre's Coopers’ Hall on Wednesday 2nd October.

The 2019 Equity #ArtsMinds Symposium is being held on October 2nd at Bristol Old Vic Theatre as an effort to bring the workers and industry leaders within the Entertainment Industry together.

"Good mental health and wellbeing are founded on empathy, kindness, patience and understanding holistically within the workplace," says one Equity Member who has struggled with mental wellbeing issues throughout her 40+ year career in the industry.

Equity, the trade union for UK performers and production creatives in the Entertainment Industry have funded this Bristol symposium. It is not the first time Equity Members have initiated events, written reports or demanded change. For the Bristol and West General Branch of the union who meet monthly at Bristol Old Vic, one of Bristol's premier live theatre venues, it will not be the last.

Equity ArtsMinds 2019 Programme - PDF
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Mental Health in the Entertainment Industry Event

The symposium is being held ahead of World Mental Health Day which is on October 10th.

Gerard Cooke, Bristol & West General Branch’s Vice-Chair, and lead coordinator for the event.

PRESS RELEASE PDF - EAMS19
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PRESS REALEASE DOCX - EAMS19
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The symposium will take place over a single day.

Keynote speakers Andy Moss from TUC’s UnionLearn will be talking about Mental Health First Aid and Annemarie Lewis Thomas from Musical Theatre Academy about the #time4change campaign “Mental Health Charter for the Performing Arts”.

There are two panel discussions, “Support for Mental Health and Well-being” and “Mental Health in the Workplace and in Education/Training”.

The Bristol and West General Branch's Unknown Funds supported event, (awarded by Council in July http://bit.ly/eams-announcement) concludes with an OpenSpace session.

Since the East of Scotland Branch's 2014 Stress in the Entertainment Industry event, the launch of ArtsMinds, and Thames Variety Branch's 2019 "It's OK Not To Be OK" event, mental health and wellbeing issues for us working in the industry are getting a brighter-and-brighter spotlight.

Eltjo de Vries, Bristol & West General Branch's Chair and Branch Secretary.

Equity ArtsMinds Symposium - banner 1
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Equity ArtsMinds Symposium - banner 2
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Mental Health Charter - #Time4Change
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Existing Resources

Mental Health, Stress & Distress In the Entertainment Industry - A Report

Equity's Mental Health Awareness Report - "Sometimes we are treated quite well"
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At time of writing, Mental Health, Stress and Distress in the Entertainment Industry have been the focus of the Mental Health Working Party of the Equity East of Scotland Branch for almost exactly a year. The full background and reasons for this focus are described elsewhere in this report.

This report has been written to sum up the work of the Mental Health Working Party, to inform the Scottish Committee of Equity, and to inspire others into action - within and outside of Equity.