Shine a Light’s play to raise awareness

By Finnian Cox

Opening with the lines “Did you hear about Pablo?”, the Patricia McCann penned play ‘Bring Me Back Alive’ aims to raise awareness around deaths by suicide amongst young men.

The play is produced by Shine a Light, a Cork-based organisation that aims to support those affected by suicide, mental health and bereavement.

The play is a free event, sponsored by Cork-Kerry community healthcare, and will take place in Cork City’s ActorsVision school of drama on 19 October.

Shine a Light are promoting the play due to the positive impact it has on audiences, leading to a number of people reaching out to get help.

The opening question of the play is spoken between two of Pablo’s friends, echoing the kinds of conversations happening in communities across Ireland in response to suicide.

Written by the award-winning playwright Patricia McCann, the play takes place in a local youth centre, balancing drama and comedic storytelling to optimistically approach a complex issue.

It follows six of Pablo’s companions as they come to terms with the untimely death of what they describe as “a young man in his prime”.

While the play deals with a deeply emotional and difficult topic, the companions’ grappling with their loss aims to illustrate the importance of hope.The piece also informs and educates the audience on suicide prevention, such as how to keep an eye out for warning signs in a person contemplating taking their own life, and how to offer help.

If you or an acquaintance are struggling with mental health issues, Samaritans Ireland operate a 24 hour emotional support service, which can be contacted for free at 116123, or via samaritans.org.