A community-based theatre group in Manchester has received National Lottery Funding to tour a play that deals with the complicated and urgent subject of toxic masculinity and men’s mental health.
Divided Culture Co has received almost £8,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK, to tour its show, Toxic, at venues in the North West and Yorkshire before the end of the year.
The organisation is one of almost 190 charities and community groups across Greater Manchester to have been awarded over £11.5 million from The National Lottery Community Fund over the last three months*.
Today it was also announced that over £144 million has been distributed to almost 2,500 organisations across England in the same period.
Toxic, by Dan Lovatt, tells the story of two best friends and the circumstances which have caused them to spiral, taking in issues such as masculine depression, loneliness, and suicidal feelings.
The show is in response to figures from the Office for National Statistics showing that the North West saw the highest rate and biggest increase in male suicides in 2023, with 14.7 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with 12.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2022.
Divided Culture Co was set up last year and works exclusively with artists and people living or born in the North as a way of readdressing the London centrism of the arts. Its productions mainly focus on social issues, with previous plays discussing subjects such as food poverty and the impacts of dementia on families.
As well as supporting the production and touring of Toxic, the funding will also support a series of workshops, which will invite men to share their experiences and metal health challenges, which will inform the play’s constantly evolving script.
Dan Lovatt, Co-AD & Co-Founder at Divided Culture Co, said: “We originally ran Toxic in 2021, and felt the need to bring it back in the face of an ever-worsening mental health crisis. I think this has been exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis and the sense of displacement many young men feel in being able to position themselves as ‘successful’ adults in the world, who are both emotionally intelligent and self-sustainable.
“Many of today’s hypermasculine public characters, particularly those that live on social media, prey on vulnerable boys at an extremely turbulent time in their journeys. This can instil warped sense of belonging at a time when teenagers often feel extremely isolated. So, we want to play a tiny role in counteracting that, by providing a sense of belonging that is both internally and externally positive.
“While this show is a dark comedy, and is by no means a self-survival guide, it contributes to a necessary dialogue about a pressing local issue. We want to use our position as artists to contribute our skills to making communities more resilient.”
Toxic will visit the Bolton Octagon (19th October), Arts Centre Edge Hill University, Ormskirk (19th November), Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds (20th November), The Edge Theatre, Manchester (21st November), and The Old Electric, Blackpool (22nd November). Tickets can be purchased through links on the organisation’s website.
Dan added: “Companies like ours simply wouldn’t be able to carry out projects and put on shows without the kind of help we receive from The National Lottery Community Fund; they are our lifeline. We are so grateful for the opportunity to put on Toxic again, and help our residents and audiences engage with mental health in a creative way.”
