The characters and storyline of Hard Evidence were developed by Shass Blake and Alison Prince in collaboration with Ingrid Jones at Acta Community Theatre. Shass and Alison met during the coMforT (Mindfulness for Trauma) study led by Dr Natalia Lewis at the NIHR Bristol BRC and wrote the piece over Zoom during the first months of 2021. 

They wanted their play to show how being a public contributor in a research study can empower women to support each other after experiencing domestic abuse. The play was originally performed in November 2021 and went on tour around Bristol in the summer of 2022.

 Collaborating on the project made the team behind Hard Evidence realise that they wanted to continue working together in a creative space. To achieve this Acta Community Theatre fundraised and received a grant from Quartet Community Foundation that allowed them to set up a theatre group for people with lived experience of domestic abuse. 

Thriving Theatre offers people with lived experience of domestic abuse a safe space to be creative, but it does not have a specific focus on abuse and trauma. It was established in January 2023 and has been meeting on a weekly basis since then. Members have experience of domestic abuse but there are no expectations that they will have to share their stories. 

Thriving Theatre will be putting on the show at the Acta Community Theatre on Monday 10 July and Tuesday 11 July at 7pm. 

Read the full news story on the Bristol Biomedical Research Centre page