Events: SICK! festival

Comedy, music, theatre, discussion and much more on offer in this thought-provoking new festival

A new art and culture festival that launched last year, Sick! explores the physical, mental and social challenges we experience in our lives. This year focuses on a range of issues, including mental illness, ageing, adolescence and death.

The festival kicks off with Ruby Wax, a perfect opener since the comedian, writer and mental health campaigner has had a tough journey through depression herself. The show accompanies the paperback release of her book Sane New World, and Wax will help us understand how we can find calm in a frenetic world. (Brighton Dome, Corn Exchange, Monday 3 March, 7.30pm, £17.50)

Before Your Very Eyes looks like a truly fascinating event from the Gob Squad and Campo, with live performances from seven child performers interacting with recorded material. The children onstage peer into the future to watch themselves as adults, as the audience observes them in a ‘safe room’ made of one-way mirrors. This March will see the final performance after touring for two years all around the globe, so check out the intriguing Before Your Very Eyes while you still have the chance! (The Old Market, Friday 7 March, 8pm, £10/£12)

For music lovers, there’s a real treat called In May, written by Frank Alva Buecheler and featuring haunting music from Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy and a live string ensemble (Ligeti Quartet). The show centres around a series of letters covering the final months of a father in the advanced stages of cancer, and is sung from the perspective of his bereaved lover Anna. (The Old Market, Wednesday 19 March, 8pm, £10/£12)

There are also debates and conferences to look out for, including Confronting Mortality, a free debate looking at the notion of mortality and the ways in which death appears. Artists, health professionals and free-thinkers will be brought together, including Professor Raymond Tallis, who has been described as one of the ‘top living polymaths’ by the Economist’s Intelligent Life magazine. (Fabrica, Tuesday 11 March, 7pm, Free)

The lineup is exceptionally strong, and it’s very difficult to decide which highlights should be featured here from the wide variety of shows, talks, installations and films on offer. The whole programme can be found online at www.sickfestival.com if you fancy discovering more fantastic events yourself.
Sick! Festival runs from Monday 3–Saturday 29 March.

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