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#Showbiz: TAS' Life Sdn Bhd show to dive into mental health in September

KUALA LUMPUR: The latest edition of The Actors Studio's (TAS) long-running Life Sdn Bhd will take on the pertinent issue of mental health at KLPAC from Sept 9 to 11.

TAS will also be organising an art therapy workshop When Words Are Not Enough from Sept 17 and 18, as an effort to raise awareness on the subject in conjunction with the upcoming World Mental Health Day on Oct 10.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had recently said that, "before the pandemic in 2019 an estimated one in eight people globally were living with a mental disorder."

The situation has become more dire as the "global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25 per cent" in the first year that the pandemic hit us.

The World Federation of Mental Health is pushing forward the agenda to "Make Mental Health & Well-Being for All a Global Priority" in line with World Mental Health Day 2022.

"Mental health has been making such a big impact — affecting even more people particularly with the uncertainties and challenges brought on by the pandemic though many struggle alone or privately," said Life Sdn Bhd: Mental Health director Datuk Dr Faridah Merican in a statement from KLPAC.

She added: "Back in March, when we opened up the call for mental health stories to be shared in this upcoming edition of Life Sdn Bhd, people came forward to share their anxieties on how they felt and what they were and are going through."

"It is disturbing, heart-wrenching and a bitter reality. This is something we have to talk about and face head on, something we can no longer afford to ignore," she said.

Life Sdn Bhd was TAS' first show in 2004 after the Dataran Merdeka floods. Since then, the production has showcased real stories by real people on breast cancer, refugees, abuse, people living with HIV, human trafficking, voices of the young and, most recently, differences.

Every year, audiences are moved by the bravery of each storyteller and this year will be no exception as they do their bit to end the stigma on mental health struggles by sharing their personal stories and journey.

Life Sdn Bhd: Mental Health will feature seven brave storytellers, namely Adeline Ong, Elena Tong, Jaime Pang, Nana Mazlan, Teddy, Vio and Zen Lin Tan.

The thing about mental health struggles is that it is not very obvious to another person as they fall in the category of invisible illnesses where the symptoms are not always visible.

That is why it is important to have sharing sessions like this as well as increased education and awareness.

After each performance, there will be a post-show Q&A session with Pang Chia Yee (MA Counselling), who is a Lecturer of Bachelor of Psychology at Taylor's University and someone very passionate about mental well-being.

Last year, she conducted a workshop where she shared with the participants on how to recognise someone who may be going through mental stress, how to reach out and some useful tips and practices.

Tickets to Life Sdn Bhd: Mental Health, which is supported by KLPAC and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, are priced at RM40 and RM30, with a bundle of two tickets going for RM70 or RM50.

Tickets can be purchased online via https://bit.ly/lsbmentalhealth.

The When Words Are Not Enough art therapy workshop and exploration set to take place at KLPAC, will be divided into different sessions for children aged 7 to 12, teens aged 13 to 17 and adults aged 18 and above.

Art Therapy engages the mind, body and spirit in ways that are distinct from verbal articulation alone.

Utilising art materials for exploration, children will be asked to draw their story as a way of expressing their emotions, while teenagers and adults will be

exploring the idea of coping with changes through art therapy.

The workshop will be conducted by Yap Mei Yee and Tiffany Ting Yu Ling who have completed the Online Preventive Art Therapy Professional Programme at Art Therapy Academy Malaysia.

The workshop is free and pre-registration is required via http://bit.ly/tasa_registration (walk-ins are not permitted).

Visit www.klpac.org for more details or WhatsApp +6018-227 7212 for enquiries.

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