Let’s Talk About Philip
In 2022, together with Gregor Hunt, Helen wrote the fast-paced, candid and gripping autobiographical play, Let’s Talk About Philip. Helen And Gregor performed the play at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022 and around the UK in 2023.
Let’s Talk About Philip explores the frustration, the trauma and the ripple effects of bereavement by suicide.
Just after the funeral of Helen’s mother her father says to her, “let’s talk about Philip.” This breaks over 30 years of family silence since her brother Philip’s suicide. With the taboo broken Helen begins a detective-like investigation to discover more about the circumstances surrounding Philip’s death.
The play gives much-needed insight into the world of all the people left behind after a suicide; their anger, denial and grief and for Helen, her eventual acceptance. The positive, life-affirming conclusion is a call to the audience to talk more about mental health as a vital step towards well-being and suicide prevention.
An article, about how the play was developed, appeared in The Guardian.
Directed by 2024 Olivier Award winner Derek Bond
Produced by Something for the Weekend (Edinburgh 2022)
★★★★★ ‘This is a beautifully constructed, utterly engaging play, powered in equal amounts by Wood’s insightful candour and by Hunt’s flawless characterisation. I’ll be talking about it for a long time to come.’
The Wee Review
★★★★ ‘Excellent … poignant, surprisingly funny … a potent piece of theatre..’
Everything Theatre
Feedback from mental health organisations:
‘Hampshire CAMHS were delighted to commission the play on a number of occasions in 2023; at arts centres, for secondary school students and at a professionals’ conference on suicide prevention. The feedback from all these events was excellent. The play is incredible, funny, powerful and thought-provoking and uses the power of theatre to address the challenging topic of suicide. It contains so many subtle messages and is a great vehicle to raise this subject. I wouldn’t hesitate to use this play again, anywhere, for any audience. It will open up so many powerful and useful conversations, it will impact people and it will make a difference.’
Helen Dove, Innovation & Participation Lead, CAMHS in Hampshire
‘The play is so powerful, emotional and of great benefit to anyone bereaved by suicide as well as anyone who works with those bereaved or struggling with suicidal thoughts.’
Karen Lascelles, Nurse Consultant, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
A film of the play is available as a training tool. If you are interested in finding out more please get in touch.