'What does our modern society perceive as normal?'

Welcome to Wonderland. The signifier is acceptable for ZooNation creation company's accumulation of The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party astatine London's Linbury Theatre.

Over-sized cups and saucers, laden with delicious-looking treats, basal adjacent to teapots of galore colours, acceptable to beryllium wheeled connected for rehearsals. But determination are galore different props that were not featured successful the much-loved communicative by Lewis Carroll - Alice's Adventures successful Wonderland.

In this adaptation, a doctor's achromatic overgarment is hanging up and lawsuit files successful brownish binders labelled March Hare, Queen of Hearts, Mad Hatter, White Rabbit and Alice, are strewn crossed a desk.

The files beryllium to Dr Ernst Sven Sjogren-Kvist, an adept successful "normalisation", played by Tommy Franzen. His occupation is to hole radical who person been locked distant for not being "normal".

Kate Prince, choreographer and laminitis of ZooNation, wants this accumulation to unfastened discussions astir intelligence health.

Her purpose is to situation viewpoints astir what is considered normal: "What does our modern nine comprehend arsenic normal? My find successful beingness and the taxable of the amusement is determination is nary specified happening arsenic normal.

"It's each astir intelligence wellness challenges and it's besides astir the benefits of euphony and creation to your intelligence health, and however they let you to thrive and consciousness liberated and free."

Since 2017, the fig of young radical struggling with their intelligence wellness has doubled, according to foundation Mind.

Often it is hard for young radical to find the words to explicit however they are feeling, and it is hoped productions similar this volition help.

Jennifer Walters, enforcement manager of societal alteration astatine intelligence wellness foundation Mind, says the arts tin enactment young radical with their intelligence wellness and assistance them speech astir it.

"We recovered that astir a 5th of young radical person had a speech astir intelligence wellness aft proceeding oregon speechmaking astir experiences conveyed successful music, and astir a 3rd said it helps normalise the taxable of intelligence health," she says.

"Finding a method of connection that feels close for you tin beryllium an important archetypal measurement successful getting the assistance and enactment you whitethorn need.

"Seeing intelligence wellness experiences depicted connected signifier oregon connected surface oregon sharing the acquisition of watching a amusement unneurotic and discussing afterwards, tin beryllium a large mode to unfastened up these intelligence wellness conversations adjacent more."

The characters successful Kate Prince's accumulation each look antithetic challenges.

Alice is experiencing anorexia nervosa and assemblage dysmorphia. The Queen of Hearts has BPD (borderline property disorder) with utmost uncontrollable anger. Tweedle Dum has PTSD (post-traumatic accent disorder) and the White Rabbit has anxiety, slump and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).

Tommy Franzen, who plays Dr Ernst Sven Sjogren-Kvist, says his quality is connected a travel during the production, and his perceptions displacement erstwhile helium has a amended knowing of what radical are facing.

"Their behaviour whitethorn look unusual to galore but erstwhile you perceive their story, you commencement to sympathise with them and their behaviour starts making sense," helium says.

"My quality is simply a idiosyncratic who astatine the opening of the amusement sees the satellite successful achromatic and white, close oregon wrong. This has astir apt travel from his education, arsenic helium had lone conscionable graduated. As the amusement goes on, each his beliefs get challenged and yet helium loses his caput (or gains it) arsenic expressed done a creation solo."

The euphony successful this accumulation was created by Josh Cohen and DJ Walde, who worked alongside Kate Prince to bring her communicative to life. It incorporates assorted philharmonic styles, artists and influences, with each quality getting their ain unsocial philharmonic motif.

Ms Prince thinks the Mad Hatter's Tea Party volition beryllium a affirmative theatrical experience: "The amusement makes you consciousness live and free, and inspired that the dancers and the singers are conscionable exceptional and the euphony is truly uplifting.

"It is ever bully to effort thing new. I americium ever telling my girl to effort thing new," she says.

ZooNation besides offers industry-led workshops for school, assemblage and acquisition groups, who would similar to observe much astir the originative process, choreography and the characters down the show.

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party is astatine the Royal Opera House Linbury Theatre, 4–24 September, 2024