Black Country theatre show opens up conversations about grief

A West Bromwich-based theatre company is touring a new family show exploring traditions of remembrance from around the world.

Infamous Arts’ Mortuus combines storytelling and puppetry to look at how different cultures celebrate the lives of people who have died, and how grief can become an opportunity for connection and celebration.

The show draws on traditions including Mexico’s Día de los Muertos, when families decorate altars with flowers and personal items; Japan’s Obon festival, which honours ancestors through prayer, dance and lanterns; and Nepal’s Gai Jatra, a festival that commemorates loved ones through processions, costumes and humour.

Matt Lloyd, co-artistic director of Infamous Arts, said he wanted to create a show that spoke honestly and directly to children and young people about death and remembrance.

“Too often grief is treated as a taboo, but it is something that millions of young people are living with every day,” he said.

“Mortuus aims to bring us together and open up a conversation, so people can feel less alone with their feelings.”

Infamous Arts has partnered with local bereavement charity Brum Yodo to offer age-appropriate workshops about grief and dying. The production will also be seen by local school pupils as part of their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.

The company creates theatre, storytelling and live experiences across the Black Country and beyond.

Upcoming public performances are:

• Thursday, October 29, at noon: Friar Park Millennium Centre – pay what you can.
• Saturday, November 7, at 1.30pm: Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery – £3.
• Sunday, November 8, at 3pm: Thimblemill Library, Bearwood – £5 for a family ticket.
• Friday, November 13, at 11am: Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton – £10.

Tickets can be booked at the Black Country Touring box office.