Gary Owen's Page

Of course you should never take any notice of reviews: if you pay attention when they say you've done well, it's hard not to pay attention when they say you just shouldn't bother any more. So it is not because I care, or because I take any joy that we get a four-star review right next to Southwark's th… Continue

Given that we are apparently all engaged in an Agatha Christie style joint killing of the author in theatre, in favour of digitally-inspired collective craziness, this post (and the resulting discussion in the comments) on the role of the author… Continue

Bulletproof is a verbatim play I've been working on for Replay, a theatre company in Belfast. It's about mental health in teenagers, and is made up from the words of a number of young people I met there. I thought it might be worth sharing here the notes I've written to introduce the play.

Notes on Bulletproof

One problem of promoting mental health in the young is that the phrase itself, 'mental health', has come to have… Continue

I walk around old haunts in Bridgend. It takes most of the day. I make sure to loiter for a few moments outside an ex-girlfriend's house. I am gratified to see her mum has installed solar panels - it seems so optimistic and forward-thinkin… Continue

I'm writing a piece about mental health in young people for Replay Productions, so I spent last week in Belfast, getting to know a group of teenagers at the New Lodge Youth Centre. And had lots of cooked breakfasts from the cafe at the Spires shopping centre, just down the road from the bus station (£2.80 for five items, or £3.50 for seven plus a glass of orange juice, if you're keeping an eye on the old five a day). Continue