Gutted to raise awareness of living with ulcerative colitis

Liz Richardson has created the show jointly with writer-director Tara Robinson and it is an autobiographical account of living with an inflammatory bowel condition which is similar to Crohn's disease.

Liz said: "Gutted is a celebration of the NHS and of Whitehaven Hospital when I was having a very difficult time in my life and all those who supported me on my journey."

In this contemporary theatre piece, she shares her real life experiences of living as a twenty-something with a chronic bowel condition to raise awareness of the illness through comedy.

A tale of love, laughter and loos, Gutted is an engaging investigation into how we think about illness, femininity in the face of taboo, the boundaries of shame and the nature of hidden disabilities.

Liz Richardson, who is originally from Beckermet but now lives in the Peak District, trained as an actress in London, then in 2006 was diagnosed with the condition, which subsequently led to her having major abdominal surgery in 2011.

Liz had to have her colon removed when she was 28 and lived for a period with an ileostomy bag (or stoma bag) before having a ‘reversal’ which involves the creation of an internal pouch.

This is the first play that Liz has written and most of the characters and interactions with doctors and nurses in the show are based on experiences and numerous stays in West Cumberland hospital, Whitehaven.

The show was first commissioned and premiered by new venue HOME Manchester in 2016 where it was a sell-out success. This was followed by a tour which included UK hospitals - the first of its kind, supported by The Wellcome Trust, attendance at medical conferences both here and abroad and Edinburgh Fringe. The play has also been published by Bloomsbury.

Its aims are to entertain and provoke, to tackle stigma, to generate awareness for hidden disabilities, and to tell a good old love story.

The show has been very well received in all of its venues, including the hospitals she has performed at. Liz said: "There were queues of people wanting to share their experiences, surgeons, doctors, patients and family members, I've had amazing feedback."

Some of the comments on the show include: "LOVED it! So creative and engaging. Brilliant balance of humour and more poignant moments. Liz is a brilliant performer. Thank you, what an inspirational day", Trainee Nurse, Edinburgh Western General Hospital.

"Who knew a one woman show about broken digestive systems could be so funny," AJ Handley-Rowe, Twitter.

"A deeply personal show which really got me in its sincerity. Beautifully executed. Liz Richardson's performance really crept up on you - the many characters she played were distinct in the subtlest of ways. Wonderful, important show," Isabelle (Fringe website public reviews).

Enjoying a second run at HOME Manchester in 2017, the final tour of Gutted follows the very relevant World Ostomy Day (October 6 2018) and is supported by IA (The ileostomy and internal pouch support group).

The tour starts this month and will see Liz return to her Cumbrian roots when she performs at the Rosehill Theatre for one night on November 3.

By the end of this tour, Gutted will have been shown at 13 hospitals and 11 theatres and was also performed in Copenhagen last year.

Prior to Gutted, Liz has performed with The Factory Theatre Company; Scene & Heard; Forward Theatre; Creation Theatre; Drywrite; Look Left Look Right and appeared in the West End’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.

Her comedy background includes appearing for Amused Moose; the Hackney Empire and Funny Women, Edinburgh. Radio credits include The Changeling for BBC Radio 3 and 
Liz is now a supported artist at HOME.

After the tour Liz will concentrate on writing her next piece for HOME theatre, entitled SWIM.

Tickets for the show are £15 (£7.50 if under 26) and are available from the Rosehill Theatre website or by calling the box office on 01946 692422.