Malady of Migration

A Malady of Migration: A theatrical examination of diaspora, displacement and mental disorders in the nineteenth century

Research undertaken by the Centres for the History of Medicine at University College Dublin and at the University of Warwick on the relationship between migration and mental illness was given the dramatic treatment in 2014 in what was a unique collaboration between the centres and renowned theatre company (opens in a new window)Talking Birds.

The piece, entitled ‘A Malady of Migration’, was performed at the New Theatre, Dublin (3-5 July 2014) and the Shop Front Theatre in Coventry (26-28 June 2014). The production made the findings of the research accessible to the public in an entertaining form and also opened up conversations about mental illness and its history. You can watch a video of the production (opens in a new window)here.

There were (opens in a new window)expert panel discussions after the Thursday evening performances in each venue and a post performance discussion on Saturday lunchtime, providing opportunities for audience members to discuss the making of the piece with researchers and the theatre company, and to engage in debate on issues raised by the performances.

A series of short briefing sheets have been produced to complement the drama and provide background information. These can be accessed from the Background Reading.