Performing arts group tackles toxic masculinity head on thanks to National Lottery funding

A community-based theatre group in Manchester has received National Lottery Funding to tour a play that deals with the complicated and urgent subject of toxic masculinity and men’s mental health.

Divided Culture Co has received almost £8,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK, to tour its show, Toxic, at venues in the North West and Yorkshire before the end of the year.

The organisation is one of almost 190 charities and community groups across Greater Manchester to have been awarded over £11.5 million from The National Lottery Community Fund over the last three months*.

Today it was also announced that over £144 million has been distributed to almost 2,500 organisations across England in the same period.

Toxic, by Dan Lovatt, tells the story of two best friends and the circumstances which have caused them to spiral, taking in issues such as masculine depression, loneliness, and suicidal feelings.

The show is in response to figures from the Office for National Statistics showing that the North West saw the highest rate and biggest increase in male suicides in 2023, with 14.7 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with 12.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2022.

Divided Culture Co was set up last year and works exclusively with artists and people living or born in the North as a way of readdressing the London centrism of the arts. Its productions mainly focus on social issues, with previous plays discussing subjects such as food poverty and the impacts of dementia on families.

As well as supporting the production and touring of Toxic, the funding will also support a series of workshops, which will invite men to share their experiences and metal health challenges, which will inform the play’s constantly evolving script.

Dan Lovatt, Co-AD & Co-Founder at Divided Culture Co, said: “We originally ran Toxic in 2021, and felt the need to bring it back in the face of an ever-worsening mental health crisis. I think this has been exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis and the sense of displacement many young men feel in being able to position themselves as 'successful' adults in the world, who are both emotionally intelligent and self-sustainable.

“Many of today’s hypermasculine public characters, particularly those that live on social media, prey on vulnerable boys at an extremely turbulent time in their journeys. This can instil warped sense of belonging at a time when teenagers often feel extremely isolated. So, we want to play a tiny role in counteracting that, by providing a sense of belonging that is both internally and externally positive.

“While this show is a dark comedy, and is by no means a self-survival guide, it contributes to a necessary dialogue about a pressing local issue. We want to use our position as artists to contribute our skills to making communities more resilient.”

Toxic will visit the Bolton Octagon (19^th October), Arts Centre Edge Hill University, Ormskirk (19^th November), Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds (20^th November), The Edge Theatre, Manchester (21^st November), and The Old Electric, Blackpool (22^nd November). Tickets can be purchased through links on the organisation’s website.

Dan added: “Companies like ours simply wouldn’t be able to carry out projects and put on shows without the kind of help we receive from The National Lottery Community Fund; they are our lifeline. We are so grateful for the opportunity to put on Toxic again, and help our residents and audiences engage with mental health in a creative way.”

This year The National Lottery celebrate its 30^th Birthday. The National Lottery has been changing lives every day for the past 30 years, funding thousands of projects like this which help build resilient, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable communities - and create healthier and happier lives. Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £49 billion has been raised for good causes in this time.

Gillian Halliwell, Head of Funding for the North West at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Divided Culture Co is a fantastic organisation that is bringing communities together through the power of performance art to discuss some of the most important social issues of our time.

“Mental health and wellbeing continue to be key areas of our work, as we strive to give communities the tools to help people live healthier, happier lives.

“Our funding decisions in the North West are powered by community expertise. Working within and alongside communities, we respond to their unique needs, strengths, and opportunities, keeping our decision-making local.”

National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year The National Lottery Community Fund was able to distribute over half a billion pounds (£615.4 million) of life-changing funding to communities.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk    

Date published: 15 October, 2024
Region: England (North West)

Notes to Editors

* These figures are for funding awarded from 28^thJune 2024 – 29^th September 2024.

About The National Lottery Community Fund

We are the largest non-statutory community funder in the UK – community is at the heart of our purpose, vision and name.

We support activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable and that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.

We’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to work closely with Government to distribute vital grants and funding from key Government programmes and initiatives.

As well as responding to what communities tell us is important to them, our funding is focused on four key missions, supporting communities to:

1. Come together

2. Be environmentally sustainable

3. Help children and young people thrive

4. Enable people to live healthier lives.

Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, we distribute around £500 million a year through 10,000+ grants and plan to invest over £4bn of funding into communities by 2030. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.

National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £47 billion has been raised and more than 670,000 individual grants have been made across the UK - the equivalent of around 240 National Lottery grants in every UK postcode district.

Reaching Communities England

Offers a larger amount of funding (over £20,001) for projects that last up to five years. We’re looking for projects that work with their community – whether that’s a community living in the same area, or people with similar interests or life experiences.