A former Coronation Street and Emmerdale actress is using her one-woman show to address mental health stigmas.
Natasha Rea, 34, performs as Lily, a single mum navigating through the highs and lows of living with bipolar disorder, drawing from her critically acclaimed memoir, ‘Me, Myself and Bipolar Brenda: The Journals of a Happy Soul’.
The play has been praised by critics and audiences alike, with many applauding Natasha for her honesty and bravery in tackling such a difficult subject.
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But despite the success of her show, Natasha said her ultimate goal is to raise awareness and change the way people view mental illness.
She told the Echo: “People don't have a lot of understanding of bipolar. When people watch my show, they go, ‘Oh my gosh, I didn't realise that could happen with bipolar.’”
“And that's the key thing for me. I want people to walk away from the play and have more understanding and more compassion for people with bipolar disorder.”
Natasha, an Ambassador for Bipolar UK, has always been passionate about changing society's perception of bipolar.
Born at a time when her mum was told she would never be able to conceive, this actress has been defying the odds since day one.
From the young age of seven, she showed a natural talent for acting and her devoted mother made sure to nurture that talent by taking her to regular acting classes.
At 14 years old, Natasha had a big break, performing on the hit BBC show, Burn It. But she said the pressure of it all got too much.
She continued: “It was very difficult because I had just done my first tv job. But I was under a lot of pressure at 14. You couldn't walk out your door without seeing it on the billboard.”
Natasha was also misdiagnosed with a severe mood disorder, and it would take nine and a half long years to get her correct diagnosis of Bipolar shortly after the birth of her son.
Determined to take control of her misunderstood mental illness, the single mum embarked on a journey, writing journals, which would soon be turned into an Amazon bestseller.
She said: “I kept journals when I got diagnosed with bipolar so I had 10 years' worth of material. I sent a paragraph to the producer on Burn it, who I kept in touch with and he said ‘This is brilliant. You need to do something with this.’”
“I’m dyslexic, I left school at 15 and I'm terrified of people reading my writing, but I put the journal together and self-published the book in 2020.”
The book became a hit and there was interest in adapting it into a play, but Natasha had initially declined the offer.
She continued: “It was never my idea to write a play because I never classed myself as a writer. It was an agent at United that said ‘I think you should put this on as a one-woman play.’”
“I remember turning around and saying ‘I thought I'm meant to be a mad one here.’ Me, write a play and then perform on stage? No chance.”
The play premiered at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester and received a standing ovation from the sold-out audience.
Similarly, her first performance at the Hope Street Theatre in Liverpool received a standing ovation, Natasha.
She continued: "I didn't expect a standing ovation, especially not in my hometown, but the audience loved Brenda."
A Night with Me, Myself and Bipolar Brenda will run at Hope Street Theatre for a final date on:
Saturday the 15th of July, 7.30 pm.
For more information and tickets, click here.