Stories of Resilience, Overcoming Adversity & Mental Health
Narrative Alchemy’s ‘Invictus’ was created to harness the power of storytelling, providing a safe and supportive space to:
- Raise awareness of the many forms of childhood adversity.
- Inspire hope and resilience in young people facing challenges.
- Guide young people towards sources of help and advice.
Stories are how we come to understand ourselves and the world around us. Stories can provide powerful opportunities to see the bigger picture and to embrace strength, honour and courage in the face of difficulty.
Renda Dionne Madrigal Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist, Mindful Practice Inc.
Building on its original mission, Invictus has been further developed as a platform to:
- Address the lasting impact of traumatic experiences on young people.
- Encourage understanding, empathy, and reflection by sharing and acknowledging different life experiences.
- Amplify young people’s voices, helping them navigate adversity through resilience, fortitude, and the ability to adapt.
The play highlights key skills and behaviours that empower young people to overcome challenges and critical life moments, including: integrity, critical thinking, self-esteem, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, mindfulness, mentalisation, and the confidence to ask for help when needed.
Developed in collaboration with young people, youth workers, social and health professionals, psychiatrists, and psychologists, Invictus tells the stories of:
- A young girl experiencing domestic abuse at home.
- A young man caught in County Lines exploitation.
- A young man suffering from neglect.
Following each performance, a post-show discussion provides an open platform to explore these stories further and connect them to the lived experiences of other young people.
“Invictus was great—the actors were dynamic and engaging. It had a very big impact on the kids and it was nice to see a lot of the resilience methods parallel the techniques we already cover as part of our PSHE curriculum.”
J. Higgins-Khan, Swindon Academy
“Really good feedback from yesterday from all—your guys were spot on from the first minute to the last and I have had quite a few strong conversations come out of it, with students talking to key adults about how it made them feel etc.”
P. Shaw, Highcrest Academy
“The students really benefitted from the performance with some being able to discuss their feelings with our staff. Your team kept the students intrigued and engaged throughout with no behaviour issues from my students whatsoever.”
A. Shah, Beaumont Leys
Project Information
Running Time 50 minutes
Get In 1 hr
Get Out 30 mins
Cast Size 3
Performance Space 4m x 4m
Staging Ground Level – End On
We can perform the play for intimate audiences or to entire year groups at a time. All we need is a performance space roughly 4m x 4m and somewhere to plug in our sound system. The cast do not use mics so performance venues must be suitable for unamplified voices. The cast aim to arrive one hour before the show start time to set up and take about 30 minutes to pack down.
Target Audience
- Young People (year 7+)
- FE colleges
- Parents, carers, teachers & professionals working with young people
Narrative Alchemy Theatre Co.
Theatre productions to raise awareness, get young people talking and tackle knife crime, grooming, misogyny, drugs and mental health.
Narrative Alchemy is one of the leading Applied Theatre & Film production companies in the UK. Our primary focus is creating positive change through the art of storytelling.
Our team collaborates with various organisations, including schools, colleges, charities, government bodies, the NHS, and private companies, to develop and deliver impactful productions. We explore topics such as safeguarding, cultural health, wellbeing, and social issues.
Our portfolio of work includes projects on child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation, domestic abuse & coercive control, radicalisation & extremism, hate crime, knife crime, sexism & sexist behaviours, emotional resilience, internet safety, and diversity. By raising awareness and initiating conversations around these issues, we hope to contribute towards a better world.
Available 2025/2026
- £695+vat per show (AM or PM slots available)
- Or you can book the whole day for £1,295+vat and have up to 3 x performances in the day
Booking
To book or for further assistance, please call 0161 236 1448 to talk to our friendly team. Alternatively, fill in the enquiry form below and we’ll get back to you with availability in your area…
Theatre for Schools 