There's been lots of talk in recent weeks about the Netflix drama 'Adolescence'. The short series was a remarkable feat technically, but most importantly it touched a collective nerve in highlighting a subject of concern many had been raising for some time - toxic masculinity and the impact of certain 'influencers', particularly on young people.
It's meant that there has been a national debate on the subject and campaigners have been given more attention as a result, much as we saw 'Mr Bates vs The Post Office' do last year.
It's fascinating how drama - storytelling - can engage us as a nation these days. The news is increasingly depressing and complex, but seeing how these issues affect individuals causes us to respond more easily and powerfully.
At the INK Festival over the past four days there have been new writers who have wanted to challenge our views and our responses to national and international issues. The short plays presented in the various venues throughout the town were brilliantly produced and though a number were addressing challenging and difficult concepts, they did so with such sensitivity and creativity that it meant we could laugh as well as ponder.
I watched one play about an imagined future where food supplies have diminished because of a global water shortage brought about through corporate greed. There was an AI robot as a companion to a lonely jilted woman. And there was a thriller where statisticians at the national office were being overwhelmed by a virus, an 'empathy bug' - they no longer saw people as numbers but individuals with their own stories of hardship and suffering and this meant that they could no longer function physically, mentally or emotionally.
There was a wealth of creativity on show in all the productions at venues throuhgout the town, and there were also some talks by actors, directors and playwrights discussing their work and the wider context.
Though there were some dispiriting conversations regarding funding and support for the arts, it was the actor and tv presenter Matthew Kelly who spoke with humour and passion about his hope for the future.
Though his advice to young actors today was 'look after your teeth!' he also said that though it was terrible that Trump had closed the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, we should be encouraged. This shows, he said, that politicians know 'art is dangerous!'
So let's support our writers, actors, directors and creative people, and our arts venues, and if you haven't tried the INK Festival, then look out for the 2026 dates and get them in your diary as soon as you can. You won't regret it!
Thank you for reading.