Emma's favourite occupation is (watching) musical theatre

In OT week, Your OTs are sharing their favourite occupations. This is Emma's...

I have always loved the glitz and glamour of the theatre and whilst I enjoy most types of shows, I do love musicals. They can be emotional, joyous and uplifting and I can get caught up with the story and the music so I forget about everything else. Living in Sheffield we have not just one, but four theatres in the city centre that produce a wide range of productions, as well as a couple of smaller suburban theatres for amateur shows. Plus an arena where Les Miserables recently visited. I am always astounded by the hard work, talent and absolute commitment of the performers and the amount of travel they must do for their art. I always remember a client who used to regularly travel to London to meet a group of friends to watch west end productions and the impact that his CVA had on his ability to do this. I could completely empathise with his loss and wanted to support him as best I could for him to return to this as an occupation.

More and more theatre is becoming more accessible, with, for example, dementia friendly, audio described, relaxed and signed or captioned performances. Whilst that makes it more inclusive on some levels, it isn't the cheapest of things to do, particularly if you go as a family. That said I take advantage of all discounted offers (usually involving my children) e.g. Kids Week in the summer for west end shows, going with my son for "live for £5" shows, or and watching lots of amateur productions that can sometimes be just as good as the professional ones!

Being lost in a story, and music as a backdrop is quite a mindful activity for me.