about

Let’s Talk About It!

Our Story

SICK! Festival faces up to the complexities of mental and physical health. We present an outstanding international arts programme, weaving in perspectives from researchers, clinical practitioners, public health professionals, charities and those with lived experience of the issues we address.

Themes are explored through many art forms – dance, theatre, film, spoken word – and through discussion and debate. SICK! Festival presents and commissions powerful, innovative and engaging work by artists from across Manchester, the UK and the world. We take the conversation into the heart of the communities where the subjects matter most as well as major cultural venues.

SICK! Festival has grown and evolved since 2013, emerging from reflections on our own lives and the lives of people around us to embrace issues of wider significance for communities and deep importance for individuals.

We are constantly guided by those communities and individuals, who ground our work in real-life experience, huge knowledge and immense understanding of the sensitivities of emotive issues. All too often these subjects are kept away from public view and debate. We exist to change that.

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Our Team 

Helen Medland

CEO/Artistic Director (Founder)

Paul Cocker

Head of Business Development

Tracy Gentles

Creative Consultant

Sarah Howley

Operations Manager

Danielle Porter

Creative Producer (Communities)

OUR TRUSTEES

Paul Ferry

Peter Bulkley

Prof. Sandeep Ranote

Charmaine Connors

Joe Strickland

John McLuckie

OUR OPPORTUNITIES

General Manager

We’re looking for a dynamic an enthusiastic individual to join us, to work closely as part of our fantastic team here at SICK! and help us achieve our potential and grow our impact and reach.

We’re looking for someone who will bring their unique energy to this, along with their experience of general office management, financial operations, setting up systems, and creative problem solving, and is also passionate about, and interested in, the areas in which SICK! operates – arts, health, diversity, community development and international work.

Find out more about the process and how to apply: General Manager opportunity

Mental Health Practitioner

SICK! Productions is seeking an experienced and efficient Mental Health Practitioner to support its Creative Team to deliver two of our Creative projects across 2023.

A Community Mental Health Arts Programme (SMASH Women and Girls) as part of our creative engagement with Moston and Hapurhey and our Mental Health gaming project for young men in Manchester and Finland (MINDGAMES).

Find out more about the process and how to apply: Mental Health Practitioner opportunity

SICK! Ambassadors

We are looking for a small group of four young people aged 18 – 30, with a range of experience and perspectives, to help us to continue to shape our 10-year programme of exciting creative projects in Charlestown, Moston & Harpurhey.  

You will attend bi – monthly meetings to discuss issues that are important in the area, help us come up with new ideas and look at how we communicate with the wider community.

Find out more and how to apply: Opportunity: SICK! Ambassadors