Mother protests at theatre hanging scene

A WOMAN whose daughter took her own life is protesting outside the Olympia theatre in Dublin over a hanging scene portrayed in one of its shows.

Magick Macabre, a show of "illusion, magic, horror and comedy", has been running for a fortnight.

Teresa Williams, whose daughter Mary (21) died in 2006, said she was worried about how the scene might influence teenagers who could be vulnerable to suicide. She described the scene as "totally irresponsible".

Groups working with teenagers, bereaved families and people with depression have also expressed concern. Depression support group Aware said the graphic portrayal of hanging was unnecessary and could have been avoided using creativity. Aware chief executive Geraldine Clare said: "We know from international research that where a methodology is portrayed, there is a correlation between it and the subsequent use of that methodology."

Maureen Bolger of support organisation Teenline said the portrayal of hanging could influence teenagers with thoughts of suicide. "Young people do not always realise that death is final and, depending on how it is portrayed, could be under the illusion that they could come back to life."

Michael Egan of Living Links, an organisation working with families bereaved by suicide, said that seeing a portrayal of hanging could have a "devastating effect" on people bereaved by suicide. It could bring memories back to them irrespective of whether a murder or a suicide is portrayed.

The show's promoter MCD and its producer Riverdream said the scene portrayed was not a suicide.

"One of the illusions played in the show is the murder of the central character by hanging (not a suicide) and almost immediately this scene is followed by an illusion in which the same character is brought back to life," they said in a joint statement issued yesterday.

"The show has been seen by Rachel Wright, a representative of Headline, the national media monitoring programme for mental health and suicide, and she has agreed that this illusion represents a murder and not a suicide."

Ms Williams said she had not seen the show because she did not think it was entertainment, but she would continue her protest until it ended on November 15th.

Further information on issues relating to suicide can be obtained from Teenline on 1800 833634, Aware on 1890 303302 or Living Links on 067 43999.