The Southbank Centre in London are welcoming Body Gossip in two weeks' time as resident artists, and over a two week rehearsal period we're going to devise a brand new theatre show, based on:

* The stories we have received over the 7 years we have been campaigning;

* The stories published in the Body Gossip Book;

* The answers you have been sending us to the body image questionnaire we launched a couple of months ago;

* Verbatim interview responses that our creative team and ambassadors have been collecting, having interviewed people all over the UK over the past few months.

We're going to create a new play that tells as many of these stories as possible! 

We have a cast of five actors, who we'll be introducing to you over the next two weeks.  They are brilliant, and are all so excited to be working with us on this project.

Our celebrity ambassadors are also joining us for a very special final scene.

Initially we're performing the play on 11th October 2013, at the Southbank Centre, as part of International Day of the Girl, to an invited audience of hundreds of girls from schools all over London.  Then, we will be in talks with producers to tour the show nationally, and hopefully internationally - we want this new show to encourage and inspire thousands of people, with an ever-changing script of stories written by YOU about YOUR BODY!

Our aims for creating this play are two-fold:

1) We want to bring people together about an issue that so often makes people feel alienated, alone and 'not normal'.  We're exploring the subjects of body image and self-esteem, specifically told by the general public - which is something that everyone can relate to.  When you watch the play, you will see something you've experienced about your own body - confusion, pride, despair, hope, wonder, frustration, acceptance - beautifully told, in a way that will give you confidence, acceptance and affirmation.

2) We're also aiming to spark an entirely fresh and unique debate on a National conversation.  The subject of body image is everywhere - but with our new play, there's an excitement in not knowing what you guys will send us; what you have written about.  The script will change with the new stories we receive, which makes the play an ever-evolving debate, acting as an artistic catalyst that audiences will really relate to, and that will have a huge impact on everyone who sees it.

As you can tell, we're hugely proud and excited about the development of this new play, and we look forward to sharing with you our rehearsal blog and photos as it is developed.

x BodyGossipRuth (Creative Producer)