All of us have a story. An event or chapter in our experience which can change our whole philosophy and the way we view our life forever. My one-man play, Living With The Lights On is exactly that. A personal story of my fall from grace, my journey to the social underworld and my rise through and out the other side with, I hope, dignity, clarity and a desire to live life to the full again.

The story is of my struggle with undiagnosed bi-polar disorder and its shattering consequences that nearly took my life. It descended on me unexpectedly and wrecked the path of a promising career as an actor with the Royal Shakespeare Company. It led me to homelessness, psychiatric hospitals and then through the criminal justice system.

However … and here is the reason I bother to tell it … I got better. The proof of my recovery is that I am here telling audiences about what happened to me and that, in itself, means that the outcome is positive. This is my starting point

Along the way, I met many extraordinary people both positive and negative. I saw places and faced situations that many could never know about. The illness I suffered is not uncommon, quite the reverse in fact, yet it still carries a stigma. It is seen as the kind of thing that happens to other people but it happened to me too and I wanted to tell it. The more these stories are told the more we will realise that my experience can happen to anyone and the more understanding we will have.

I'm an actor of 30 years experience in the top flight. I set about to tell the truth of the events theatrically. I play all the real people I met and narrate at the same time. It’s a generous and funny evening because I laugh at my own demise and accept that there is humour even in the most bleak.

But a story is such a powerful tool for learning and understanding . We all enjoy tales of overcoming adversity - the stories of heroes. They empower us. This is such a story and it provides an evening of hope of conquering and of being a hero to yourself. That is a magical thing. I could only achieve these things with a story that could easily happen to YOU or anyone. There but for the grace of God go I... Living With The Lights On has much for audiences to identify with.

As well as an entertaining and uplifting evening I also promise free tea and Hobnobs.

Who could resist that ? I hope you can make it ..

Living with the Lights On, North Wall, March 9. 01865 319450, thenorthwall.com.