Commedia of Errors brings creative connections to mums during their perinatal journey and beyond
28th July, 2026
Funded through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland's Arts and Mental Health Partnership Programme, Holding Space is a creative wellbeing programme delivered by Commedia of Errors and supported by The National Lottery and the Baring Foundation.
The project supports mums, in partnership with the Parent Rooms and The MAS Project, to express themselves, connect with others and improve their wellbeing.
Artist and facilitator Clare McMahon from Commedia of Errors co-delivers Holding Space with Aisling McCormick. They facilitate dance, singing, creative writing and drama as ways to express difficult emotions, navigate challenges, build resilience and promote wellbeing.
Clare explains, “Dance and movement have long been recognised for their positive impact on mood and emotional wellbeing and creative writing complements this by allowing participants to explore their thoughts, feelings and experiences through the safety and structure of creativity and drama.
“Childcare, counselling and community support are all provided on site, helping to remove barriers to participation.
“This is why Holding Space works - it offers women a welcome break from anxiety and stress, and gives them permission to be playful, light-hearted and creative, despite the challenges they may be facing – it brings joy.”
Commedia of Errors received a £17,900 National Lottery grant from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to run Holding Space in Belfast and Lisburn. They are one of the 22 organisations currently funded through the Arts and Mental Health Partnership Programme to provide creative opportunities for people living with mental health issues, through engagement in high quality arts.
Lorraine Calderwood, Programme Development Officer, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented: “Part of our 10-year Strategic Plan is to support people from all backgrounds to enjoy arts experiences, and Commedia of Errors is a great example of this. They have had brilliant success with their project to date and with another nine months to go they will be able to support many other mums on their perinatal journey and bring joy through creativity.”
Mairead Magennis, a Mum of two from west Belfast went along to a taster session for Holding Space and has been coming to the classes for the last few months.
Mairead said: “These classes are a chance for me to have fun and just be me, not mummy. I might go into a session feeling down and anxious and then when the creative activities start, I can switch off and enjoy expressing my feelings through song and movement and connect with other mummies.”
Clare McMahon added, “Feedback from Mairead and others has been outstanding. We have seen noticeable improvements in participants' moods, both within individual sessions and across the programme as a whole. Women have reported increased confidence in writing, managing everyday tasks, communicating and in themselves.
“The friendships and connections formed through the programme have also helped reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness. For some women, the programme has become a genuine lifeline during a particularly difficult chapter of their lives.”
The funding from the Arts Council NI, which is supported by The National Lottery and the Baring Foundation, will allow Commedia of Errors to run classes until March 2027. Contact Commedia of Errors Theatre Company to find out more.
The Arts Council recently held an event to showcase a range of mental health and arts projects supporting local communities and individual artists. Read more about the event: Highlights from the Arts Council’s Mental Health… | Arts Council NI
