Colleen Brown: Pumpkin Soup for the Soul

OBV speaks exclusively to Colleen Brown, Theatre Producer, Unemployment Counsellor, School Governor and OBV graduate. Brown tell us about her new play ‘Pumpkin Soup for the Soul’ and shares her courageous journey to get there.

Colleen Brown was first introduced to OBV in 2009 when she was selected for the Lewisham Civic Leadership Programme. She didn’t know it at the time, but being part of the project would prove to be a life changing decision.

Before commencing the programme, Brown lacked self-confidence and had gone through spells of depression and bereavement. She had ambitions in life which included becoming a school governor, but she did not know how to go about achieving this. The leadership scheme she was on was run in partnership with Lewisham Council to help BME communities develop leadership skills in all aspects of civic society. It was the civic leadership programme that resulted in Brown becoming a school governor.

She said:

Being part of OBV has changed my life forever, it has helped me find my path in life”.

She went on to say:

It taught me how to have self-confidence, it taught me how to set and meet goals in life and most importantly how to overcome challenges and obstacles”.

She also won a Civic Leadership Award given to her by Lewisham Council, but for her the most valuable reward was the new found confidence and life skills she gained:

Through the programme, I met and networked with many fabulous people, many of whom, I am still in contact with. I used the training and experiences that I gained from OBV and passed them on to other people”.

In addition to being a school governor, Colleen is also a counsellor with the Department of Work and Pensions and works with people who are long-term unemployed. She coaches individuals through their problems and helps them find work. She has inspired many to move on with their lives and believes that this role has been mutually beneficial.

Commenting on the people she has worked with Brown says,

“they have inspired me to continue with the work and improve my own life”.

If being a counsellor and school governor were not enough, Brown has now turned her multi talented hand to theatre production and is the producer of Pumpkin Soup for the Soul.

Before taking on this play, Brown studied film and television production at college, then moved to California and worked for Warner Brothers. She helped produce an entertainment news show called The Daily Mixx, which ran stories about celebrities, films and music. She spent 5-years in California, before deciding to move back to the UK.

Her latest venture is as the producer of Pumpkin Soup for the Soul which is on this Saturday in Hackney. Written by Kofi Agyemang, the previewed screenings have received “amazing feedback”. The play is set against the backdrop of London and depicts the challenge of modern city life and how it affects our relationships and how we deal with those that we love.

The play consists of twelve scenes, and has different story lines which on the surface have no connection to one another. However, each story line is threaded to one another and the central theme that runs throughout this play is relationships. The twist and turns of relationships, stability and love are beautifully captured and the audience are invited to witness a journey into the emotional, physical and spiritual discoveries of life's oneness.

We know that Brown’s journey thus far has been emotional, challenging, but overwhelmingly is a story of success. But will the characters in the play, enjoy the same outcome....?

Pumpkin Soup for the Soul opens to the public on Saturday 26 January, at Chats Palace, London, 42-44 Brooksby’s walk, E9 6DF, doors open from 7pm

Usman Butt