Kyle

My story

I’m a neurodivergent benefit class multidisciplinary artist from the South Wales Valleys working in theatre and media production.

I have a high interest in taking real life experiences to create work that offers audiences a raw, gritty and authentic insight into the world that is being created.

Growing up I was very ashamed of my experiences. I suffered constant anxiety attacks and withdrew from school. This had a massive effect on my friendships and my ability to trust people. I felt lost and I felt alone.

I couldn’t process the trauma, I didn’t understand it. I didn’t want to live with it. So I had a choice, either accept what I’ve been through or let it define me. I chose to accept it.

Now I’m in a position where I want to use my lived experience to break down the stigma surrounding male survivors.

My relationship with anger was always seen so negatively, no one was able to see the hurt and pain at the root of it. No one really questioned it. No one saw the struggling boy and man behind it.

Using Creativity to Explore My Experiences

Using my experience as a survivor I produced and performed ‘No Man’s Land’ working closely with writer Rachel Trezise and director Matthew Homquist.

No Man’s Land is a gripping psychological drama that unearths the hidden wounds of a shattered psyche. The fight for survival is fought inside the mind. Set in the Rhondda Valley, we follow Lewis as he journeys through two worlds to discover the mechanism for his closure. A world of reality and No Man’s Land, a trauma-induced dystopia that only exists in Lewis’ mind.

What happens when the world tells you to man up, but every part of you is fractured?

The play premiered at Sherman Theatre, Cardiff, October 2025 and has received an extremely positive response, opening many conversations with audiences.

“I want No Man’s Land to create an environment where survivors feel valid. We shouldn’t be embarrassed of our lived experience and lose ourselves to events we couldn’t control.”

Spoken Word Poetry

I also release my own spoken word poetry as a form of expression. As someone who struggled in my younger years to process my relationship with my mental health and the ability to control my anger, I’ve found comfort in using the artform of spoken word as my release.

https://www.youtube.com/@kylestead

As a spoken word poet, I have been commissioned by Public Health Wales and; Future Generations Wales to create work around mental health and wellbeing. I was a recipient of the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursary 2020-2022.

Now I’m in a position where I want to use my lived experience to break down the stigma surrounding male survivors.