Thursday, March 07, 2019
Using Theatre To Promote Positive Mental Health
The Theatre Times: The link between creative expression and positive mental health has been known for quite some time now, yet there are few projects who put this into actual practice. A project run by Smashing Times–a socially engaged arts organization based in Dublin, Ireland–called Acting for the Future, has been working off this link for almost a decade and a half now and has recently expanded the work to a European level, under the name Theatre for Positive Mental Health.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I thought this article was really interesting and I think this theater company is taking really important steps in order to raise awareness about mental health. Some might think that everything they are doing is a little overkill, and that was my initial impression. I think, though, that this theater has a very specific mission and that all of their various programs continue to support this mission. I find it incredibly important to talk about everything to do with mental health because it is a topic that a lot of people are in the dark about. I think it is really great tat this company invites psychologists to participate in talkbacks after the show. There is no point in doing theater about mental illness if the company, actors, and designers are not thoroughly educated in the topic so I think it is really impressive that they make sure they are being honest and truthful.
I was expecting this article to talk about a theatre that just produced material that promotes mental health and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Acting for the Future also has the structure to support a mentally healthy process as well. So often are there pieces of theatre being produced that shine a light on mental health and point to commentary about how we need to take better care of ourselves and others, and be more open minded and understanding of mental health, but never have I been a part of a theatre process that is accommodating for mental health. Especially here at CMU, there is ton of talking about how things need to be done, and very little is actually being done. I understand that change can take a while to happen, but I think we definitely need to take a look at how Acting for the Future and others run their supportive programs, and move to mirror some of their structures.
I completely agree with Mirah that at first look of this theatre it may seem like they are going a little over the top with all of their programming, but when actually reading about it you realize that really everything they are doing is necessary for helping the company and the audience be educated about and improve their own mental health. It is also very clear that every step this theatre company is taking towards promoting positive mental health is working because they have won so many awards for it and because of all of the positive things people who have worked there have said about this company. I think the work they are doing to promote positive mental health and social inclusion with refugees is especially impactful and necessary because I think it is wonderful that they are creating such a safe and welcoming space for refugees to feel welcome and comfortable having conversations about mental health and a place that can help them live a healthy lifestyle in a new location.
I am so happy to see this article and how it talks about not just performances that spark a conversation but having actual conversations. I am sick of people talking about how revolutionary a show is. No offense but no playwright is great enough to actually just help people understand things better. Yes, I love seeing theatre and it is definitely relaxing and makes me think but really what helps is talking to others and experts about it and participating in art. Just sitting in the room as an SM/ASM includes me in the challenges and content discussion - something that audience members miss out upon. I think one of the largest problems with theatres' doing shows like The Drowsy Chaperone, Cabaret, The Matchmaker, etc is that there are great conversations that happen in the room but there are little to none guided discussions or workshops about the material. Rarely does material come off as making a statement against or for something as the director intended without people interacting with the material through workshops and talkbacks with professionals and not just artists trying to defend there work. I think when challenging work goes up, the conversations don't need to be I like this piece or not but rather did this piece accurately depict the issue/let's talk about the issue. It is so great to hear that Acting For the Future curate their audiences experience so much. They make sure that discussion is sparked and help is given. The material is created with the purpose and the intentions of the project follow through in such a beautiful way according to this article. It is also fantastic to hear that Acting For the Future is trying to make itself accessible to refugees in Ireland as participation in art is so often left out for anyone who isn't the rich white class.
Post a Comment