Theatre in education

The author of this article worked for fifteen years as a Theatre in Education (TIE) actor and, after moving into Further and then Higher Education, continues to work with young people to create educational projects touring all education sectors. Most of the themes for these TIE programmes have encompassed historical and social themes, and some have addressed health issues directly. It is a sad reflection upon either society or the education system (or probably both) that the demand for such social health projects continues to increase. In September 2009, The University of Northampton hosted for the second time an international conference about the interaction of arts and health; testament to the acceptance of the fact that the arts can have a transformational effect on the health of individuals and society. Arts-related therapies are increasingly a part of the menu from which we may seek to attain emotional or social good health. This article accepts that the arts can be transformational in promoting good health and, specifically, in forming positive attitudes towards health issues. What follows identifies the nature of Theatre in Education, considers how these approaches have been used in Theatre in Health Education (THE) to promote health, and whether the best use is now being made of TIE techniques. It questions the effectiveness and validity of THE programmes that seek only to portray dire situations without allowing the space, through participation and reflection, for audiences to relate their own lives to those being set before them

Art · Health education · Pedagogy · Political science · Public health · Public relations · Sociology · The arts · Transformational leadership · Visual arts · Art Therapy and Mental Health · Diversity and Impact of Dance · Empathy and Medical Education · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology

• Sexy till I die

  Leah Tidey•Journal of Applied Arts and Health•2019

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