Unrehearsed Future (S5) #3 Theatre in/as Health: Some case studies from India

Artistic expression has long played a crucial role in how we learn, teach, communicate and heal. As per the World Health Organization, health is a “state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” The global body has also funded over 3000 studies investigating the role of the arts, especially theatre, in the prevention of ill health, promotion of health, and management and treatment of illness across the lifespan.

In 2019, WHO highlighted theatre as a key health resource, alongside physical exercise, diet, and other cultural practices (singing, dancing, art-making). It has been known to inform public and mental health policies globally. So, can theatre truly boost individual and community health and well-being? To unpack this, three mental health practitioners from India – drama therapist Maitri Gopalakrishna, community
health practitioner Tanya Seshadri and psychiatrist R Mangala – joined us in a recent conversation of Unrehearsed Futures, curated by New York-based creative arts therapist Akhila Khanna.

Using theatre for trauma-informed work

A counseling psychologist and drama therapist, Maitri came into this field through community theatre. Working in community settings and using theatre as a means to express oneself, things began to emerge spontaneously for her. Over the last 15 years, Maitri has worked with children, adolescents and adults who have been diagnosed with mental illnesses and undergone trauma, particularly sexual trauma. “That prompted me to kind of look at childhoods and the residues of childhood sexual abuse, and if theatre could be a way to work through those residues,” she states.

STAY TUNED! We will be publishing a long-form article about the talk and the ideas/themes that emerged during the session on our blog in the coming weeks.