Youth mental health performance: How young people respond to portrayals of mental health, resilience and well-being in and through drama and performance creation

Abstract

This article reports on an arts-based ethno-theatre/drama education pilot study, which explored how mental health is portrayed in Canadian Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) scripts and how young people responded to these portrayals through play analysis workshops and collective theatre devising. Overall, the study was successful, with one unanticipated challenge. This article gives an overview of Phase 1: Play analysis and Phase 2: Play devising.