Applied Theatre as Reflective Space: Engaging Professional Audiences with Potential Deception in Health and Care Practice

This thesis examines how live performance in applied theatre and arts in health and care can engage professional audiences with ethical and interpretive challenges in complex care situations. It clarifies how applied theatre addresses deception and contested narratives in professional practice. Using a practice-as-research methodology, the study explores live performance as a reflective tool for professionals in health, social care, and education, particularly when judgement is required under conditions of uncertainty.

The research centres on the creation, staging, and analysis of two original plays, A Bitter Pill and The Art of Dissociation, which were performed for professional audiences. A Bitter Pill addresses fabricated or induced illness, using affective proximity and participatory strategies to engage audiences with safeguarding responsibilities and the challenge of recognising harm within acts of care. The Art of Dissociation explores dissociative identity disorder and the potential for malingering, maintaining uncertainty about the authenticity of the protagonist’s experiences and encouraging ongoing audience interpretation.

Using qualitative audience-response data from questionnaires and written reflections, the thesis analyses how professional audiences experienced these performances. It also examines how specific dramaturgical strategies fostered reflective engagement. The findings show that applied theatre supports professional reflection by engaging audiences affectively and interpretively with potentially deceptive behaviours.

This thesis contributes a practice-informed perspective to applied theatre in health and care contexts. It details how dramaturgical structure and audience positioning can create reflective space for professionals facing complex care situations. The work offers insight into how live performance can support ethical and interpretive reflection in professional practice, particularly when judgement is required in the absence of complete information.