Public Engagement and Performance

Description

Methods for Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Performing academics and a dental-themed romance In this paper, I will use examples from two projects to discuss methods for interdisciplinary collaboration. The first is the Don’t Smile Cohesion pilot project which won the Engaging Young People Award at the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement’s 2016 Engage Awards. Staff and students from the Schools of Dentistry and of Performance and Cultural Industries at the University of Leeds worked alongside the nationally-acclaimed Theatre of Debate and patient advisors. A play entitled Don’t Smile, a love story with a dental theme performed to school children. The play and follow-up debates aimed to increase awareness of the genetic condition Amelogenesis imperfecta to highlight pioneering new treatments. The project also communicated some more day-to-day public oral health messages. The second is Hashtag This Girl Can, a scratch performance created as part of Cap-a-Pie’s ‘Performing Research Network’. The ‘Performing Research Network’ is a programme of activities delivered in association with Newcastle University. The programme explores how theatre and drama practices can enable academic research to be more accessible and relevant to communities. Projects are developed over a series of weekly studio sessions with an associate artist and culminate in a scratch performance, performed by academic researchers.

Period	18 Mar 2017
Event type	Conference
Location	York, United KingdomShow on map