Supporting your health and wellbeing through creativity

Theatre for Life is an arts organisation working with young people from marginalised groups, NHS, mental health charities, educational providers & the wider community through specialist creative and wellbeing programmes.

We make theatre with young people to support our local communities, with a strong focus on shared experiences and improved physical and mental health.

We believe access to the arts and culture helps us to live well in our communities, playing a valuable part in helping to tackle some of the most challenging social and health conditions.

As an experienced organisation advocating wellbeing, we also have a consultancy agency for organisations & the educational sector looking to integrate youth-led and creative approaches into their programmes. Social prescribing, community & educational packages.

Services we offer to education providers, community groups and organisations include:

Live theatre productions performed onsite in your venue or educational / community setting
Creative health and bespoke performing arts workshops for young people and community groups
Consultancy and training for young people to explore health and wellbeing through creative practices - Creative Youth leadership programme
Public speaking & presentation skills to support young leaders build confidence in sharing ideas with boards or potentials funders across all sectors
Youth social action workshops to enable young people to devise and deliver initiatives which will benefit the wider community across all sectors
Online and in-person creative wellbeing workshops for leaders, teachers & creatives
Tutoring service for LAMDA and audition preparations

As a not for profit and social enterprise organisation, income is used to help fund our free community initiatives.

By booking with us you are helping local youth communities access free creative opportunities.

ENQUIRE HERE

Placed-Based Partnerships

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CREATE & INNOVATE YOUTH SOCIAL ACTION PROGRAMME

Final Showcase

CREATE & INNOVATE - Final youth-led showcase
Young people led and co-created youth social action and creative campaigns, addressing stigmas in healthcare, particularly around female reproductive health and gender identity.

Youth-led video campaigns & presentations were shared with local stakeholders from:

NHS
Public Health
City council representatives
University of Southampton
MAST Mayflower Studios
TransLucent

Funded by Young Southampton (UKSPF)

I found hearing the perspectives from different groups of young people extremely powerful and interesting. All of the videos and stories are so relevant in the world today and the young people's passion for change is contagious.

(University of Southampton - Research fellow)

The work is absolutely brilliant. The presentations were fabulous. They were articulate and the messages we need to take away and act upon are clear.

(Associate Director of Policy, Innovation and Partnerships Strategy team Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board)

The depth of the youth voice is so powerful and the creative messaging of their campaigns that make them both engaging but also accessible.

(Southampton Children’s Hospital)

2023 - 2025

We are delighted to announce that we have been selected as a Propel Associate as part of the NEW Propel Associate Artist programme at MAST Mayflower Studios.

During our twenty months as a Propel Associate, we will be developing our creative and youth-led project ‘The feeling of knowing something is wrong, but it isn't' with emerging, local artists & with the support of mentors at MAST.

Exploring real stories through live theatre and music, we delve into the themes of female reproductive health and gender identity. These stories, often shrouded in silence and shame across cultures and generations, are brought to light through collaborative creation.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Collaborating with Asian and Muslim youth groups and local communities, we are eager to address racial inequities that hinder people from accessing fair support.

Another key development is to continue exploring real stories and voices related to gender inequality, stigma, and discrimination experienced by young LGBTQ+ communities.

Supported by LifeLab (University of Southampton)
MAST Mayflower Studios

2023

During the research and development phase of Your Brain Explained we had the pleasure of collaborating with young people from Southampton and Portsmouth. Using guided improvisation, applied theatre, co-creation and creativity, we engaged the young people in an imaginative tour of their own brains, empowering future choices for positive health and wellbeing.

We visited 18 schools, colleges, charities and youth organisations (56.3 % of the young people living in the 10% most deprived areas of the UK) with our FREE production between October - December, 2023 with a community performance at MAST Mayflower Studios.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Our goal is to provide a platform specifically for neurodivergent young people to express themselves creatively, creating a space where diverse voices are heard and celebrated. Working with new audiences Your Brain Explained will continue to inspire curiosity, understanding, and empathy towards different ways of thinking and being.

Enquiries: enquiries@theatreforlife.co.uk

2023 Your Brain Explained project
Supported by Alzheimer's Research UK Inspire Fund
National Lottery Community Funding

NEW CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECT - FREE YOUTH PROGRAMME

Febuary - August, 2024

GENERATION ANTHROPOCENE - FREE Youth Led Community Project

We are looking for young people aged 14-25 years old who are interested in participating in an interactive, and hands-on programme focused on climate science and conservation. Our goal is to investigate the impact of climate change on local communities in Southampton and the New Forest.

You can choose from 12 sessions, where you will work with writers, theatre makers, climate scientists, park rangers, and marine biologists in the New Forest, Southampton, and coastal areas to creatively explore the direct impact of climate change in our local communities.

In the second year (Sept 24-25), we will hold eight youth consultancy sessions to explore the creation of a play.

We will use your experiences to develop an original theatre performance that will address potential threats and provide solutions to mitigate them. Join us and be a part of this exciting community initiative!

***We will cover all travel costs and will provide assisted travel to locations

NEW CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECT - YOUNG PERSON REGISTRATION

NEW CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECT - PARENT / GUARDIAN REGISTRATION (14-18 years old)

FIND OUT MORE:

2022 Youth led Climate Change programme - Documentary

Podcast recording with the University of Southampton

Enquiries: enquiries@theatreforlife.co.uk

Supported by New Forest National Park Authority
National Lottery Community Funding

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