This Education Incubator, HUMs for all and Social Mobility (University of Exeter) funded programme, developed by Amy Mellows with Dr Erin Walcon, addresses how staff and students manage wellbeing challenges, privilege and other areas of concern whilst at University.
This project uses innovative dialogic theatre techniques to facilitate conversations about how we approach these challenges within teaching practice and in our educational community here at Exeter.
The group delivers both student-facing and CPD/staff-facing Forum Theatre sessions, often set in Personal Tutor Meeting scenarios, that provide live and engaging preventative support.
Bookings are now open for the 2022/23 Academic Year!
Email amellows@outlook.com for more information.
What usually happens in a session?
Often a session begins with a live Forum theatre scene performed by graduate actors, that often presents a complex scenario between a personal tutor and a tutee or two students. Participants are invited to safely engage in conversation around the themes of wellbeing, privilege and staff/tutor best practice that arise from the performance. Participants then see their suggestions played back to them by the actors (like a rehearsal for real life- Augusto Boal, Forum Theatre) , and the dialogic safe space is reopened for participants to discuss the complex questions that arise in these scenarios. However, many of our sessions are bespoke and tailored to the needs of the participants and content and structure can vary.
Staff Workshop Pricing for Exeter University Campuses:
Student Workshop Pricing for Exeter University Campuses:
To be discussed with Project Lead Amy Mellows amy@doorsteparts.co.uk
Student / Staff Workshop Pricing for other organisations:
To be discussed with Project Lead Amy Mellows amy@doorsteparts.co.uk
The Team (2022)
Amy Mellows- Project Lead, Workshop Content Developer, Actor & Facilitator (She/Her)
Amy is an experimental freelance artist, theatremaker, digital producer and facilitator from Outer East London, with a focus on social justice and making the arts accessible via political and community focused creative practice. She began working as an Associate Artist at Torbay based community arts NPO Doorstep Arts, after graduating from Exeter’ University’s drama department in 2020 and has been leading the Can We Talk About This? Project since its creation in 2020/21.
Sonia Thakurdesai – Actor, Workshop Content Developer & Facilitator (She/They)
Sonia is a Freelance Theatre Maker, Producer, Facilitator, Movement Artist and Writer. Her practice is political and playful. They graduated from the University of Exeter’s Drama department and now work with Doorstep Arts and Beyond Face and they are also a member of Concrete Youth’s Equality & Diversity Steering Group. They have been a facilitator, actor & theatremaker for Can We Talk About This? since 2022.
Declan Coker – Actor & Workshop Content Developer (He/Him)
Exeter University Drama Graduate (2020) / Professional actor working in East London
The Team (2021)
Amy Mellows- Exeter Drama Alumni / Project Lead
Dr Erin Walcon
Holly Cove – Applied Theatre Undergraduate / Workshop Creator & Actor
Kat Themans- Applied Theatre Undergraduate / Workshop Creator & Actor
Hannah Giles- Applied Theatre Undergraduate / Workshop Creator & Actor
Amelia Treble – Applied Theatre Undergraduate / Workshop Creator & Actor
Amelia Luxton- Applied Theatre Undergraduate / Workshop Creator & Actor
Previous workshop delivery:
- CWTAT Forum Theatre Workshop with Uni of Exeter Applied Theatre 2nd Year Students
- Wellbeing & Privilege workshops for Penryn Humanities Induction Cohort & Staff (2022)
- Privilege Workshops for the Senior Personal Tutor Forum (2022)
- Wellbeing workshop at the international UKAT COnference for Personal Tutoring (2021)
- Wellbeing workshops at the EduExe Conference Exeter University (2021)
- Drama Induction Wellbeing Workshop for 2021/22 Drama Cohort (2021)
- Wellbeing Workshops for the Senior Personal Tutor Forum (2021)