Poster presented on March 6-8, 2002 at the conference on Communicating the Future: Best Practices in Communication of Science and Technology to the Public, co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, and NIST. Poster topics were selected as "best practices" through a formal peer review by a committee of distinguished science writers, educators, and researchers.

Theatre of Debate Programme
Program conducted by: Y Touring Theatre Company

Project

'Y Touring has shown that theatre can be a powerful tool for the communication of science to a wide audience '

-Prof Colin Blakemore Professor of Physiology, University of Oxford

Between 1995 and 2001 Y Touring, Central YMCA's touring theatre company commissioned, developed and produced five plays exploring issues arising from advances in biotechnology:

• The Gift - genetic selection
• Pig in the Middle -xenotransplantation
• Cracked - the biological basis of mental illness
• Sweet As You Are - GM foods
• Learning to Love the Grey - cloning and stem cell therapy

Each play is followed by a live debate involving the audience and the cast who stay in character to field questions.

Each play is supported by a resource pack available on CD and on the web, written in consultation with scientists, doctors, and patients.

The programmes are performed in schools, theatres, prisons, science centres and at Arts Festivals such as The Edinburgh Festival. Individual programmes have been performed at the House of Commons, for MP's at Whitehall, for Government Ministers in Amsterdam, for Dutch government ministers and other events.

Partners

These programmes have been developed with and supported by:

• The Wellcome Trust
• The Office of Science and Technology
• The Nuffield Council on Bioethics
• Copus
• John Innes Centre
• The Teacher Scientist Network
  

Target Audiences

We primarily target young people aged 14+ in schools, youth clubs and Science Centres. Our secondary audience is adults at festivals (Edinburgh) Science Centres and Studio Theatres.

By March 2002, over 106,021 young people, teachers, governors, parents, scientists and members of the general public throughout the United Kingdom will have seen one or more of the five programmes.

Process

Stage 1 - 2 months

• The company and partners establish the programme's theme, aims and target audience
  A steering group is established
• A workshop exploring the science and the issues for society is run for interested playwrights
• One synopsis is selected for commission

Stage 2 - 3 months

• The play is written
• The tour is booked

Stage 3 - 3 months

• The debate is planned
• The resource materials are developed
• The play and debate is cast and rehearsed
  

Stage 4 - 10 weeks

• The tour

Developments

"The Gift...serves as an inspiring model for future productions with similar aims and as an education for us all." Alan Wright and A. Christopher Boyd Nature Magazine

The Gift has been made into a video by Y Touring and Zenith North Productions, shown on BBC 2.

Sweet As You Are has been filmed as a theatre performance by the BBC.

Pig in the Middle was translated into Dutch and toured throughout Holland funded by the Rathenau Institute.

Learning to Love the Grey has been adapted into a 3-part television drama commissioned by the Open University's, Open Science Programme.

Staffing

• Project Director
• Playwright
• Casting Director
• Education Director
• Administrators
• Actors
• Company Manager
  

Evaluation

There have been several independent evaluations of these programmes commissioned by the Wellcome Trust. Conclusions include:

" Arts projects such as these are seen to be very successful in delivering scientific education. The drama is a way into a lot of areas...enhances the subject especially for those students who are alienated or threatened by science. "

" It successfully contributes to science teaching - its strength is in personalising science rather than delivering biological information."

" Changes in the teaching of genetics has occurred at many of the participating schools - the programme has brought in the human element and the personal, making it far more powerful."

Costs

To research, develop and produce an original play, debate and support materials for a 10 week tour of the United Kingdom averaging 8 performances a week, visiting 10 different regions and reaching up to 15,000 people, teachers and adults is £100, 000.

Contact

Nigel Townsend
Y Touring Theatre Company
10 Lennox Road
Finsbury Park
London
N4 3JQ
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7272 5755
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7272 8413

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Created: 4/9/2002
Last updated: 8/17/02
Contact: inquiries@nist.gov