Sarah Ellis: making a difference through interactive theatre

I am lucky enough to be friends with Sarah Ellis (far left in the photo), who for 20 years has been working with young people and adults through interactive theatre which educates, empowers, challenges and stimulates discussion.  She is Artistic Director of the award winning HyperFusion Theatre Company and runs Hyperfusion Academy.

If you want to educate and discuss sensitive issues with children – should we be standing in a class using a powerpoint presentation, talking at the children rather than with them?  Sarah uses traditional forum theatre techniques, “each piece takes the audience on a journey of issues, behavioural choices and dilemmas that result in an explosion of conflict. This is where the audience steps in as they actively explore windows of intervention with a view to empowering them to consider what to really do if they find themselves or someone they know in a situation they need to deal with. The audience become the characters either by being their brain or stepping in and it is here that the learning curve is at its strongest as they negotiate their way through a ‘rehearsal for life’ in a safe atmosphere.”

She has directed interactive theatre pieces which she takes to schools on self empowerment, trust, sexual health, alcohol and drugs, bullying, environment, bereavement, teenage pregnancy and communication.  She is working on a piece about consent.

Her latest project is called “BOY” and tackles homophobic bullying.  Sarah has worked on this project with Shaun Dellenty, a deputy head master from Southwark and founder of the anti-homophobia education project ‘Inclusion For All’.  I went to the opening night in Southwark earlier this year and this week was lucky enough to take my three sons to see the production.   “BOY’s aim is to create safe spaces for all young people regardless of identity and sexuality. BOY’s mission is to inspire change and create a deeper understanding of the nature of prejudice in all its forms.  Using a cast of five professional actors, BOY explores homophobic and other forms of prejudicial bullying and language. BOY has been directly informed by focus group conversations with young people aimed at exploring their experiences of bullying and prejudicial language in the playground and in wider communities, to ensure the themes and content of BOY are grounded in young people’s everyday experiences.”  After the play, the actors engage the children in small group discussion about what they have experienced; how they felt, how they related to the characters, where could they have intervened, how could the story have had a happier ending?

Sarah trained at Rose Bruford Drama School (BA Community Theatre) & Middlesex University (PGCE Drama).  She has worked in secondary mainstream education as Head of Drama.

I have seen many of Sarah’s productions, for children and adults.  Earlier this year she produced the Shhh Experience:  “Debbie and Daz big day”, where the audience attended a ‘wedding’ complete with dinner, speeches and a disco (photo below).  But the wedding was not real – it was a performance and was an amazing, thought provoking experience.  “Shhh Events are an exciting new revolution in theatre bringing top quality performance experiences.”  As Sarah says – “unexpected theatre in unexpected places.”

Today Sarah is taking BOY to Parliament – ParliOUT, Parliament’s Workplace Equality Network (WEN) in support of LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning) people.

If you would like Sarah to bring BOY to your school – please contact info@hyperfusion.co.uk.