What is Applied Theatre?

Applied Theatre is the application of theatre techniques to the pursuit of social goals.

"Applied theatre usually works in contexts where the work created and performed has a specific resonance with its participants and its audiences and often, to different degrees, involves them in it." Prentki & Preston

"Intervention, communication, development, empowerment and expression when working with individuals or specific communities" Central School of Speech & Drama

What do we do?


We use creative theatre techniques to enhance the ways people act and interact - professionally & personally.

We work with clients to blend our expertise with theirs in order to create tailored training, engagement and consultation opportunities and events.

We are based in Sheffield, but travel across the country for clients in Local & Central government, the NHS, Universities, Schools and the Voluntary & Community sector

We are very experienced in the fields of...
Health & well-being
Creative Learning
Changing communities

For more on these click on links above

Who are we?


We are a Company of skilled writers, directors, performers, facilitators, educators and creative thinkers.

We are driven by artistic & social goals and not by profit.

We are quite nice... and fairly approachable.

We are dead earnest!

Dead = very

Earnest = whole hearted / sincere

 

Specialists?


Well... yeah.
We teach Applied Theatre at Hallam University
We are featured in the Dept of Health ‘Prospectus for Arts & Health'
We are featured in the Arts Council - Yorkshire ‘The Arts, Health & Well-being' report
We are featured in the HACT ‘Communities R Us' report
We are featured in a book called ‘Dying, bereavement and the healing arts'
We have been written about in a number of other books
We have been nominated for Arts & Business regional and national awards
And we have worked with over 200 satisfied clients across the length and breadth of the country

The people

Ashley - Artistic Director & lecturer in Applied Theatre
Greg - Admin Manager
Charlie - Drama Projects Leader
Vic - Drama Projects Leader
Agnes - Admin

But then there's also Stacey, Debbie and Kate - Associate artists
And about 50 actors and facilitators that we work with on an annual basis

If you wish to reach any of us put our name followed by @deadearnest.co.uk (e.g. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Our history

Dead Earnest was founded in 1993 by our Artistic Director Ashley Barnes and started life as a company that sought to make theatre more accessible by performing in pubs and site specific locations. By 2000 we had developed and evolved to be a well established national touring Company.

At around the same time we started to experiment with forum theatre and ways of using our skills in other contexts. Increasingly we found that our rewards were not only to be found in the personal gratification of the artist, but also in seeing people change their lives for the better.

Now we are no longer a touring theatre company. Instead we are proud to call ourselves an Applied Theatre Company.