title: A short report on knowledge exchange through research-based theatre: 'inside out of mind'.
abstract: The short report describes the development from page to stage of a work of theatre based on an ethnographic study. The originating research focused on the work of health care assistants (nurse's aides) whose direct impact on the quality of life of highly dependent people is often overlooked. The research followed hospital personnel on wards specialising in the 'challenging behaviour' associated with dementia in central England. Conventional research outputs failed to engage the health care assistants themselves, so we turned to theatre to remedy this. The development of the field notes into theatre was characterised by the artistic freedom given to the playwright, in contrast to more data-led approaches to theatre making. The account of the process of creating the play, Inside Out of Mind, is followed a description of how the work was received by specialist and general audiences totalling 2000+. The discussion seeks to locate the whole enterprise in relation to the field of research-based theatre and explores how the production and its associated learning events relate to definitions of research-based theatre in the light of recent attempts to encapsulate this broad and diverse methodology.
authors.affiliation: School of Sociology & Social Policy, University of Nottingham, UK. Electronic address: Justine.Schneider@nottingham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Justine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Meeting Ground Theatre Company, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.affiliation: Meeting Ground Theatre Company, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK.
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.affiliation: School of Sociology & Social Policy, University of Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: Kezia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Scales
authors.affiliation: School of Sociology & Social Policy, University of Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.affiliation: School of Sociology & Social Policy, University of Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Middleton
mesh_terms: D000884:Anthropology, Cultural / Q000379:methods*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing*; D004324:Drama; D004739:England; D006801:Humans; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: Carers; Dementia; Ethnodrama; Ethnography; Theatre; UK
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