The Outdoor Medicine Show

A Public Performance created in collaboration with, and from a brief given by Starfish Collaborative, engaging 2nd year Theatre and Professional Practice students in their Outdoor Performance module. The event was held at Moat House Park in the North East of Coventry, deemed a lesser used green-space and surrounded by low income neighbourhoods.

The directed work and collaborative consultation was planned for the launch of the 'Days of Doing' strand within the Coventry City of Culture programme, derived by The Starfish collaborative. The project built upon the collaborative work under taken in August 2021 - The Woodland Library.

Prior to the 'Days of Doing Event' the performance work was toured to local primary schools prior to the weekend event as an engagement and audience development strategy, broadening the undergraduate experience and understanding of context for the work.

The Starfish Collaborative describe Days of Doing as:

"...day-long celebration events in visible and accessible green spaces in the heart of the Wood End/Bell Green/Henley Green community.

* celebrating people power and contribution, and community diversity and commonality
* supporting the physical and mental wellbeing of individuals and the community as a whole
* enabling cross generational and cross cultural experiences for community cohesion
* nourishing and nurturing the people and green spaces within the community.

The purpose is to engage everyone in the local community in creativity, culture, nature conservation with an intentional impact on individual and community wellbeing, and the wellbeing of the green space environments existing in the community."

Applied Outdoor Performance for community audiences

Successful audience development work, with high levels of engagement from schools audiences, resulting in family arrivals at the weekend event; Evaluation and feedback from student performers was that project was 'transformative'; Successful employability project with further employment for UG students with Starfish Collaborative during summer 2022.