Treehouse Theatre Projects:

The Magic of Performance in Youth Trauma Recovery

Catherine Maguire-Donvito

School Counsellor Evans High School and Creative Producer Treehouse

Theatre

CAST FROM THE STORM6 October, 20159:30 pm ABC TV

http://treehousetheatre.org.au/cast-from-the-storm/

Our beginning….

In 2009 I was struggling to work with asylum seeker students who needed advocacy.

Ruth was using drama and performance of their own stories to teach English.

Refugee students seemed to feel empowered by being given a voice.

Treehouse Theatre

• Treehouse Theatre Inc. is a not-for-profit association, incorporated in NSW.

• It is run entirely by a dedicated team of volunteers, doing everything from theatre production to accounts.

What does Treehouse Theatre actually do?

• Twice a year we take about 20 young refugee students from West or South West Sydney.

• They tell stories in group counselling sessions.

• We write the scriptsand create movement pieces.

JOURNEY THROUGH THE EYES OF REFUGEE CHILDREN

Tree of Life 2016

REAL LIFE STORIES OF THE REFUGEE EXPERIENCE

Suitcase Stories 2017

The Process

1. Selection

2. Family consent

3. Group story telling and counselling

4. Scripting stories

5. Rehearsal

6. Performance

7. Evaluation

Omid and Rahim Video

Our goals:

For the cast:• Trauma recovery• Improve English language skills and

cross-cultural understanding

For the audience:• Educate the public (especially school

students) about refugees and thus improve acceptance

How does it work?

Meets Trauma Recovery Goals

1. Safety

2. Attachment

3. Purpose

4. Dignity

Judith Herman, 1997

What we see at HS

• Tiredness• Poor concentration/memory• Headaches and other somatic symptoms• Disruptive behaviours• Fighting and violent behaviours• Social isolation• Poor attendance• Poor learning outcomes

Narrative Therapy

The Tree of Life Project(Ncube, 2006)

The Suitcase Project (Clacherty, 2006)

Exposure Therapy

Story telling circle and rehearsal process - helps to process the trauma.

Schauer, Neuner & Elbert (2011)

Fragmented memories are transformed into a coherent narrative

The traumatic event(s) become contextualised and can be recalled normally as a past event.

Insider and Outsider Witness Carey and Russell (2003)

We share stories in a story circle. Some stories are developed into performance pieces.

Outsider Witness:The Audience Response

Building an accepting society

• If we want to build an accepting society, we have to change minds.

• Research shows that “rational argument” does not work (Drew Westen, 2008; Jonathan Haidt2013)

• We need an emotional hook, and that is exactly what Treehouse performances provide.

Is the program effective?

Akeel - Iraq

“Theatre performance that ‘Tree of Life’ provides, gave others and myself the chance to interact and break the ice between us refugee students and Australian general public. On the stage I am able to be who I am, and let the audience know who I am, what I feel, and what I stand for, then wait if they would accept me, and they surely did. This was my second birth, one here in Australia. I was born again as a new person that appreciated his difficult past yet was optimistic about the future.”

Akeel Abbas, 27 February 2013

Student Self-Evaluation - 2014G

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ean

1

2

3

4

55 = much better

3 = no change

1 = much worse

From student audience members:

“You guys did so, so, so, so, so well. Believe in yourselves and let the past go. Australia is now your home and I am so glad you guys made me change the way I think and speak to people like yourselves. Well done.” (Aussie student from Liverpool Girls High School)

“It makes me feel like I am not the only one who suffered… It was a wonderful show that even made me laugh and cry at the same time….God bless you all.” Refugee student, Evans Intensive English Centre (IEC)

“I have so much more respect for them and a wider variety of understanding.” (Aussie Student from Liverpool Girls High School).

Comments from adult audiences

“The message of horror told with pathos and humour.”

“It opened my eyes to the experience of refugees.“

“That’s no matter if you are Muslim or Christian but the only matter is humanity.”

“Proud to have these young people in our country.”

“I work with refugees and have been disheartened about it all – this has restored my faith about why I do this.”

Achievements:

• 135 refugee students have gone through our programs

• We have created 10 “Tree of Life” and “Suitcase Stories” shows

• 26,000 people, mostly high school students, have seen our shows

Treehouse Evaluation:Collaboration with STARTTS

Mixed-method, multi-informant design

– Questionnaires by students and teachers (pre, post and follow-up)

– Objective measure of attention and impulsivity (T.O.V.A)

– Student interviews and focus groups (clinical and social capital outcomes)

– Retrospective analysis of participant and audience surveys from 2011-2016

Acknowledgements

Treehouse Committee and volunteersMiller Technology High SchoolSTARTTSLiverpool City CouncilMary MacKillop FoundationCasula Powerhouse Performing Arts CentreThe Seymour Centre

Treehouse Cofounder & Director Ruth Hartcher- O’Brien

www.treehousetheatre.org.au

Shows in 2017:The Concourse Chatswood, June 8 & 9Casula Powerhouse Theatre, June 22 & 23The Joan Sutherland Centre, Nov 2 & 3The Seymour Centre, Nov - 9 & 10

Cast From the Storm – link from our website

ReferencesClacherty, G. (2006). The world in a suitcase: psychosocial support using artwork with refugee children in South Africa, Participatory Learning and Action, Vol 54, April.

Carey, M. & Russell, S. (2003) Outsider witness practices: some answers to commonly asked questions. The International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work. Vol 2003, Issue 3.

Herman, J. 1993, Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence--From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror, (Revised Ed.) Basic Books.

Haidt, J. (2013) The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religions. Vintage Books.

Ncube, N. (2006) The Tree of Life Project. The International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work. Vol 2006, Issue 1.

Westen, D. (2008) The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation. Public Affairs.

Schauer, M., Neuner, F., Elbert T. (2011). Narrative Exposure Therapy: A short Term Treatment For Traumatic Stress Disorders. (2nd edition). Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe Publishing