Inter:Mission Youth Theatre: Cage to stage

Beneath the high arches of the upper room of St Saviours church in Knightsbridge, I wait to hear from an exciting panel: Darren Raymond, the artistic director of IYT since its inception; Tim McInerny, a consultant forensic psychiatrist at Bethlem Royal hospital; Nadia Denton, curator, producer, event organiser and author; and David Neita, a lawyer and poet.

At the start of the evening, we're informed that Neita has been held up elsewhere and is currently battling the London transport network to reach us – as we wait, Raymond tells us a little about Intermission's history. Their hallmark Shakespeare adaptations came out of workshops that addressed the themes of a particular play, with the text itself coming in much later. This way, the young people are engaged and thinking creatively before confronting something which they find both alien and alienating. ‘A lot of people like me can't articulate how they feel,’ says Raymond. ‘Drama-helped me do that and I can help others using drama.’ Raymond speaks from experience, having been through the criminal justice system in his youth. His is a story of opportunity and support, and his decision to make the most of it.

It's easy to convey Raymond's success with Intermission. From starting with four students, IYT now works with 25 young people per year, with alumni going on to study at Oxford and act in major productions such as Doctor Who, James Bond and Star Wars. This is, however, merely incidental and the panel discusses that while these successes should be applauded, they are not the sole metric of success. Instead, the focus should be on what Danton calls ‘creating that alchemy, that magic.'

Raymond does not talk about his work as especially amazing. He turns up, he listens and responds, and it is through this that participants see that there is someone who believes in them. ‘If you don't have someone to tell you that, then you can't navigate through the world,’ he says.

McInerney then speaks about how drama offers a mirror for many of the people that he has worked with. While the vast majority of actors playing Macbeth have never killed someone, many of Tim's patients have: ‘Art is a safe place for patients to begin to explore dangerous parts of themselves. It can provide comfort for those for whom atonement or inner peace may be out of reach.'

This sentiment is picked up by Danton, who says that seeing stories which are like our own – whether fictitious or not – is important, as ‘fundamentally, we want validation that who we are is okay’.

With some of McInerney's patients, part of their treatment might involve theatre visits: ‘It is intimidating to go into these places if you're not educated, not privileged – we go to the matinees to ease the transition but these people absolutely deserve to be there. Once they are made to feel that it is a space for them, they love it. They might shock the ladies at lunch at first but, by the interval, they're all chatting excitedly about what they've seen so far.'

The panel agrees that developing an appreciation of art, in any form, is the first step towards creating tomorrow's artists. Dalton asks us to consider ‘what does adversity do to the artist?’ and what it might mean to unlock the artistic potential of those who have faced and are facing adversity.

Facilitating change

The discussion moves towards facilitation in instutionalised settings, with Neita telling the audience to ‘provide a cuisine’, both literally and metaphorically. This means honestly questioning whether an activity will actually stimulate participants or if it is something to make a facilitator feel good about themselves. Wherever possible, he suggests, we should make an effort with the small things – something as simple as nice snacks, served on proper plates, can go a long way in encouraging engagement from marginalised people.

Both Neita and Raymond draw parallels between prisons, mental health institutions and schools. In each, they argue, we expect to see change in people while refusing to change the system. ‘Teachers can't teach,’ says Raymond. ‘They expect someone to sit and work out an algebra equation when that kid is trying to figure out why their dad beats their mum.’ He then talks about how the absence of a meaningful, holistic approach to education causes both students and teachers to suffer. While blunt and radical, the sentiment is not new – Illich, Freire, Postman and Weingartner got there at least 50 years ago.

As the discussion wraps up, McInerny extends an invitation to Raymond and IYT to run workshops and performances in his hospital – a fitting end to a stimulating evening.

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