Programmes and contracts

Programmes and contracts

The company has held contracts using applied theatre with the following organisations and government departments:

  • 2004 – 2023 Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children: Everyday Theatre, addressing issues of family violence, child abuse and neglect. This internationally acclaimed programme worked with over 75,000 young people throughout New Zealand.
  • 2005 – 2010 New Zealand Police: to train police education officers to use process drama in teaching about issues which include road safety, teen partying and sexual abuse/disclosure. It has developed three resources for Police Education Officers: Crash, which looks at the issues surrounding road fatalities; A Table Full of Tears which looks at out of control teen parties; and I’m Not Telling which looks at issues around sexual abuse and disclosure. Regions throughout New Zealand undertook training and ongoing training and support was provided with the Police College.
  • 2000 – 2010 The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand: Devising and delivering a theatre in education programme The Lost Bag on suicide prevention; writing and training others to use Headspin, a resource on stigma associated with mental illness, and Natural High, a resource on alcohol, drugs and mental well-being.
  • 2007 Waikato Public Health: Open the Loop, a theatre in education programme addressing issues of bullying, and youth resilience.
  • 2005 Biosecurity New Zealand: Gotcha, educating young children about a newly-discovered pest, the fall webworm caterpillar.
  • 2000 – 2005 Ministry of Education: National Drama Facilitator overseeing the implementation of the Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum;
  • 2001 – 2005 Ministry of Education: National Secondary Schools Arts Coordinator – Drama;
  • 1999-2000 Department of Internal Affairs: Strategic planning, staff professional development.

Internationally, ATCo has provided consultancy services to the development of applied theatre courses and community arts projects in Singapore; on drama programmes working with the trauma of the Beijing earthquake survivors; for programmes on anti-racism and sexual harassment in Sydney: The report called Respectful Relationships has been the basis for educational initiatives on dealing with racist and sexist abuse of young Muslim women; on gender equity issues (NSW); on the arts and mental health (Hong Kong); on the development of arts training materials (Hong Kong); and on the establishment of a new arts curriculum (Hong Kong).

ATCo worked in partnership with Nga Kete O Te Matauranga Ltd (the late Amster Reedy, tohunga Ngati Porou was its principal) under the name Ebony and Ivory. This partnership conducted corporate and government agency training in indigenous issues using drama processes.

[1] O’Connor, P (2003) Refraction and reflection. The Dimpled Mirror of Process Drama. How Process Drama assists People to reflect on their attitudes and Behaviours Associated with Mental Illness Griffith University: Unpublished PhD thesis.

[2][2] O’Connor, P (2009) Unnoticed miracles, Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 14:4, 583-597, DOI:10.1080/13569780903286105