5 min read

Out Of The Shadows And Onto The Stage: How Actors Are Helping Lonely Canberrans See Their Own Struggle Without Stigma

Written by:

David Jeffery, Foundation for Social Health Chief Social Connection Officer

Published on

March 17, 2025

Ever found it difficult to talk about your mental health and feeling lonely? Fair enough, most people do. That’s why we’re trying something new in the ACT to reduce loneliness and combat the pernicious stigma that surrounds it. We’ve partnered with Rebus Theatre and the Centre for Social Impact to test a new approach utilising Playback Theatre techniques and self-exploration workshops.

We’re on a quest for nuance

Let’s take it from the top, and the most important point: this project recognises that a lot of us often feel lonely. One in five in fact, according to the ABS and most recent HILDA Survey. But it also acknowledges that this issue affects some of us more than others–unpaid carers, culturally diverse populations and the LGBTQIA+ community–to name a few.

What we do know is that people who have diverse identities, have diverse life experiences. So taking this into account–we’re on a quest to discover the nuance! We want to get to the core of what more at-risk cohorts experience when they feel lonely. If we can understand what people genuinely feel and need in periods of social isolation and moderate to severe loneliness, then we can better intervene with potential solutions.

What’s been done before with traditional mental health outreach strategies can be effective (think: door-to-door surveys and canvassing health service information) but it isn’t guaranteed to connect deeply with diverse community members. A short questionnaire at your doorstep can be hard to focus on if you have other things to respond to; a screaming baby perhaps? Hungry cousin you care for… and sh*t that pot’s boiling over the stove! Or maybe you’re just feeling straight-up anxious and a bit too frazzled to talk. How could we have this conversation another way?

Actors, improv theatre and… loneliness? Here’s how it’s going to play out

We’d like you to *metaphorically* close your eyes (please actually keep your eyes open if you use them to read, but indulge us for a moment). Imagine you’re sitting in a town hall with other people who share the same struggle and desire for social connection that you do. It’s not a theatre, there’s no frantic rush-hour to get something to drink and squinting to find and wiggle into your assigned seat. This is a space that’s been specifically set up for you, and your soon to be confidants.

Now, think about a mental health challenge or a time when you’ve felt lonely. How would you describe it? Does this feel difficult? Chances are it is. Like most mental health challenges, loneliness is not immune to stigma and negative labels or not-so truisms that could make sharing your experience harder than it needs to be. And you’ve probably been wondering–here is where our actors come in.

Actors trained in Playback Theatre (a live improvisation technique) take the burden of explaining your own experience with others by translating your given summary into a short vignette on stage. This allows for a more objective reflection and judgement-free exploration of mental health and loneliness. Kind of like that scene in Harry Potter where the sometimes-werewolf Professor Lupin uses a “Riddikulus” spell to transform a shape-shifting Boggart from something that represents students’ worst fears into something less scary. Playback theatre, and magic in this instance, both seek to use the power of reframing to overcome what we couldn’t initially see by ourselves.

Here’s the Boggart scene reference for any unfamiliar Muggles:

‘Cops in the Head’ self-exploration workshops developed by famed Brazilian theatre activist Augusto Boal help people struggling with solitude and loneliness discover the internalised judgments that stop them from seeking help and explore how to break free from these barriers to receiving the care they need. Local mental health and community service information will be made available at events to address barriers to access and support.

While you probably won’t see a giant tarantula suddenly slip around in roller skates or get to wave a wand for that matter, it is our hope that this deeper form of community engagement fosters a sense of solidarity and belonging with participants, and provides a new creative way to deliver mental health support and information in community settings.

RSVP to secure your spot for our Playback Theatre and Traditional Town Hall sessions in March and April:

Get in touch if you’re interested to know more about recruitment or access at hello@foundationforsocialhealth.org.au

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About Rebus Theatre ‍

Rebus Theatre creates social change through powerful, inclusive theatre offering a range of programs that address social issues and disadvantage, including weekly drama classes, tailor-made programs for schools or organisations, as well as offering one-off workshops. Find out more at www.rebustheatre.com

About Centre for Social Impact

Centre for Social Impact is a collaboration of Australian universities who provide education, tools and research to help catalyse social change for a better world. More on CSI can be found at www.csi.edu.au

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