Nobody's Child, Everybody's Children:

Playing Up Citizen Involvement: An Experiential Workshop in the Use of Theatre for Policy Development

Most strategies of citizen involvement in policy development regarding reproductive and genetic technologies are limited by an inability to engage a large and diverse citizenry in participatory ways. This workshop will explore one of the conference’s themes, reproductive and genetic technology, through an interactive demonstration of a new model of citizen participation, theatre and ensuing audience discussion.  The purpose of the workshop is to assist audience members in both their understanding of the ethical, social, and political issues inherent in a new and controversial reproductive and genetic technology—preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) through theatre—and to explore theatre as a health policy development tool.   

• Part 1 of the workshop will begin with a 15 minute introduction into concepts of citizen deliberation, and particularly the recent use of theatre as an innovative tool for public engagement in health policy development. 
• Part 2 will involve a performance—enacted by presenters/actors—of a compilation of central scenes of the play Orchids (performed nationally in Fall 2005 in Montreal (in French), Toronto, and Vancouver) which raises ethical, social, and political questions pertaining to the legislation of PGD. 
• For Part 3, audience members will participate in group discussion, analogous to the large audience discussions and focus groups that occurred for one hour following the 16 full performances of Orchids that occurred for the first Health Canada sponsored citizen deliberation using theatre (also funded by CIHR). The group discussions will be facilitated by presenters/actors.
• Part 4 Following a simulated audience discussion, workshop participants will identify salient themes that emerged from the discussion and reflect on how the effectiveness of this method of facilitating participatory, critical, and empathic engagement. Workshop presenters will answer questions and offer reflections on how the themes arising during the workshop compare with the thematic analysis of the transcripts from the large audience discussions and focus groups that occurred following the 16 performances of Orchids.