A bit of background
For the last 2.5 years, Serious Woo has been helping HR managers and people leaders have better conversations with colleagues displaying signs of mental distress.
We have done this through a number of techniques, and have found that using forum theatre (where actors play out real-life workplace scenarios in front of an audience) to be really powerful for a number of reasons.
1. It brings challenging workplace issues out in the open in a very safe, non-confrontational way.
2. Audience members can apply their own experience and learnings to the conversations being presented (and with the help of a facilitator expand on approaches that work and don't).
3. They provide a broader context to subsequent techniques or approaches that are taught around workplace mental health conversations at a later date.
The Work Play
We are now extending these ideas beyond individual scenarios and designing a theatrical piece that uses theatre construct to help people understand the difficulties around mental health.
We are using theatre to step outside reality to hear someone’s inner thoughts, use physical representation, or a suspended moment in time and giving staff an experiential view of workplaces issues that has an incredible impact.
To go beyond an ‘understanding’ to a ‘realisation’ our theatre piece takes place in your workplace - in your time. Immersed in the world and suspending disbelief, we’ve finally found a way to have a deep impact on how businesses are addressing the mental health of their staff.
We want to hear from you
The team at Serious Woo are looking to conduct over 50 interviews with people who have experienced a decline in their mental wellbeing due to their workplace. (Or you may have a friend, relative or colleague who has suffered).
We would like to know your story so our play truly reflects the experiences of Australian workplace culture.
Interviews will take approximately 20 minutes.
Interviews will be completely confidential.
If you would be willing to share your story to help make positive changes to the way we approach mental health in the workplace please contact Serious Woo via the following channels:
email: info@seriouswoo.com.au
phone: 03 9015 4243
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeriousWoo/