For personal wellbeing advisor Amy, theatre has always been about more than the performance. After training as an actor and aspiring to become a drama teacher, Amy’s path led to treading the boards of educational theatre, before spending 15 happy years at the YMCA-affiliated Y theatre. When Covid, and resulting redundancy, came calling, so too did the realisation that through years of working with and mentoring young people, the arts alone wasn’t her passion: supporting people through the arts was.
That realisation led her to Ingeus in 2021, where she joined the East Midlands’ Commissioned Rehabilitative Services team, supporting people on probation to rebuild their confidence, wellbeing, and futures.
“It’s been a total departure from my past to support adult men on probation to find their feet,” says Amy, who is based in Leicester, “but Ingeus’ dedication to arts techniques has given me the confidence and freedom to combine my passions.”
Amy was encouraged by Ingeus to develop Momentum, a two-day drama therapy inspired workshop which she now co-delivers. It combines games, movement and creative techniques from mime to Lego Serious Play to encourage connection and self-reflection. Yet not everyone initially shares Amy’s drive for drama:
“I hear ‘It’s not for me Ams’ or ‘I’m not doing jazz hands’ all the time,” laughs Amy, “but those comments inevitably turn into ‘eye-opening’ and even ‘life changing’ feedback. That’s the beauty of it. Nobody’s acting, nobody embarrasses themselves, we simply use innovative ways to build conversations, share experiences, and express feelings.”
As one participant recently described: ‘It reconnects you with yourself and others and you don't even realise’.
Utilising arts and performance by stealth, Amy and her colleagues achieve remarkable results and has seen Amy jointly nominated for a coveted Butler Trust Award. So, clutch your chest in shock, there’s no singing into a hairbrush to see here, just carefully curated opportunities to talk.
Fun and serious games
A popular opening technique is a game of keepy-uppy or bombs and shields, where participants move around to keep their secretly chosen shield person between them and their similarly chosen bomb person.
"What starts as a fun game gradually becomes a conversation about people's lives. Before they know it, they're talking about things they never expected to share,” adds Amy, who gives full credit to everyone who voluntarily attends her workshop – especially those with initial doubts.
One of her favourite moments is watching the participants begin to trust each other, forming bonds and friendships that pass into life beyond Momentum. As the workshop progresses, the support of the Ingeus staff – many of whom have their own lived experience of the criminal justice system – is strengthened by that of the participants themselves:
Amy adds: “It’s magical to see people’s guards drop, how they start to articulate their thoughts and feelings in different ways and associate with comments made by others in the group.
“Even more magical is the support offered amongst the participants themselves as they lean in to be there for one another. We deliberately remove barriers – even the tables.”
The programme has now been adapted for other Ingeus regions and sits alongside a vibrant and innovative arts scene developed by the Ingeus justice team.
A wide and diverse reach
Today, Amy balances her four-day-a-week role at Ingeus with family life and co-managing the 14/48 UK theatre festival with her husband. Living a life shaped by the theatre, she appreciates the fun and opportunities it has offered her, a world away from the lives of the people she supports on a one-to-one and group basis.
“Most adults lose the ability and opportunity to play, and I imagine many of those in our workshop had to grow up quickly,” concludes Amy. “I’m lucky that theatre is such a large part of my life and that at work I get to witness the amazing change in people that our playful methods prompt.
“If fun but meaningful drama techniques can be utilised to achieve such positive outcomes then that’s exactly how I believe the performing arts should be used. The arts can, and should, be enjoyed for their own sake, but they also play an important role beyond entertainment. We shouldn’t be afraid of using this powerful tool.
“Having fun isn’t a crime and the arts are for everyone – even people who don't think they are.”
