Profile
I am a senior lecturer and Applied Theatre Practitioner and Academic. At Central, I currently lecture on the BA (Hons) Drama, Applied Theatre and Education, MA Applied Theatre (Theatre in the Community and Drama Education) and (Theatre and the Criminal Justice System) programmes in addition to undertaking PhD student supervision. Over the past 10 years, I have designed and implemented applied theatre projects in a range of community settings within the UK and internationally. As a practitioner, I have worked with many community groups including: Camden Carers, Arts for Dementia, KAYAK youth club, an Orphanage in Zmiaҫa Poland, Pupil Referral Units, Schools, Psychiatric units, Women’s Advocacy Groups, Children’s Charity contexts for vulnerable youth and Crossroads bi-communal project in Cyprus. Additionally, I have trained teachers in digital pedagogy in PH Zug, Switzerland (2017), and patients living with dementia in the NHS (National Health Service). I am currently seconded to Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust for a funding award of £566,000 jointly funded by Research England and the Office for Students to undertake a Student Knowledge Exchange project quadrupling projects and placement opportunities I have co-designed with clinical staff within the Dementia Care Team at Imperial.
In 2008, I began my AHRC-funded PhD at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama investigating how responsive practice could meet the diverse needs of marginalised youth in London. Since completing my degree my research has focussed on the potential of change through the use of digital applied theatre, film and VR360 in acute hospital contexts. Over the past 5 years, I have worked with a specialist dementia care team within Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust to develop and deliver combined theatre and film-based interventions to acute settings including medicine for the elderly wards, acute trauma wards and dialysis wards across three hospitals. This growing project was recently nationally recognised through the top 100 National Lifesaver awards, gaining recognition as a finalist for HSJ Healthcare Excellent award, won the National Dementia Care Awards in the category of Outstanding Arts and Creativity 2019 and Guardian University Award for Teaching Excellence 2020.
Areas of Expertise
Applied Theatre
Digital Technology in Healthcare Contexts
Pedagogy
Arts & Dementia
Wellbeing & Creativity
Training Practitioners
Arts in Healthcare
Applied Theatre & Digital Technology
PhD Supervision
I am currently supervising or interested in supervising doctoral projects in the areas of Applied Theatre, Digital Technology and Arts in Health.
Key Publications
Abraham, N. & Göksel, E. (2022) Conquering the Zoombies: Why we need drama in online spaces, Scenario, 16(2), [Accessed 11/01/24].
2022. Abraham, N. ‘…in the age of COVID-19… Applied Theatre & Technology Adopt #TheWaterMethodology’, in Giebert, Stephanie [Hrsg.]; Göksel, Eva [Hrsg.]; Dramapädagogik Tage 2020. Conference Proceedings of the 6th Annual Conference on Performative Language Teaching and Learning, 2022, 240, pp.14-32.
2021. Abraham, N. ‘The Pedagogy of Reciprocity in Digital Applied Theatre Practice: The antithesis to unjust responses to the COVID-19 pandemic that have devalued and ignored the rights and lives of older adults living with dementia’, Welfare e Ergonomia, 7(2), pp. 49-63.
2021. Abraham, N., & Hudspith, R. Care Home Residents as Artists: Digital Connections in the age of Disconnect. International Psychogeriatrics, 33(S1), 6-7. [Accessed 18/11/21].
2021. Abraham, N, & Ruddock, V. ‘Your Story Your Way’, in Postlethwaite, L. Treasury of Arts Activities, 2nd Volume, Baring Foundation: London. [Accessed 10/10/21].
2021. Findings Ways to Collaborate: In the Eye of the Storm [blog] The Culture Capital Exchange, [Accessed 31/08/21].
2021. Abraham, N. ‘Leadership & Uncertainty: Moving from ‘I’ to ‘We’’, in Creative Leadership Now, The Cultural Capital Exchange.
2021. McGeorge, E., James, J. & Abraham, N. ‘The art of medicine: The Intergenerational Project: creating space for play in health care’, The Lancet, vol. (397), pp.1876 - 1877.
2021. ‘Playfulness and Mischief - An Intergenerational Journey’, co-edited with Jo James and Elizabeth McGeorge Journal of Dementia Care, 29 (1), pp.22-25.
2021. Intergenerational process drama: Practitioner reflection on creative adventures in an acute hospital context, co-edited with Jo James and Elizabeth McGeorge, Youth Theatre Journal, 34:2, 127-135.
2020. ’Wonder VR: Interactive Storytelling through VR 360 Video with NHS Patients Living with Dementia’, Contemporary Theatre Review, 30:4, 474-489.
2020. The Applied Theatre Reader, 2nd Edition, co-edited with Tim Prentki, London: Routledge.
2020. ’Physically Distanced, But Socially Collaborative Applied Theatre: Setting Up and Supporting Student-Led Groups Working with Partnerships and Communities Online’ in Digital Theatre+ How to Teach Performance Online at Higher Education: A Collection of Essays Resources, Best Practice and Inspiring Ideas [Accessed 09/09/20].
2020. ’Water Methodology: Divergent Thinking in Applied Theatre Practice’ in The Culture Capital Exchange (2020) Knowledge Sharing in a Pandemic: a crowd-sourced document responding to the challenges arising from COVID-19, [Accessed 03/06/20].
2020. Wonder VR: creating meaningful experiences for patients in the midst of uncertainty [blog] The Culture Capital Exchange, [Accessed 02/06/20].
2019. The intuit: An investigation into the definitions, applications and possibilities offered by intuitive applied theatre practice with vulnerable youth, Applied Theatre Research, 7(2), pp.233–249.
2018. The Creature Methodology: Reflexivity and the Applied Theatre Practitioner in Training. English Teachers Association Switzerland (ETAS), Spring, ISSN 9771660650003.
2017. Witnessing change: understanding change in participatory theatre practice with vulnerable youth in a Kids Company-supported primary school, Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, Vol.22, No.2: pp.233-250.
2016. Theatre for Change: An experiment in Disobedience [blog] The Activist Classroom: because pedagogy is a public practice [Accessed 29/07/16]
2016. Marginalised Youth in the App Generation: Making the case for the integration of digital technologies in Process Drama, TVOŘIVÁ DRAMATIKA: Časopis o dramatické výchově, literatuře a divadle pro děti a mládež, Vol. XXVII, no. 3 (79), pp.5-12. (Czech Version)
2016. Marginalised Youth in the App Generation: Making the case for the integration of digital technologies in Process Drama, Creative Drama: Journal on theatre education, literature and theatre for children and youth, Vol. XXVII, no. 3 (79), pp.5-12. (English Translation)
2015. Co-Authored with Busby, S. Celebrating Success: How has participation in Clean Break’s theatre education programme contributed to individuals’ involvement in professional or community arts practices? The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London.
2014. Bringing to the Surface Dormant Prejudice: Participatory Theatre for Education & The Necessary Rifts of Risk Taking, Education and Theatre Journal: Pan-Hellenic Network for Drama in Education, 15, pp.10-16.
Register of Interest
Nothing to declare.
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