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Using Theatre to Disseminate LGBT Peoples’ Experiences with Assisted Human Reproduction Services

A dissemination grant from CIHR allowed us to share the results of the Creating Our Families study to our two key audiences, AHR service providers and LGBTQ2S+ prospective parents, using interactive or “forum” theatre. Forum theatre, an art-based knowledge translation approach, is increasingly being recognized as an effective knowledge translation strategy for health research (see Note 1. In forum theatre, audience members are shown a mini-play, which in our case included a client-service provider interaction, and the audience is given the opportunity to interact with the play, by having members step into the play to change, add or improve what is going on in the scene.

We used forum theatre to engage AHR service providers in discussions about how to provide culturally-competent care for LGBTQ2S+ people, as well as with LGBTQ2S+ people to build their skills for self-advocacy in accessing AHR services.


We believe that this knowledge translation strategy will result in improved AHR service delivery and more equitable access to AHR services for LGBTQ2S+ people in Ontario.


Team:


  • Many members of the Creating Our Families research team were Actors in the forum theatre workshops: Lori Ross, Rachel Epstein, Scott Anderson, datejie green

  • Additional Actor: Chris Veldhoven

  • Coordinator and Stage Manager: Lesley Tarasoff

  • Script Writer: Jessica Bleuer


Funding:


Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant: Dissemination Events


Project Outcomes:



Academic publication:



Notes:


1. See “Staging data: Theatre as a tool for analysis and knowledge transfer in health research” as well as additional information About Forum Theatre.

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