The Aphasia Theatre Group

Karen Booth is a Community Speech and Language Therapist who supports brain injury survivors at Headway Bedford. Learn about the different approaches Karen uses in her work and find out about an exciting project the group have underway this summer.

As a Community Speech and Language Therapist, how do you support brain injury survivors?

I work with clients who a range of acquired communication disorders. At Headway the clients I see have had a brain injury, either a cerebral vascular accident (CVA or stroke) or a head injury, which has left them immediately and abruptly with a life-changing communication difficulty.

The effects of this injury on their lives can be absolutely devastating for both the person with the communication difficulties and their families and loved ones. The emotions of many of my clients have ranged from extreme frustration, anger, embarrassment, depression and feelings of isolation.

Headway Bedford language support groups

I have run various language groups for these clients, many of them at Headway Bedford. Groups are a fantastic opportunity for clients to work together, socialise, gain confidence and improve their language skills. However, the structure of the groups I previously ran did not allow for members to really flex their vocal skills, encourage physical movement or their dramatic skills.

Combining theatre arts with aphasia work

I set about combining theatre arts with aphasia work, which I thought was a novel idea on my part, but no, I discovered that it had been done before. The Aphasia workshops run by Le Theatre Aphasique in Quebec were started in 1992, and it has been a great success, including taking their performance on tour! I now understand that a similar group has been run in a nearby county.

The aims of Le Theatre Aphasique encompassed the following areas: stimulating pragmatic skills, encouraging social interaction, reducing social isolation and of course, augmenting communication. I particularly loved the concepts of the clients developing collaborative skills and the idea of acting to establish a social rhythm. That really stuck with me.

Setting up our group

From very early on I had thought about the efforts of the group culminating in some sort of performance. However, it was important to establish the group’s confidence and let them develop their acting skills; so there was some ground to cover. To my knowledge, none of the group (bar one very enthusiastic and seasoned member!) had not done much previous acting.

We started the sessions with mindfulness, vocal warm-ups, and physical warm-ups. There is a wealth of information online on various mime and acting scenarios, which was a real godsend. In particular, Pass the (imaginary) ball has been an absolute favourite, where group members have become more inventive and enthusiastic! We moved on to ‘frozen’ and ‘fluid sculptures’, ‘mirroring’ sequences, which I had found out about from reading about Le Theatre Aphasique.

Collaboration and cooperation

Members were asked to work in pairs, creating little mimes, in small groups and as a complete group, performing little scenarios.

What I have found rewarding is when the group immediately guess the character being performed by a member! Seeing the smile on the face of the actor was wonderful.

Part of the remit was also to encourage members to collaborate; deciding who would play which part when they worked together. There was always a spirit of collaboration and cooperation. On occasion, the group didn’t stick to the plan, but at least there was some form of discussion beforehand!

I have found working with this group to be a truly rewarding experience. It has been wonderful to watch members develop their improvisation skills and, not least their confidence, such as when previously reticent group members volunteer; “I’ll go!”

The other heart-warming aspect is to witness the bond within the group. Fun banter aside, the members show great empathy towards one another. They also praise and encourage each other. This has been an amazing opportunity, a chance to step out of the comfort zone and try something brand new and, I think, quite exciting.

The Rehabilitation Journeys Showcase

This summer we will be taking part in the Rehabilitation Journeys Showcase at The Place Theatre in Bedford.

The ethos about the performance has always been that it should be steered by the group members. However, there have been some changes of heart on the type of performance along the way. There have also been some practical challenges, including attendance in sessions being affected by illness.

The group decided to present their journeys after brain injury. The first section of the show will introduce the members; and their lives before the ABI. The next section will discuss the immediate aftermath and include small skits on the rehab process.

The final section will show the members as the resilient people they are now. The members have used their improvisation skills to add in some effective touches to the performance. The performance will dovetail with a selection of heartwarming songs from the Voices of Steel.

It is thanks to Headway that this group has flourished.

I have always said that there is a real ‘can-do’ ethos at Headway Bedford.

Headway has been so absolutely supportive and enthusiastic about this project. They have embraced the idea of the theatre group from the start and Kayleigh has propelled the upcoming performance into being! It has also been a delight to work closely with Sophie, the director of the Voices of Steel.

So, I would like to say a huge thank you to Kayleigh and our Headway team.

Good luck!

Headway wishes Karen, Sophie, and their group members all the best at the upcoming performance and can’t wait to hear all about it!