We are delighted to be hosting Christina Eskridge (on left) and Melanie Cohn (on right), two prominent U.S. artists in health and care, for an exchange visit to the UK from 15th – 25th March. Both artists are current board members of the U.S.-based National Organisation for Arts in Health (NOAH), a catalyst for the collective voices of arts in health, coordinating, advocating, and amplifying the impacts of the arts on health and wellbeing.

Christina Eskridge is a U.S.-based, performing artist, teaching artist, director, playwright and public health professional, holding a Master’s Degree in Public Health from UC Berkeley. Christina believes live theatre is a healing tool, ripe with opportunity for community connection and healing for all. Melanie Cohn is an artist and arts executive who believes in the life-changing power of art, and is the Immediate Past President and a current board member of the National Organisation for Arts in Health.

Vamos Theatre made connections with Christina and Melanie whilst presenting a workshop at NOAHCON24, NOAH’s annual conference held in Texas. Our Artistic Director and Creative Producer, Rachael and Honor, made a return trip late last year to share skills with Christina’s theatre company, Elevate, based in New York, and to exchange valuable knowledge, ideas and methodologies. We’re extremely happy that Christina and Mel are returning to the UK to experience arts in health work here and to make more cultural and professional contacts within the Arts in Health community. 

As part of the exchange, Christina and Mel will be observing our work with SENSE, the charity providing specialised social care for people with communication, sensory and complex support needs; join in a session with our drama group for people with mild to moderate learning disabilities, Vamos Central; observe one of our mask workshops at Chichester Festival Theatre; take part in a Q&A with Swan Theatre-based BTec students; and visit the Royal Shakespeare Company to see its production The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind.

Christina will also lead an invite-only storytelling workshop, supporting authentic and healthy communication, relationship building, and empathy among participants. Exploring four basic techniques including: breath, postural awareness, active listening, and text generation, the workshop will use playful movement and theatre games as a way of improving storytelling, public speaking and interpersonal communication.

We’re delighted to be welcoming both artists to the UK, and are looking forward to a fruitful and creative time!

You can find out more about the work of NOAH on its website and about Elevate Theatre Company here