The Significance Of Theatre Play In The Pediatric Oncology Ward

Abstract

Abstract When a child is forced to begin treatment for a lifethreatening condition, both the child and his or her entire family are affected. The shock of diagnosis, the effects and the costs of treatment, can have powerful consequences on a number of levels, both immediate and long-term. Most people see the hospital as an environment that has nothing to do with creativity, imagination, or artistic activities in general. However, research shows increasing evidence that art can help cancer patients by giving them a safe space to express their emotions, relax, detach from worry and regain control. Both child patients and their parents and careers can enjoy the beneficial effects of theatre play. The approach to this social group must take into account the individual characteristics of each patient and be adapted to the emotional state of the people involved. The coordinator of these games will also fulfil to some extent a therapeutic function, and will therefore benefit from knowledge gained within other disciplines, such as psychology, but also other art forms that can be integrated and adapted according to the patient’s interests, in order to offer them a multifaceted and positive experience with therapeutic implications. In my experience working with children and adolescents in the onco-pediatric ward of the Oncology Institute in Bucharest, I have approached theatre games in pairs, puppet theatre, musical and rhythm exercises, with and without instruments. The data gathered from the observations made during these activities will contribute to the elaboration of a useful methodology for the actor coordinator of theatrical games in the hospital and to the drafting of a manual of theatrical games adapted to this unconventional environment.