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Professor Persephone Sextou

Professor

Professor Persephone Sextou is a leading expert in Applied Theatre for Health and Wellbeing. Her co-design, arts-based and cross-disciplinary research model in paediatrics and palliative care informs policy and practice of health and education services in the UK and Australia.

Persephone's research model of Applied Theatre Performance in Paediatrics focuses on perioperative anxiety and the improvement of children and young people's lives during hospitalisation.

Persephone is a Visiting Professor at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney and is currently a Co-Investigator of the 'Future Stories' research team using VR technology in Palliative Care led by UNSW Sydney (ARC Grant $300,00). Partner with the tech industry in developing simulation engineering (VR, AR) technology in arts-based research for hospitalised populations.

Persephone is the author of five monographs and 40+ articles in peer-reviewed journals. Her book Theatre for Children in Hospital. The Gift of Compassion was published by Intellect (UK) in 2016 and is listed in recommended bibliographies of academic programmes around the world. Her new book Applied Theatre in Paediatrics. Children, Stories and Synergies of Emotions is published with Routledge (January 2023). Her latest book informs Higher Education Drama training provision as well as practice in Palliative care in Children's Hospitals in Australia.

Persephone's practice-as-research projects are funded by The Lottery Community Fund, NHS Arts, BBC Children in Need, Philanthropy, and City Council Arts Development grants.

Research Interests

Applied Theatre in Health and Wellbeing
Co-design, transcultural and transgenerational, site-specific, socially-engaged intimate theatre performance
Children and young people's mental health and wellbeing
Qualitative research
Practice-as-research
Creative mixed-methodologies for social and cultural benefits (storytelling, puppetry, animation films and literacy activities)

Persephone Sextou's applied research and curricula engagement with NHS in the UK and with Children's Hospitals Network in Australia influences arts & health policy and practice, and offers consultancy on arts frameworks in healthcare and educational organisations.

PhD supervision interests

Candidates in the balanced interconnectedness between 4 areas:

Innovative Applied Theatre practice and research
Cross-disciplinarity and intersections in research-led practice between Theatre, Health & Wellbeing, Education and Digital Technology
Transgenerational research between childhood and aging populations connected through the community arts
Community impact, pedagogical, societal/public and cultural benefits

Sextou's PhD completions cover the areas of applied theatre, disability, and social wellbeing.