‘“For Without Vanity I’m Better Known”: Restoration Actors and Metatheatre on the London Stage.’

Published version of article deposited in accordance with SHERPA Romeo guidelines. © Cambridge University Press, 2011

Spondylarthropathies (including psoriatic arthritis): 244. Validity of Colour Doppler and Spectral Doppler Ultrasound of Sacroilicac Joints Againts Physical Examination as Gold Standard

Background: Sacroiliac joints (SJ) involvement is a distinctive and charasteristic feature of Spondyloarthritis (SpA) and x-ray is the test routinely used to make a diagnosis. However, x-ray reveals late structural damage but cannot detect active inflammation. The objective of this study was to assess the validity of Doppler ultrasound in SJ. Methods: Prospective blinded and controlled study of SJ, in which three populations were compared. We studied 106 consecutive cases, who were divided into three groups: a) 53 patients diagnosed with SpA who had inflammatory lumbar and gluteal pain assessed by a rheumatologist; b) 26 patients diagnosed with SpA who didn't have SJ tenderness and had normal physical examination; c) control group of 27 subjects (healthy subjetcs or with mechanical lumbar pain). All patients included that were diagnosed with SpA met almost the European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) classification criteria. Physical examination of the SJ included: sacral sulcus tenderness, iliac gapping, iliac compression, midline sacral thrust test, Gaenslen's test, and Patrick s test were used as gold standard. Both SJ were examined with Doppler ultrasound (General Electric Logiq 9, Wauwatosa WI, USA) fitted with a 9-14 Mhz lineal probe. The ultrasonographer was blinded to clinical data. Doppler in SJ was assessed as positive when both Doppler colour and resistance index (RI) < 0.75 within the SJ area were present. Statistical analysis was performed estimating sensitivity and specificity against gold standard. The Kappa correlation coefficient was used for reliability study. Results: 106 cases (53 female, 55 male; mean age 36 10 years) were studied. There were no statistical differences between groups related to age or sex. Physical examination of SJ was positive in 38 patients (59 sacroiliac joints). US detected Doppler signal within SJ in 37 patients (58 SJ): 33 of them were symptomatic SpA (52 SJ), one of them were asymptomatic SpA (1 SJ) and one was a healthy control (1 SJ). The accuracy of US when compared to clinical data as gold standard at subject level in the overall group was: sensitivity of 68.6% and specificity of 85.7%, positive predictive value of 70.5% and negative predictive value of 84.5%. A positive likelihood ratio of 4.8, a negative likelihood ratio of 0.36 and a kappa coefficient of 0.55 were achieved. Conclusions: Doppler US of SJ seems to be a valid method to detect active SJ inflammation. Disclosure statement: The authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Theatre, performance and the amateur turn

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this recor

The role of grassroots arts activities in communities: a scoping study

Over 2009-2010, the Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) undertook work to identify the current state of knowledge on small, below the radar, community groups and activities. This highlighted the lack of research into the contribution of grass-roots or amateur arts organisations make in communities. This gap in knowledge is substantial, given that there are an estimated 49,000 such groups in England. In partnership with the Universities of Exeter and Glamorgan as well as Voluntary Arts, and with financial support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Connected Communities programme, the Centre undertook a scoping study to assess the lessons from the academic and grey literature across the arts, social sciences and voluntary sector. This identified a range of different impacts and outcomes in terms of amateur arts groups. For individuals, participation in arts based activities ‘for their own sake’ could promote their mental health and wellbeing. Some involved, particularly young people, made the transition from amateur arts to paid employment in the creative industries. Improvements in educational attainment and functioning in the work-place were also reported as positive outcomes in some of the literature. Claims were also made about the economic role such activities play in communities: through the hire of village halls, the management of local assets, equipment hire or the employment of professional artists in, for example, preparing for performances. However in this, and other areas, there was a lack of empirical evidence exploring or quantifying the exact nature of impact. The measurement of the impact of amateur arts was explored further with members of grass-roots arts networks at a day conference in October 2011 at Cecil Sharp House (Conference Report – Growing the Grassroots: the contribution of amateur arts to communities). It is the hope of the current partners that further research can be undertaken over 2012 to develop a practical toolkit for assessing the outcomes of amateur arts activities in communities

Devising Performance: A Critical History, 2nd Edition

What is the history of devised theatre? Why have theatre-makers, since the 1950s, chosen to devise performances? What different sorts of devising practices are there? What are the myths attached to devising, and what are the realities? First published in 2005, Devising Performance remains the only book to offer the reader a history of devising practice. Charting the development of collaboratively created performances from the 1950s to the early twenty-first century, it presents a range of case studies drawn from Britain, America and Australia. Companies discussed include The Living Theatre, Open Theatre, Australian Performing Group, People Show, Teatro Campesino, Théâtre de Complicité, Legs on the Wall, Forced Entertainment, Goat Island and Graeae. Providing a history of devising practice, Deirdre Heddon and Jane Milling encourage us to look more carefully at the different modes of devising and to consider the implications of our use of these practices in the twenty-first century

Meditation in motion to mindfulness in performance : a psychophysical approach to actor training for Thai undergraduate drama programmes

This thesis explores the ways in which an actor training scheme can be constructed to allow the participants to directly apply the principles of training to their work in the moment of performing. Subsequently, my aim is to employ this actor training approach alongside or as an alternative to the current acting courses in undergraduate drama programmes in Thai universities. Three practical projects were carried out as part of the research. In the first project, I attempted to identify essential areas of enquiry in a psychophysical actor training approach, and the tasks that needed to be tackled by an actor in rehearsal and performance that allow what may be considered the quality of an actor’s presence to emerge. In the second practical project, I examined the function of meditation in motion as an actor training tool that enables the participants to tackle their performance tasks. In the third practical project, I explored the ways in which meditation in motion can be employed in a university actor training course in Thailand to enhance the students’ mindfulness in performance. This thesis argues that Buddhist concepts of meditation and mindfulness are beneficial to the course facilitator in terms of the structuring of an actor training course, and to the students when approaching performance tasks. The main result of this research is a psychophysical approach to actor training, focusing on the practice of meditation in motion and the Buddhist concept of mindfulness of the present, designed specifically for Thai undergraduate drama programmes. Moreover, this thesis demonstrates a move away from the East-West binary towards a more localised and customised approach to actor training in Thailand and the utilisation of resources within the Thai or the broader Asian culture. It also opens up other possibilities of applying Thai or Asian philosophies to performance training, without relying on the Western perspectives on theatre and performance.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo