Guo, Yixian (2025) Co-creating Forum Theatre: Promoting Mental Health Literacy of Young Chinese Migrants. PhD thesis, Victoria University.

Abstract

This PhD thesis examines the application of forum theatre as a culturally sensitive tool to explore understandings of mental health and promote mental health literacy among young Chinese migrants (aged 18-35) in Australia. The study addresses systemic barriers to promoting mental health and mental health literacy, such as cultural stigma, linguistic challenges, and limited healthcare access, faced by migrant communities, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Framed by pragmatism and participatory theatre, the project comprises three phases: (1) a scoping review of theatre-based health interventions, (2) co-creation of a forum theatre piece with Chinese migrant actors, and (3) exploration of the participants’ understandings of mental health issues among young Chinese migrants in Australia. Phase One synthesises evidence from 40 studies on theatre’s role in health promotion, identifying the gaps on interactive theatre and mental health-related topics among marginalised groups. Phase Two, drawing on Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed and Freirean critical pedagogy, engages 10 actors in co-creating a forum theatre piece addressing mental health-related topics among young Chinese migrants, explores 10 actors’ understandings of mental health and how they fictionalise the lived experiences to the theatre piece called Mingbi. The results suggest that co-creating a theatre piece can empower participants to articulate their struggles by increasing dialogues in a culturally informed way. Phase Three, based on the performance of Mingbi, focused on 39 audience members’ reaction and understandings, which encouraged reflections and communications on mental health in a creative and culturally safe space. Quantitative data including demographic information and current mental health literacy of the audience members were also collected in this phase to enhance a comprehensive understanding of the systemic barriers facing by young Chinese migrants regarding mental health. Qualitative data in both Phase Two and Phase Three demonstrated that participation in the forum theatre fostered dialogue, reduced stigma, and empowered participants to collectively explore mental health challenges in cultural lens. This research underscores the role of participatory theatre in advancing social justice and health equity, advocating for policy and practice reforms that integrate community-driven approaches to address the mental health understandings and needs of culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Limitations and future directions for theatre-based interventions are discussed, emphasising the need for more creative studies and broader cross-cultural applications of creative techniques.

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