Persephone Sextou is a reader in Applied Theatre and research director of the Community and Applied Drama Laboratory(CADLab) at Newman University, Birmingham, UK.

• ForewordPrologueIntroductionMotivation and beliefsArts and healthThe structure of the bookChapter One: A TCH definition and more…Applied theatre in hospitalsTheatre as an ‘antidote’ to clinical stressA playful ‘marriage’ of two cultures, the artistic with the clinical in audience participationThe artist–child synergistic relationshipEthical concernsTCH and therapyChapter Two: The distinctive features of TCH practice and researchBackground information of the studyUnderstanding the clinical contextThe study: MethodologyFindings and discussion: TCH practice comes alive!Chapter Three: TCH as a choice: ‘I want to make a difference!’A philosophical approach to TCHAristotleHeraclitusMy philosophyChapter Four: Concluding thoughtsSummaryThe future of TCHAppendicesAppendix One: Breathing with Love, the scriptAppendix Two: The shape of our bedside theatre rehearsals Appendix Three: Writing a TCH proposal plan (bid)Appendix Four: Example of application letterAppendix Five: Guidance for applying for NHS Research Ethics Committee approval (for researchers only)Note on the authorBibliographyIndex

'Persephone Sextou comprehensively frames Theatre for Children in Hospital (TCH) as a bedside and interactive theatre approach concerned with reframing illness and the identity of children in hospital, and argues that TCH offers children the possibility to have a positive experience in an environment that can otherwise be daunting. The author shares her expertise as a practitioner and a researcher working with TCH in NHS hospitals in the UK, thereby crafting an in-depth analysis both from within the process (as a theatre-maker) and from the margins of the process (as a scholar outside the medical field). The book is written from an artistic and philosophical perspective, placing compassion at the heart of TCH artists’ work with children. This also means that readers in healthcare may find themselves frustrated with the idea of having to negotiate who is more altruistic, the artist or the healthcare professional; and which is more compassionate, the “hard data” or the qualitative research?'