Shakespeare, Youth and the Secret to Human Happiness

The Jameel Arts & Health Lab joined Edge Hill University and Shakespeare North Playhouse for an evening of performance, research and discussion on young people's mental health.

The event centred on Arts4Us, Edge Hill University's project supporting the mental health of children aged 9 to 13 through arts and arts therapies. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UKRI) and supported by the Lab, it is the largest study of its kind in the UK.

Lab Co-Director Christopher Bailey led the evening's performance. A long-standing lead of the Arts and Health Office at WHO and Honorary Fellow of Edge Hill's Research Centre for Arts and Wellbeing, Christopher performed with writer Ashleigh Nugent, Shakespeare scholar Ben Crystal and students from the Young Arts4Us Panel on themes drawn from the Shakespearean canon. The question at the heart of it: what does happiness actually look like, and can the arts help us find it?

The panel discussion that followed brought together young people and stakeholders from health, education and the voluntary sector. Professor Vicky Karkou, Director of the Research Centre for Arts and Wellbeing at Edge Hill University, presented findings from Arts4Us, with Lisa Allen, CEO of Shakespeare North Playhouse, facilitating discussion on how different forms of evidence can shape arts provision.