Immersive theatre helps to heal tsunami’s scars

Polyglot Theatre helps traumatised children take control of their lives though play, by building a town out of cardboard boxes.

Polyglot’s We Built This Town in Minamisanriku. Photo by John Bailey.

In a practical demonstration of the healing power of art and imagination, children’s theatre company Polyglot have recently returned from the tsunami-ravaged town of Minamisanriku, in Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture, where their unique approach to theatre-making was embraced by the local community.

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the 2019 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in early 2020. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association in 2021, and a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Photo: Fiona Hamilton. Follow Richard on Bluesky @richardthewatts.bsky.social and Instagram @richard.l.watts