We teach. We inspire. We bring health education to life.
For more than 25 years, Kaiser Permanente has brought health education to our communities through the Educational Theatre Program (ETP).Through music, comedy and drama, our live theatre programs are offered to schools and communities free of charge in the communities we serve.
No other organization serves more children through educational theatre and nationally Kaiser Permanente employs the largest ensemble of actors.
Our ethnically diverse group of professional actors also serve as skilled workshop facilitators, health educators and role models to the people they meet every day.
Our programs have been presented to more than 15 million people!*
The issues we address
Our programs are developed by theatre professionals in collaboration with health educators, community advisory committees and Kaiser Permanente physicians.
We cover important health topics, such as healthy eating, physical activity, diversity, peer pressure, conflict management, bullying prevention, domestic violence, dealing with grief and loss, depression, sexually transmitted diseases, literacy promotion, and drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse.
ETP, which is offered to audiences free of charge, is a key component of Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefit outreach. Our work is driven by our conviction that good health is a fundamental right shared by all and by our heritage of prevention and health promotion.
In a time when there is decreased funding for education, health services, and community-based resources, there is a clear need for relevant, culturally-competent health education. Relying on community needs assessments, ETP continuously adapts to address the most pressing social issues in the communities Kaiser Permanente serves.
Why theatre for health education?
Theatre is a powerful medium.
People relate emotionally, psychologically and mentally to characters played by real people rather than to words on a page.
We use the imagination, interaction and immediacy of theatre to empower and inspire audiences through stories and modeling of positive behavior.
We encourage you to see one of our productions and you’ll see why ETP has been such a success for more than 25 years…and counting!
*Estimation of total people reached from 1986 to end of 2010: 15,206,780
© 2014 Educational Theatre Program site produced by MultiMedia Communications
