Educational Theatre Programs
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Can theatre save lives? The Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program and its Educational Theatre Programs Department believe that it can. As a free community benefit, Kaiser Permanente sponsors professional theatre programs that perform live at schools and community organizations throughout California. In northern California the programs are Zip’s Great Day, P.E.A.C.E. Signs, The Best Me, Nightmare on Puberty St., and Secrets.
Each Educational Theatre Program (ETP) is led by a team of young professional actors/educators who are trained in peer counseling and whose ethnic backgrounds reflect the cultural diversity of the communities they serve. The programs have been developed by physicians, health educators, and theatre professionals at Kaiser Permanente, in collaboration with community advisory committees of educators, counselors, parents and students. 
ETP uses live theatre along with music, comedy, puppetry and drama to inspire children, teens and adults to make healthier choices and better decisions about their well-being. These live, interactive performances are an extremely effective way of delivering health information. 
“Live theatre is a wonderful medium for reaching children because it captures their attention and makes the health issues real to the students,” says Regina Dwerlkotte, Ph.D., Divisional Director of Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Programs in Northern California. “Our programs not only provide positive health messages during the performance but facilitate an ongoing dialogue between the students and their teachers and parents long after the performance ends,” says Dr. Dwerlkotte. www.kp.org/etp 
ETP's Contributions
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