Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) will host the official launch of Theatre of the Lost and Found: Drama Education with Marginalised Youth, by Dr Sharon Coyne, artistic director at Vita Nova.
Taking place on 14 May, the event marks the culmination of a 25-year journey involving a group of Dorset teenagers once written off by mainstream education, who eventually performed on an international stage in Latvia.
The evening features a high-profile reunion between the author and four of the original participants – Dan, Darren, Nick, and David.
Now grown men, fathers, and in steady employment, they'll reunite publicly for the first time alongside Latvian theatre director Inguna Gremze, who's flying to Dorset especially for the launch.
The project began in 2001 when Sharon, director of the Bournemouth-based addiction recovery community Vita Nova, was approached by a teacher from the now-closed Penwithen School for boys with emotional and behavioural problems.
The boys began weekly workshops in Boscombe, eventually devising a play they performed in the very schools from which they'd been excluded. Their work led to a presentation at an international social inclusion conference at the University of Exeter and a life-changing invitation to a European arts festival in Riga, Latvia.
17 years later, Sharon tracked down the participants to conduct a longitudinal study on the lasting impact of their work. She found that the experience remained a pivotal moment in their lives, proving the transformative power of applied drama.
Dr Alex Blower, who'll be hosting the evening's Q+A session, comments on the significance of the work:
“Theatre of the Lost and Found is a profoundly human book. It demonstrates, with clarity and compassion, how creative practice can offer dignity, voice and possibility to those who are often rendered invisible.
"It doesn't frame theatre as intervention from above, but rather as an emancipatory vehicle, building relationships and agency through co-creation. It's a vital contribution, and I'm delighted that Sharon has chosen to share this moment with myself and AUB.”
The launch event takes place at 18.30 on 14 May 2026 at AUB, featuring readings, a talk from Sharon, and the Q+A session hosted by Alex.
