IRL: In Real Life – Free Healthy Relationships Summer Programme 2026

Following a successful pilot tour across RCT earlier this year, IRL: In Real Life is now available as a tailored workshop experience for secondary schools, colleges, and youth settings. The sessions are completely free of charge, and available across a window of dates in June and July 2026.

IRL uses scenes from an anime-style participatory play as a stimulus, then opens up the material through exploratory workshop activities, hot-seating, and discussion. There is no set or full staging. The facilitator works directly with the group, shaping the session around the dynamics and needs of the young people in the room.

Key Information

Available Dates

Most dates have daytime and evening sessions available, making them suitable for school visits during the day and youth club or community venue sessions in the evening. Dates marked as daytime only are available for school or daytime youth settings only. On days with two sessions available, we can deliver at the same or different settings.

Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis. To register your interest, contact us using the form below.

About the Programme

IRL: In Real Life was written by Paul Swift and Spectacle Theatre, and developed in partnership with Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil Educational Psychology Service, supporting the strategic plan for wellbeing.

The programme is set in a fictional anime-style game world. Jay is on his computer, talking to his friends online. He is worried about Nevaeh: where she is, and whether Riley is going to do what he said he was going to do. But who can he talk to? He is not a grass, and surely Riley will not touch her. And maybe Riley is right, and those people deserve what is coming to them.

This imaginative setting allows participants to see cause and effect clearly, and to understand the real impact that language and behaviour have on others. The workshop goes straight to the difficult questions facing young people today: online behaviour, bystander responsibility, peer pressure, consent, and the real-world consequences of digital actions.

What the Workshop Includes

• Selected scenes from IRL: In Real Life, performed by a Spectacle facilitator
• Exploratory workshop activities linked to the themes of the scenes
• Hot-seating and facilitated group discussion
• Follow-up workshop and educational resources for continued engagement

Key themes explored

• Online behaviour and its real-world consequences
• Bystander responsibility and peer pressure
• Healthy relationships in school and the community
• Consent and personal boundaries
• Impact of social media on young people
• Gender and racial stereotypes

What the workshop aims to do

• Challenge stereotypes and attitudes that divide people
• Engage all participants, including those who do not normally engage
• Validate lived experience and knowledge to raise confidence and self-esteem
• Develop group work, listening and communication skills
• Have a positive impact on learning and behaviour

Supporting the Curriculum for Wales

IRL is aligned with the RSE Code and the Curriculum for Wales. The programme provides opportunities for:

• Learners to recognise, understand and speak out about discrimination and violence
• Children and young people to develop the knowledge, understanding, skills, capabilities and attributes they need for mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing
• Schools and settings to access cultural, creative and recreational enrichment activities
• Listening to and acting upon the views of children and young people, including those with lived experience of mental health and wellbeing needs

Why Participatory Theatre?

Participatory theatre has a long track record of opening up conversations that are genuinely difficult to start through other means. It creates a space where young people can engage with complex themes at one remove, and then bring their thinking into the room. You can read more about the evidence base for this approach in our article, Why Theatre? The Case for Participatory Arts in Difficult Conversations.

What the Evidence Shows

IRL completed a pilot tour of secondary schools, further education settings, and special provision settings across Rhondda Cynon Taf between February and April 2026. The results were striking.

We collected questionnaire data from 238 participants who completed both a before and after questionnaire on the same day, allowing us to measure change at the individual level. Significant improvements were recorded across bystander confidence, understanding of healthy relationships, and knowing where to get help.

The programme was designed for young people selected on the basis of need, and its inclusive approach held up well across very different settings, including special provision. Teachers told us it opened up conversations that are genuinely difficult to start in a classroom context.

Download the Reports

Safeguarding and Practical Information

All Spectacle Theatre staff are trained in Safeguarding and Child Protection, hold a current DBS check, and carry individual public liability insurance. Spectacle Theatre Ltd holds full Public and Employers’ Liability insurance. In the event of a safeguarding concern, Spectacle staff will follow the school or youth setting’s own procedures.

What we ask of schools and settings

• A suitable space for the session, such as a hall, drama studio, or equivalent youth venue space, large enough to work safely with up to 30 young people
• Access to the space at least one hour before the session begins
• A parking space for the company van, where possible
• A separate space for the team to change, such as a staff toilet or changing room
• A member of school staff or youth worker present throughout the session
• Advance notification of any pupils who may require additional support or adjustments

Photography and recording

Photography and recording during sessions is carried out in consultation with school staff, youth workers, and the delivery team. We ask that no recording or photographs are taken during the performance element of the session. A photo opportunity will be arranged at the end, and recordings during workshop activities can be arranged in advance if required.