Dramatic Devices: The Case of 'Taste of Life'

"Taste of Life," a television drama produced by the BBC World Service Trust, is set in a Cambodian nursing college and the affiliated hospital. The 60-episode television drama is part of a three-year multi-format media project addressing issues related to HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, and maternal and child health. The drama, which is fully researched, scripted, acted and produced by a Khmer team, employs a range of dramatic devices to deliver health information to its audience in Cambodia.

This presentation describes the results of the research to pre-test the first four episodes of the drama, proposes an analysis of the effectiveness of dramatic devices to deliver health information, and outlines a working framework for health communication that is based on dramatic devices, rather than "messaging."