About me

My name is Roberta Scarpetti. However, years ago my little friends decided to call me Betty. Ever since, it has been my nickname, even with my grown up friends.

I am an Applied Theatre Practitioner and Consultant specialised in autism.

Born by the Italian seaside I began working with children at the age of 16 with planning and delivering entertainment for children’s birthday parties. I enjoyed it so much that over the years I kept doing it during school holidays, on weekends, and in my spare time.

When it was time to choose my course of study, because I thought I wanted to be a set designer, I decided to take Cinema and Theatre studies at La Sapienza University of Rome. As I progressed through the course I learned about a remarkable branch of theatre that helps people in social and educational settings. As a result, my priorities changed completely. The more I deepened my research the more I loved the subject, so I ended up getting my bachelor’s degree in Theatre and Performing Arts in Educational Settings.

My apprenticeship mostly consisted of going into schools and helping pupils to improve behaviour and focus in class through focused activities during our sessions. I also had a wonderful and rewarding opportunity to follow and help a boy diagnosed with anxiety and dyspraxia. In collaboration with his therapists I was able to apply what I had learned in school to implement and continue the activities they had set for him at home.

The year following my graduation, I packed my bags and moved to London where I continued my studies on the MA Applied Theatre in Education programme at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

While at Central, I worked in hospitality and retail. Along with that work, and much more relevant to my studies and interests, I had the opportunity to work with a boy in the autistic spectrum as part of the Son-Rise Program which was an incredible experience.

A few months after I started the master’s programme at Central, which opened up a whole new world of knowledge and experiences. I began doing placements with established organisations in disadvantaged areas of London where I became an integral part in running drama clubs and workshops aimed at supporting children with additional needs and giving young people a focus.

Meanwhile, after two years, I finally left my job in retail and began teaching drama in nurseries and schools on a freelance basis, which gave me incredible joy. Above all, it taught me to be flexible in my approach in order to always accommodate children’s different needs.

Since completing my master’s degree and graduating from my dream school, I have started expanding into supporting children and young people with speech and language and behavioural challenges, but who are not quite in need of a professional therapist. Drawing on my years of knowledge and experience I work closely with parents/carers and their children using a mixture of drama techniques, role play, music play, fun and laughter. I look forward to expanding my client list even further and to work with you and your children/young people!