Theatre Studies

According to Milan Kundera, the Spanish playwright Fernando Arrabal is, “first and foremost, a man that plays.” From psychological and developmental perspectives, playing is seen as a natural coping mechanism used both by children and adults. Playing is usually taken to be indicative of “mental health.” This article examines the role of “games” in the theatre pieces of Arrabal, and observes that many of Arrabal’s characters are trapped in their games, and that in his dramatic universe, playing is not a “salvation” but rather another form of prison.

La realidad dramática constituye uno de los conceptos fundamentales de la terapia a través del drama, y es también la característica más distintiva de este campo. El presente artículo analiza la función de la realidad dramática desde un punto de vista conceptual;  el alcance y los límites del concepto son definidos tomando como referencia las “actividades performativas” puntualizadas por Schechner. Posteriormente, se describen las principales características de la realidad dramática, examinando sus implicaciones terapéuticas. Por último, se detallan las cuatro tareas fundamentales que deben llevar a cabo los profesionales de la drama-terapia en relación a la realidad dramática.

This chapter summarizes eight years of my experience as a dramatherapist working with violenceagainst women in different settings, countries, and cultures. Throughout this journey I have learned that, just as violence against women is a cross-cultural occurrence, dramatherapy too is a cross-cultural tool that can help to raise awareness, combat, and heal the wounds of this structural problem embedded in society.

The 6-Key Model is an integrative, drama therapy-based, method of assessment and intervention. The model is anchored in the notion of dramatic reality – which it views as a genuine therapeutic force and a paramount tool for intervention in drama therapy. Each key is connected to a different aspect of dramatic reality (including form, contents, and occurrences outside dramatic reality). The model provides the therapist with a systematic means for mapping drama therapy processes and structuring the therapeutic work. By presenting an overall picture of the situation, the model signals at specific keys where therapeutic interventions would be most effective. This paper presents the basics of the 6-Key Model, focusing on its use as a tool for intervention in drama therapy. The article offers concrete ideas for intervention in each key, and a case example.

The 6-Key Model is an integrative, drama therapy-based method of assessment and intervention. The model is anchored in the notion of dramatic reality-which it views as a genuine therapeutic force and a paramount tool for intervention in drama therapy. Each key is connected to a different aspect of dramatic reality (including form, content, and occurrences outside dramatic reality). The model provides the therapist with a systematic means for mapping drama therapy processes and structuring the therapeutic work. By presenting an overall picture of the situation, the model signals at specific keys where therapeutic interventions would be most effective. This paper presents the basics of the 6-Key Model, focusing on its use as a tool for intervention in drama therapy. The article offers concrete ideas for intervention in each key, and a case example.

The way in which a craft or school of thought comes into being has a definite impact upon its nature: In contrast to other disciplines, dramatherapy does not have a ‘Guru figure’ that represents it, nor a single founder who can claim paternity over it. In its modern version, the field was born out of the social and political milieu, the philosophical concerns and aesthetic explorations that took place simultaneously in several geographical regions during the 60s and 70s. This search followed parallel paths, all of which were connected with the use of theatre, drama, and the arts, with therapeutic purposes. Dramatherapy thus came into being as a movement, evolving in the tradition of pluralism and dialogue, in what might be called ‘a feminist mode.’
This chapter examines some of the women-oriented bases of the field, and illustrates its claim by presenting a Model of Deconstructing Dreams and Stories created by Susana Pendzik, which is based on subjectivity, associative thinking, and pluralism.

Dramatic Resonances is an advanced drama therapy technique that can be applied as an intervention in therapy, supervision, and training. Mostly used in group settings, the method is based on the creative responses that participants offer from within dramatic reality to an input posed from outside dramatic reality. The input may be a member's personal experience (memory, dream, etc.) or a non-personal narrative (tale, text, etc.). The approach has a strong ritualistic style and integrates elements from various sources-including the shamanic tradition and the Playback mode. This article describes the technique of Dramatic Resonances, its rationale and therapeutic value, while setting it in theoretical context.

This paper compares therapeutic clowning and drama therapy, starting with a brief survey of the development of medical clowning as a profession, a definition of the field, and a claim to its ancient link with drama therapy. It then proceeds to analyze four vignettes describing the work of a medical clown in a hospital, and examining them through the lens of drama therapy concepts and theory. The paper shows that the clown's working techniques can be conceptualized using drama therapeutic models and theory, and that using this approach as a method of analysis can serve to enhance the body of knowledge of the rapidly growing profession of therapeutic clowning.

This article describes the pilot project Shadows & Light Within: Untold Stories-a two-phase, multi-partner community-based project that explores the hypothesis that Autobiographical Therapeutic Performance can help traumatized individuals to improve executive functioning. A group of 10 individuals ranging in age from 32 to 69, with lived experiences at the intersection of trauma, mental health, and the court system, were paired with theater mentor-coaches for a 10-month creative group process, in which they shaped their stories into autobiographical performance pieces, through movement, improvisation, story-telling, and self-discovery. In the second phase of the project, their stories were merged into a theater production, weaving movement, song, and voice, and performed by an ensemble of experienced actors from the community. Pre-and post-interviews and self-report standardized measures of executive functioning were used to assist in establishing criteria and direction for future research. The results suggest that the individuals involved in this pilot may have improved executive functioning and acquired more ability to engage in human service programs designed to increase job readiness and enhance adaptive living skills.