As Dramatherapists we try to create spaces that offer hope and some respite from the ongoing oppressions of everyday life, inherited trauma, poor living conditions, dysfunctional relationships, the sheer struggle to survive which is experienced by so many people. Whilst we cannot take away those conditions, we need to make sense of them. We need to think about what causes mental and emotional ill health as well as treat its symptoms. Too often, in our ostensibly fractured societies, there is an emphasis on individual pathology and responsibility linked with minoritized identities. In this paper, which will include some participatory elements along with straightforward delivery, I will explore how our thinking and actions may end up colluding with the very conditions we seek to redress. Ideas that may start out with liberatory ambition may, over time, transform into conservatism. Drawing on political thinking developed through more than 40 years of activism; from the early days of second wave feminism to more recent struggles focused on the middle east; and the experiences of theatre making and dramatherapeutic practice; this paper will reflect on the intellectual and ideological landscape that Dramatherapy sits in. Whilst acknowledging the enrichment that engaging in the politics of identity has enabled, nonetheless, it will argue the abiding case for class as foundational to our understanding. There is much in life that we cannot control but what we can be in charge of are the thoughts in our heads and the ways we see the world.
Emeritus Professor of Dramatherapy, UNIVERSITY OF ROEHAMPTON
Anna Seymour PhD PFHEA is Professor of Dramatherapy at the University of Roehampton, London. She researches the relationship between politics, theatrical aesthetics and the therapeutic process. Anna is an international trainer and consultant to several Dramatherapy programmes across... Read More →
A Grieving Hero's Journey Through an Intersectional Identity Lens for Children + Adolescents. Delve into the intricate tapestry of grief as it performs across diverse cultural intersections. Participants will explore embodied grief through metaphorical lenses, drawing parallels with the transformative narratives found in the framework of a graphic novel, drawing from comic book narratives such as the X-MEN, Batman, and many others.
This workshop introduces Drama Therapy and Role Theory + Methods, offering an expressive arts approach to grief work that considers cultural humility and social justice. Uncover grief roles specific to various communities, acknowledging the nuances of embodied grief. Through didactic and experiential learning processes, participants will engage in population and person centered grief planning. Pulling from the work of Landy's, "Hero's Journey", participants will take away a tangible directive to support youth in relationship with their grief and bereavement narratives through the creation of their own Super Hero or Shero Graphic Novel. This workshop promises a unique journey, weaving research and data into a rich fabric of exploration, fostering a connected and empathetic approach to grief across diverse cultural landscapes.
Adam D-F. Stevens (he|they), MA, RDT. They are a Registered Drama Therapist (RDT) who works primarily with adolescents in the Tri-state area. Their role includes supporting queer, POC, and nuerodiverse youth in transforming their loss, grief, and trauma into unapologetic, abundant... Read More →
M.A. Drama Therapy NYU, intern to therapist transitional period, Harris and Long Psychotherapy
(He/Him) Jakob von Eichel recently received his Master's Degree in Drama Therapy from the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. With almost twenty years of experience in acting, Jakob believes wholeheartedly in the psychological benefits of imaginative... Read More →
In this experiential session, participants will explore theater arts in healing from conflict and harm. We will specifically utilize a framework of restorative justice in acknowledging the expansive possibilities for repair, reconciliation, and closure beyond punishment or the criminalization of wrongdoing. Employing tools from Drama Therapy, Playback Theater, and Theater of the Oppressed, participants will consider how conflict moves and feels, examine communication styles, center impact and needs, and define justice on our own terms. All bodies enthusiastically welcome. Conflict mediation and RJ circles are language-heavy, highly verbal spaces - here, we will try to get out of our heads and into our bodies to ‚ "unstick the stuckness" of our lives, especially the habits, activators, personalities, cultures, and internalized messages of how we deal with harm. Our reaction to conflict or victimization can emerge from self-protection and survival, and we will bring gentle awareness to where our minds take us, what we think, how we feel and process difficult things. We will enter a creative process around the issues that cause us to freeze, flare, or hide - experimenting with new choices and developing collective insights. We will dive into the art of apology, embodied storytelling, role-play/reversal, and the sculpting of personal and social narratives. Much of the content will pull from Tatiana Chaterji's curriculum on healing arts with community members impacted by the criminal-legal system, using performance, witnessing, and victim-offender dialogue to arrive at self-actualization.
