Panel 23. Lecture 2. Friday morning
Coming out of the wings - Theater for mentally ill
Lecture combining visual aids
Dana Bauman Shapira & Asaf Cohen
We will present a model which we developed over the past 10 years while working with groups of young adults who suffer from mental illness. while they were going through 3 years of rehabilitation at the Summit institute: an institute that works and rehabilitates mentally ill young adults through unique and groundbreaking programs.
For around 6 months each year, once a week and sometimes more intensely, these groups worked, on putting on a theatrical production. This, in addition to all the challenges every one of the members had to deal with while facing the social stigma of their situation such as re-entering society and seeking job opportunities. For some it was also their first time performing on stage, an experience that arises a lot of anxiety such as fear of audience. Most of our insights are related to the dissonance between the cozy therapy room and the exposed stage space, a dissonance which has contributed significantly to their ability to utilize the stage potential for acting and experiencing, thus, causing a major change to their lives.
The first part of the lecture will focus on the model we have developed which is a fast process, an instant situation of coping with the challenges in life. The participant needs to face in a short time period (six months) the group work built on creative encouraging, experiencing the language of theatre from all angles, perseverance, facing deadlines, personal exposure and professionality, while looking forward to the final product – an hour long theatre production on a professional stage with without compromising on the aesthetic or artistic level.
The second part of the lecture will project the magic powers of the show that is not only preserved in the soul of the artist but also in those of her parents, her therapists and the audience. The stage, we discovered, is a symbolic stage to the success and mission accomplishing in a way of a corrective experience of the narcissist infliction of the rehabilitant mental patient, an experience of acknowledging her creative healing powers within, an experience she can always revert to and relive her capable self.
Dana Bauman Shapira
Theatre Director in amateur theaters, Founder of “Summit Theater”. Psychodrama Therapist for individuals and groups, who works with teenagers with special needs, leads groups for parents of ADHD Children.
Asaf Cohen
An Expressive Therapist (MA.) Specialize in psychodrama and group therapy. Asaf works with children and teenagers and has a private clinic. Asaf is also the founder of Summit Theater, an actor and a Playback Theater group moderator. Additionally he is leading workshops and exploring the unconscious space using the playback theater medium.