Podcast: Dramatic Problem Solving with Steven T. Hawkins
Steven Hawkins, author of new book Dramatic Problem Solving: Drama-Based Group Exercises for Conflict Transformation, speaks to This is Wisdom – Radio about his background in…
Steven Hawkins, author of new book Dramatic Problem Solving: Drama-Based Group Exercises for Conflict Transformation, speaks to This is Wisdom – Radio about his background in…
On 29th June 2012 Claire Schrader hosted a celebration of Ritual Theatre: The Power of Dramatic Ritual in Personal Development Groups and Clinical Practice. The…
Encouraging imaginative play in the classroom is an effective way to teach young children how to think creatively and interact socially – vital parts of…
“…the book is about how ritual theatre can be expressed in a contemporary way that fits in with the way our lives are. People are hungering for this because the technological age is making us more and more disconnected, more in our heads and this is producing tremendous suffering under the labels of stress, fatigue and health problems. Ritual theatre along with the Arts Therapies counteract this. So the book includes ways in which ritual theatre is being brought into hospitals, institutions and work with marginal groups as well as to the general public.”
By Andrew Nelson, author of Foundation Role Plays for Autism: Role Plays for Working with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Parents, Peers, Teachers, and Other…
“My personal passion for continuing this work with the incarcerated is driven by my bearing witness to the transformational awakening of the empathic humanity within inmates who were unaware of the innate goodness that dwelt within them, awaiting discovery.”
“We all spend much of our lives building up defenses against an unfriendly world, an uncomprehending universe. That surely is true of the men I met and taught in prison. They were like me. They were tough guys hoping that someone somewhere could reach that almost-forgotten part of them, break it loose, set it free and let them feel human again. After all, to portray a character is to find that character’s heart—and in the process to find your own.”
“When I was invited to contribute a chapter to this important anthology, I knew that I wanted to focus on one prisoner [Larry]…[T]he second half of the chapter…relates his transformational journey through the works of Shakespeare, using his analysis of the characters to provide a self-analysis that was truly life-altering. As one example, we focus on the character of Macbeth, examining some parallels between that character and Larry’s early criminal experiences. While some of those parallels are disturbing, the chapter concludes with the celebration of Larry’s ‘salvation through Shakespeare.'”
This moving video about the new JKP book, Performing New Lives: Prison Theatre, was made by author Jonathan Shailor, and chronicles the uplifting and profound…
“Prison theatre works because it provides a sanctuary apart from the harsh prison environment, where it is safer to be vulnerable, to self-disclose, and to experiment with new ways of expressing oneself and relating to other people. There is both support, and structure. We have a play to perform. We are accountable to one another. In programs that culminate with performances for prison audiences, and (especially) public audiences, there is an opportunity for prisoners to display and celebrate the culmination of their weeks or months of hard work. They can show themselves to themselves in the mirror of the audience, as people of value, as people who can make a contribution.”