Theatre of living experience
To become writer and stage director of one’s personal history: an accompanied journey through the discovery of oneself and other
An overview of the project
Our past experiences affect the way we perceive our environment, the way we relate
to others and the choices we make. Too often words are not enough to express the
depth of a life experience therefore painful events remain untold and unshared locked
in a cage of silence, shame and fear.
Theatre, through its metaphorical and sensorial language, enables to share the “unsharable”,
to say what cannot be said, to transform the way we tell and we look at
our own life and to recognize ourselves in the story of others. A painful experience is
transformed in a work of art and through this process its meaning is revealed and its
essence becomes universal. The feelings of solitude and isolation give way to a
sense of interconnectedness and belonging.
The THEATRE OF LIVING EXPERIENCE
is an artistic process that accompanies participants to become writers, stage-directors and spectators of their own life-story.
TARGET GROUP
Adults and young adults suffering from exclusion, isolation and violence.
PARNERSHIPS
Organisations in Jerusalem and the West Bank empowering and supporting individuals
in their leadership role in the community.
MEANS AND OBJECTIVES
| Means | Objectives * |
|---|---|
| Taking distance from the painful event | Improved coping capacity with the suffering associated with a negative event |
| Sharing one’s suffering with other participants | Decreased sense of loneliness and isolation, sense of belonging to the community. Increased sense of empathy towards oneself and others |
| Becoming stage-director of one’s own life experience | Increased awareness of one’s personal power to make creative choices and influence the community (empowerment) |
| Transforming a painful experience in a symbolic artistic theatrical representation | Transformation of the negative perception of a life experience with an increased sense of meaning and value |
*The objectives are based on the evaluation of the impact of the program in the last 12 years.
This project aims at:
- Building healthy communities based on mutual support and respect.
- Fighting social isolation and exclusion.
- Encouraging the sense of belonging and the desire to contribute to the
community.
