La nuova frontiera del teatro è la drammaturgia della cultura comunitaria e delle relazioni umane soprattutto là dove esistono difficoltà e drammi. Questo è il teatro sociale: la costruzione della persona e delle comunità attraverso attività performative.129
There are many ways of doing theatre in the social realm. Social theatre is a specific form and defined as a theatre that has its founding element in the active participation of citizens in all the phases of a theatrical creative process. It can be defined as:
una pratica teatrale con metodologie specifiche in cui professionisti, esperti di teatro e di promozione del benessere delle persone, operano con gruppi e comunità di cittadini – spesso svantaggiati – e realizzano insieme percorsi teatrali, performance e progetti con valenze culturali, civili, artistiche e di benessere psicosociale.130
129 [“The new frontier of theatre is the dramaturgy of communitarian culture and human relationships especially
where there are difficulties and dramatic situations. This is social theatre: building people and communities through performative activities.”] (Bernardi, 2004:13) Translated from Italian by the author of the present contribution.
130 Rossi Ghiglione in Gallina and Ponte di Pino, 2014:24. [“A theatre approach with specific methodologies
in which professionals, theatre experts and people’s well-being promoters operate with groups and communities of citizens – often disadvantaged – and together accomplish theatre, performance and project paths of cultural, civic, artistic and psychosocial well-being value.”] Translated from Italian by the author of the present contribution.
Established at the end of the 1990s, social theatre131 has its roots in past theatre movements
and approaches – from theatre animation to celebrative dramaturgy, from community theatre to group theatre, and from political theatre to psychodrama and Drama Therapy.132
It is at the crossroads between professional theatre, which aims for an aesthetic production, applied theatre,133 which strives for social and personal change, and Drama Therapy, which
has healing as its goal. As Schininà states: “the main difference between social theatre and the majority of theatrical-therapeutic techniques is that social theatre does not seek catharsis but metaxis (pluralization). Its ultimate goal is to empower differences and to create solidarity, not to purify and normalise them”.134
Social theatre strives for the well-being of the individual and the group within a non-therapeutic framework that however promotes health and well-being.135 It engages
with individuals and communities, asking them to respect their experiences and their past, being aware of their vulnerabilities and needs, but paying attention to the existing resources and development of innate abilities. Health research is done through a dialogue with the participants, which doesn’t develop like a treatment relationship but more like a capacity- building process. The theoretical perspective is, in a broad sense, andragogic,136 that is, it
aims at the development and capacity-building of the person. On a methodological level, such interventions aim to activate the resources of the individuals and the relationships within the group, encouraging existing abilities to emerge, even hidden or residual ones, and create conditions for learning and change,137 because the participants progressively develop
coping, problem-solving and relational capacities. The “salutogenic” function of theatre is rooted in its ability to empower participants for change and promote their ability to take ownership for themselves. Through the socialization of diversity, social theatre works on the relational system of the group and the community, promoting the ability to accept and validate differences inherent to the group and the community itself, hence138 promoting
well-being and health.
Social theatre is a form of theatre with both a social and cultural aim, and both artistic dimension and social change are equally important and pursued. The participant is asked to strive for quality139 in the theatre forms he or she uses to express, but being mindful of
131 Bernardi, 2004; Pontremoli, 2005. 132 Zanlonghi, 2007.
133 Nicholson, 2005; Thompson, 2009. 134 Schininà, 2004a:24.
135 Rossi Ghiglione, 2011.
136 On theatre and human development as adult learning (andragogy) considerable reflections come from
theatre director Peter Brook and his research into Gurdjeff’s teachings (Brook, 1994 and 2001).
137 Prochaska, Norcross and Diclemente, 1994.
138 “The theatre has the ability to bring out those elements that unify human beings. It has also the potential to
emphasize their differences and to bridge them” (Schininà, 2002:53).
the limits that can emerge from the participant’s abilities and his or her cultural identity. Since this search for quality produces a greater and deeper understanding of the self and the experience,140 it also builds a deeper level of communication between different identities
and, as such, contributes to a process of well-being and regeneration for the individual and the community.
The operative challenges faced in specific multicultural contexts of intervention – emergency contexts with displaced and refugees or those in suburban areas with a high level of intra- and intercultural conflicts – lead social theatre to take into consideration not only group activity but also the involvement of the larger community. Formats and tools aiming at development of multicultural and inclusive community of inhabitants have been specifically designed.141
2.2.2. The structure of a social theatre intervention with groups and
communities
Through theoretical research, action research and the contributions of numerous authors,142
operational procedures and guidelines143 have been defined for a social theatre process,
initially with particular reference to the model of a theatre workshop for groups with disadvantaged or fragile members, and subsequently to models of intervention geared to the community as a whole.
According to the social theatre model, a theatre intervention with a group follows some phases.144 The first phase is group building and involves the following: (a) an assessment phase
to identify the group’s needs and creative resources, directly and also through stakeholders’ interviews; (b) the contact and sharing approach, objectives and programme with the facilitator; (c) the contract with the group aimed at sharing rules, expectations and objectives; (d) creation of the group, which follows several steps: (i) participants get to know each other; (ii) participants and facilitators develop connections and trust; and (iii) participants acquire a shared creative language that still allows each and everyone in the group to maintain his or her specific modality of expression and identity. The creation of the group is the initial focus and doesn’t end in the first phase of the activity, but continues throughout the intervention. The second phase involves expression and internal communication within the group, which is usually obtained exploring creatively a theme common to the participants’ experiences. The third phase entails communication outside the group and involves the
140 Rossi Ghiglione, 2015.
141 Rossi Ghiglione, 2013, 2014a and 2014b.
142 A relevant contribution comes from the Catholic University of Milan and the University of Turin teams. 143 Rossi Ghiglione and Pagliarino, 2007.
following: (a) building the performance (or other forms of restitution to the community); (b) mobilizing and engaging the audience; and (c) presenting the performance. The last phase is the evaluation, and it is made up of the following: (a) feedback from the group and possible specific assessments; (b) feedback from the spectators; and (c) redesigning a possible continuation of the activity with the group and stakeholders.
The individual sessions of the theatre workshop follow a structure similar to the one promoted by certain schools of Drama Therapy with a contact, contract, warm-up, main activity, cool down and feedback. The activity is organized coherently between the different phases – each input proposed in each phase builds on and up prior and consequent expressive and communicative experiences. In addition, through a continuous dialogue with the group, the workshop trainer can modify the content, timing and approach of the planned activities if the group should require it at a certain moment in the process.145 The theatre techniques
used are derived from different theatre disciplines and can involve physical theatre and mime, actors training, dance, singing, storytelling and making objects. The creative process with the group can benefit from the contribution of community members with specific creative or sociocultural skills. The final performance is situated in a significant community space-time context and may include a cultural exchange and a community ritual. After the performance, an evaluation and new designing phase begins: the prosecution of the activity and the kind of activity is discussed with the group, community representatives and the client or other interested parties.
The model of intervention geared to the community as a whole includes working with a number of groups belonging to the community according to the phases described above. In the beginning of the intervention, it requires also a specific activity of mapping and networking in order to involve as many social actors as possible. Specific care is given to cultural diversity, cooperation among groups and ritual performances in the public space.146