“Theatre is the art of looking at ourselves.”

— Augusto Boal

A window that looks at the role of drama and theatre in the arts therapies.

When I think of theatre, the first image that comes to mind is a stage, with actors confident enough to perform in public, and an audience expecting to be entertained. What happens in a drama therapy context is something quite different. The stage becomes a safe space to be and move with authenticity. The actors do not need to be confident or perform in the sense of delivering on expectations or a prescribed role; the focus, rather, is on spontaneous expression of something arising authentically and in the present moment. The audience –the therapist, and other people if it´s a group session – becomes a compassionate witness, without judgement. The therapeutic power of the experience depends on three distinct yet related elements, like three sides of a triangle: expressing, seeing, being seen. Here, I take a brief look at each of these.

Expressing

There are many techniques and possible approaches within the practice of drama therapy. Whatever the activity, and whether it is verbal or non-verbal, it is about enabling us to access and express emotions in a way that is different to reflecting on and talking about them. Talking about our emotions is of course extremely important, but we are not always aware of the emotion or depth of the emotion at stake and even if we are, talking about it alone does not always enable us to move on. The distancing effect of stepping into a role or wearing a mask can be liberating and enable us not only to access emotions we may not even be aware of, but to begin to integrate them through a process of dramatic embodiment.

As an English teacher in Argentina many moons ago, I used drama a lot in my teaching. I was stunned one day to see a student with a debilitating stammer in his own language lose it completely during a roleplay in English. I realised that the combination of stepping into another role and speaking in a different language freed him of all the triggers and associations that kept him captive in his native tongue. He was more stunned than me - I will never forget his smile in that moment of realisation.

Drama is a whole-body event. Movement, stillness, the breath, the voice, facial expression, gestures, body language, posture … our body becomes a musical instrument, played by the invisible musician within us.

Seeing

The musician may be invisible, but the music happens. And there is a sense in which the ‘actor’ also becomes the audience, observing what is happening even as it happens. There may be moments of understanding, recognition, or surprise; there may be a sensation of seeing or realising something for the first time. The experience of doing and being and moving with authenticity within a safe space and the element of distance provided by the medium of theatre, the possibility of interactions which are more malleable than real life, the fact that something can be repeated and done in a different way – all of this facilitates insight and self-awareness. Bringing mindfulness into the practice can deepen this further.

The actor becomes at once an actor and a spectator - or ‘spect-actor’ to use the term coined by Augusto Boal, who created a form of theatre that deliberately blurred the boundaries between actors and audience. And the act of seeing oneself and others in a new way opens the door to empathy and the possibility of compassion.

Being seen

Being unseen or feeling invisible can wreak emotional havoc; we all have a need to be seen. In real life, being seen comes with an emotional health warning: competition, fear of judgement or failure or discrimination or misunderstanding… the list can go on. But if it feels safe to take risks, to step outside your comfort zone, the rewards can be huge; you are given permission to be yourself – and to surprise yourself. I have seen time and time again the joy and the impact on self-esteem.

And to be witnessed, with attention and compassion, is a deep and often unmet human need. To be witnessed in this way, without judgement, is to be deeply listened to. There is a beautiful poem by John Fox, called ´When someone deeply listens to you’:

When someone deeply listens to you
it is like holding out a dented cup
you've had since childhood
and watching it fill up with
cold, fresh water.
When it balances on top of the brim,
you are understood.
When it overflows and touches your skin,
you are loved.

When someone deeply listens to you
the room where you stay
starts a new life
and the place where you wrote
your first poem
begins to glow in your mind's eye.
It is as if gold has been discovered!

When someone deeply listens to you
your bare feet are on the earth
and a beloved land that seemed distant
is now at home within you.

 The same metaphors could be used to describe what can happen through the use of drama and theatre in the arts therapies.