Most of us understand theatre as a space for story, emotion and encounter. But what is remarkable is that it can also serve as a tool for deep inner transformation. Theatre therapy - that is, therapeutic work with elements of theatre - is becoming an increasingly important tool in mental health care in the Czech health sector.
Theatrical work can take a patient where he would not otherwise dare to go, says Doc. Ing. Mgr. Irena Žantovská, Ph.D., a renowned theatre and radio director, teacher and theatre specialist, who has been devoting herself to this specific form of therapy at the Centre for Mental Rehabilitation in Beroun for the last few years. In the following interview, she explains what theatre therapy entails, how she specifically helps people with mental health problems, and what changes she observes in her patients. He brings a fascinating insight into how art can become a path to healing - quietly, but with profound impact.
Mrs. Associate Professor, theatre therapy is not a term that is commonly used in everyday conversation...
Theatre therapy is one of the experiential therapies and uses the principles of theatre work and the actor's rendition of dramatic texts. We work with both original theatre texts (Moliére, Goldoni, etc.) and contemporary authors. And sometimes I prepare my own dramatizations of prose texts, such as The Little Prince.
How does theatre therapy differ from other artistic or therapeutic approaches?
Above all, by offering patients to work in a group, in a collective, with a common goal. This is to create a short theatrical production and present it in front of other patients and medical staff. Thus, in this collective experience, the patients do not concentrate on their own problem, which they solve in the treatment room, but instead step "out of reality" and enter new characters and situations. This can bring them - compared to other types of art therapy - a different kind of self-knowledge, emotional experience and space for the development of their own creativity.
Can you give a specific example where theatre therapy has really helped someone significantly?
There are a number of them. But for example, I had a patient who suffered from severe social interaction anxiety. She initially refused to be on stage with others, so I wrote her a narrator role. Even in rehearsals, she would sit a few rows away from the group. But during the process, she gradually moved closer - and eventually stood in the same row as the others during the thank you. She saw that moment as her big personal shift.
Do you work within a specific theatre therapy methodology or do you create your own approach?
Theatre therapy is generally based on the methodology and approaches of theatre work, which I as a theatre therapist use and transform for the needs of working with patients. I modify my approach methodologically according to my experience in working with patients, and also according to specific groups of patients, for whom I select and prepare tailor-made texts. Gradually I transform this practical experience into a theoretical methodology.
What do you use to choose the themes or form of your productions?
The production is prepared with the patients of the psychotherapy department and takes 6 weeks to prepare. At the beginning I always have to get to know the composition of the group, the age distribution and the number of men and women. Also with their diagnoses, difficulties and possibilities. There are patients who find it difficult to go on stage at all, but there are also those who have undeniable acting talent, even professional experience.
To what extent do you leave room for patients to create and improvise?
Patients are involved according to their abilities and experience. Very often, under my guidance, they independently create, for example, the visual component of the performance, video clips, etc.
But sometimes emotions can overflow. What if something heavy opens up?
Of course, crisis moments are part of our work. They should be seen as part of the experience of the whole group. Each patient is specific in that they come in a slightly different state of mind and also with a different amount of energy and strength to put into the work. I am still learning to perceive the individual possibilities and to prepare and schedule the work in such a way as to prevent problems in the group.
Do you cooperate with experts - psychologists, psychiatrists?
Of course, primarily as a theatre therapist I have to rely on the requirements, assignments and limitations set by psychiatrists and psychologists. I regularly take part in the work of the department, in the course of meetings, consult everything and take advantage of the advice of my medical and psychological colleagues. It is a team effort.
Does theatre work reveal something deeper that conventional therapy does not?
Theatrical work brings opportunities for self-realization, opens up space for self-development and can take the patient - the actor - to places he would not otherwise dare to go, by means of a proxy method of role-playing. In particular, it was interesting to observe, for example, the transformation of those who in civilian life act rather submissively and then suddenly play characters who are decisive and decisive.
What do you perceive as the most significant therapeutic benefits of theatre therapy?
As feedback, I have all patients complete a questionnaire as well as a reflection on their experience of this form of work, and from this survey I find that patients particularly appreciate the opportunity to try playing someone else's character, and that their self-esteem increases after a successful performance. They appreciate having the opportunity to collaborate with partners on stage. For many, just not leaving, finishing the rehearsal and performing in front of an audience is a success, and last but not least, they appreciate the relational effects.
Conclusion: you are a well-known director and teacher. What led you to this work at the Center for Mental Rehabilitation?
In the course of my professional life in the field of theatre directing, I have staged around 80 performances in various genres (drama, opera, ballet) in various theatres, including the National Theatre in Prague, Brno and Ostrava. At the beginning of my career I was mainly interested in my personal artistic expression. Later on I devoted myself to researching the theatre audience and what theatre brings to its audience. And now, in the next professional phase, I am discovering how theatre can enrich and change those who are involved in it, even in contexts that may be unexpected or less usual. In short, as it turns out, art can even "heal" many people, and healing through art can be a hint of a possible way forward.
Ivan Cerny
Photo archive and Robert Vano
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