Ritual theatre is a powerful healing system that has been practised since ancient times by early societies and in tribal communities. It has the ability to effect deep transformation in its participants, support growth and development, and resolve personal issues.
This book considers the relevance of ritual theatre in contemporary life and describes how it is being used as a highly cathartic therapeutic process. With contributions from leading experts in the field of dramatherapy, the book brings together a broad spectrum of approaches to ritual theatre as a healing system. It explores the anthropological and tribal roots of dramatic ritual and proposes that ritual theatre finds its most potent expression in personal development work. The practical application of ritual theatre in various clinical settings is discussed and the final chapters explore the possibilities of ritual theatre as performance.
Offering a comprehensive discourse on the theory, application and potential of ritual theatre, this book will be an essential text for all students and practitioners of dramatherapy, arts therapists, psychotherapists, psychologists, counsellors and theatre professionals.
Cuprins
Foreword. Introduction. Claire Schrader, Director, Making Moves, UK. Part I. The Roots of Ritual Theatre. 1. What is Ritual Theatre? Claire Schrader. 2. The Roots of Ritual Theatre: An Anthropological Perspective. Sue Jennings, Honorary Fellow of Roehampton University, UK. 3. Towards a Metapsychology of Ritual in Dramatherapy. Gary Raucher, California Institute of Integral Studies, US. 4. ‘We Don’t Need Therapy, We Have Ritual’: An Overview of the Work of Malidoma Somé and a Personal Experience of a Dagara Grief Ritual. Claire Schrader. Part II. Ritual Theatre in Personal Development. 5. Myth-a-drama: Ritual Theatre in Personal Development. Claire Schrader. 6. Myth-a-drama in Practice. Claire Schrader. 7. Paul Rebillot’s Modern Day Rites of Passage. Steve Mitchell, Director, Pathfinder Studio, UK. 8. Pathfinder Studio’s Quest for Self Cultivation through the ‘Rituals’ of Theatre Making. Steve Mitchell. 9. Myth, Mask and Movement: Ritual Theater in a Community Setting by Sheila Rubin, Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Drama Therapist, US, and Carrie Todd, Marriage and Family Therapist, Registered Drama Therapist and Forensic Counsellor, US. 10. The Ritual Theatre Group by Claire Schrader. Part III. Ritual Theatre in Clinical Practice. 11. Theatre of Resilience: Ritual and Attachment with Marginalized Groups – ‘We are all Born Dramatised and Ritualised’. Sue Jennings. 12. Ritual Theatre and Existential Changes. Roger Grainger, Honorary Research Fellow, Roehampton University, UK. 13. Psychodrama and Ritual Theatre. Sylvia Israel, Trainer, Educator and Practitioner of Psychodrama, Registered Drama Therapist and Marriage and Family Therapist, US, and Elizabeth Plummer, Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Director of The Santa Barbara Psychodrama Center, US. 14. The Theatre of Self Expression: A Brief Introduction to the Theory and Practice of This Ritual Theatre Form in Clinical Dramatherapy. Steve Mitchell. 15. Connecting with the Divine Feminine: Ritual Theatre in a Forensic Psychiatric Setting. Debra Colkett, SRAT (Drama), UK. 16. ‘Metamyth’ and Dramatherapy: An Innovative Approach for People with Epilepsy. Thalia Valeta, SRAT (Drama), UK. Part IV. Ritual Theatre as Performance. 17. Eartheart and Motherblood: Transformational Theatre Experiments in Peace Making. Saphira Linden, Director and Co-founder of The Omega Transpersonal Drama Therapy Certificate Program, US, and Susan Nisenbaum Becker, actor, playwright and poet, US. 18. The Cosmic Celebration: Ritual Theater as Spiritual Awakening. Saphira Linden. Resources and Further Reading. The Contributors.
Despre autor
Roger Grainger was a registered Dramatherapist, Chartered Counselling Psychologist and occasional TV actor. He held a Ph D in Sociology from Leeds University as well as Doctorates in Theology and Implicit Religion, and worked as a psychiatric chaplain for the Stanley Royd Hospital in Wakefield. He was also one of the founders of the National Funeral College and was the author of several books.