Connection and transformation in a vulnerable world

The crises of our time are manifold. Refugee movements, wars, the resurgence of ultra-nationalist and far-right parties and forces in Europe, political developments in the USA and their global impact, the ecological crises of climate change and species extinction… Previous orders are

disintegrating, time seems to be “out of joint”. In the midst of these global challenges, the question arises: How can we develop resilience as individuals and communities? How can we deal with feelings of grief, powerlessness and fear? How can we create experiences of transformation and connectedness that enable us to face the challenges of our time with courage and creativity?

Transformation, playing with the possible and balancing chaos and order are among the intrinsic potentials of theater and dramatherapy. In dramatic reality, the real world meets fantasy, dreams, myths, fairy tales and stories of what was or could be. The possible is lifted into concrete experience, becomes tangible, visible, shareable. Exploring a space of possibility is part of the DNA of dramatherapy.

At the same time, dramatherapy operates at the interface between the individual and the collective. The personal experience is given an aesthetic expression, is placed in a universal context, shared with and witnessed by others. Dramatherapy offers space to explore new ways of connecting to oneself, to others and to the (still) invisible world. For this year’s summer conference, we have been able to attract dramatherapists and experts from related fields who are exploring ways to use the possibilities of art and therapy in the crises of our time. In different contexts, they create experiential spaces to explore possibilities of transformation and/or to facilitate very concrete development processes that bring something new into the world: creating new connections, enabling new perspectives, telling new stories. The workshops offer the opportunity to immerse oneself in these different approaches for two days. Saturday is dedicated to encounters with the entire group of participants. Here, the different experiences from the workshops can be shared, put into context and reflected upon. The conference will be accompanied by graphic recording, which will develop into an exhibition of illustrations in resonance with the event.