Forschung / R-ITT
Research Institute of Theatre Therapy: Das Forschungsinstitut des ITT
RITT – Research Institute for Theatre Therapy
Research department of the ITT – Institute for Theatre Therapy
Foundation: April 2021 by Ingrid Lutz and Anke Schäfer
The Research Institute for TheaterTherapy (RITT) promotes a practice based theatre and drama therapy research with paradigms that relate to approaches of intersectionality and social justice.
We provide space for drama therapy research which reflects the specific qualities of drama therapy, its complexity and richness of interpersonal interactions and its poetic layers of verbal and non-verbals expressions. We invite you to explore how the concept of evidence can be formulated in an artistic, aesthetic and performative sense, and to consider the specific qualities of drama therapy when choosing research methods.
We want especially promote research and research paradigms which takes social structures of power and powerlessness into account. We invite to discuss further exploration of paradigms like the performative paradigm or the transformative paradigm.
We like to tie in with the various origins of drama therapy as well as “Theatertherapie”: as the social theatre, the theatre for change, action theatre, the theatre of the oppressed, the ritual theatre. Even in a multidisciplinary clinical context, we consider these roots of drama and theatre therapy as particularly helpful to support and empower help seeking people from diverse social and cultural backgrounds.
We consider performative studies and theories of intersectionality, feminist and decolonizing approaches as particularly suitable for a solid foundation of Practice and Arts Based Theatre Drama Therapy Research.
We are interested in interdisciplinary exchange to support the need of social justice and ecological change which we understand as inextricably linked to the well-being of all beings. We believe in the kaleidoscopic landscape of the Arts to deal with the enormous challenges in social and psychosocial fields. We want to promote Arts Based and Drama Therapy based perspectives in dialogue with other institutions and associations as the WFKT – Scientific Society for Artistic Therapies, the RIArT- Research Institute of Arts Therapies (Alanus University), and further organizations and colleagues worldwide.
Be welcome to join our research colloquia and to contact us
The following working groups at the RITT are currently installed or in planning:
- Open Research colloquium with invited guest speakers, quarterly
- Working Group “We do research – Theatre Based Research concepts for the Practice”, foundation 11/2023
- Ritual based Research Group (organized by: Ingrid Lutz)
- In planning: Implementation Theatre Based Research in the ITT training program
In planning:
- raining courses on research methods from the perspective of Practice Based and Arts Based Research
- RITT symposium in cooperation with the DGfT – German Society for Theatre Therapy
- Theatre Based Research in cooperation with the ITT training program
Management & Contact:
Head of the RITT – Research Institute for Theatre Therapy:
Anke Schäfer, schaefer@theatertherapie.org
International Advisory Board:
Ingrid Lutz (Berlin), Susana Pendzik (Jerusalem), Nisha Sajnani (New York), Anna Seymour (Roehampton) .
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