Theatre as a VEHICLE FOR PERSONAL AND SOCIAL CHANGE
H.E.A.T. - HEALING, EDUCATION, ACTIVISM AND THEATRE
H.E.A.T. is an acronym for Healing, Education, Activism and Theatre. The practices from this body of knowledge include techniques of Drama Therapy (healing) Applied Theatre (education) Performance and Peacebuilding, (activism) and Three Paradigm Acting (theatre). Using the four disciplines of the H.E.A.T. Collective Litwak merges aspects of drama therapy, research, social justice and high level theatre skills This workshop provides unique and important skills for creating Theatre for Social Change. A balance between active creative work and vibrant discussion, the workshop moves between theory and practice. In this intensive action- packed workshop, participants are introduced to Conflict Transformation techniques, Lederach's Moral Imagination, Ethical Guidelines for Practice, Voice and Improvisation, Drama Therapy (Playback, Psychodrama and Sociometry), Community and Ensemble Building, Composition and Viewpoints, Theatre Of The Oppressed techniques. From these varied tools, the students will create projects and experience community building. Developing projects alone and in groups participants will build generous, and provocative art that serves.
Applied Theatre: Theatre as a Vehicle for Social Change
How do we reach across borders of culture, faith, age, race, and gender to discover ways to communicate and collaborate with dignity and respect?
How do we utilize courageous generosity and paradoxical curiosity to form connections with the “other”?
As a Fulbright Scholar, a PhD in Leadership and Change, the founder and artistic director of The H.E.A.T. Collective and Artists Rise Up New York, a core member of Theatre Without Borders, and a recognized International theatre practitioner with specific focus in socially engaged theatre, I am well positioned to help groups and individuals answer these complex questions.
Socially Engaged Theatre is a term which can mean many things (including Applied theatre, Theatre In Education, and Drama Therapy) here, Litwak is defining the term as any performance work applied to a situation, condition, demographic, mission, issue or idea that moves beyond performance for art's sake and delves into a specific community or individual purpose, applying the tools of theatre to inspire personal and social change, while holding to a standard of artistic excellence. In her lectures and workshops Jessica demonstrates how the tools of H.E.A.T. (Healing, Education, Activism and Theatre) can work together to create good theatre with good purpose. Techniques covered include voice, movement, acting, creative devising, somatic awareness and improvisation, Drama Therapy, Playback, and Psychodrama, Sociodrama, and Theatre Of The Oppressed work) can work together to create good theatre with good purpose.
I present case studies of cultural diplomacy and offer specific usable tools for conflict transformation through the arts. I disseminate methods and modalities of performance and peacebuilding with cultural competency. I present clear and practical examples and techniques for the use of art as a vehicle for social change.
Therapeutic Theatre: Theatre as a Tool for Personal Change
How does one access creativity for positive personal change ?
As a registered drama therapist, the founder and artistic director of The H.E.A.T. Collective and The New Generation Theatre Ensemble, and recognized practitioner in theatre as a healing modality, I dedicate my work to healing individuals and groups through the use of theatre. In my workshops and coaching practice I offer examples and exercises that provide tools for change. Using techniques of writing, acting, drama therapy, ritual, Playback, Theatre of the Oppressed, and improvisation I teach people how to help themselves and others towards the freedom of self-expression and the grounding of self-acceptance.
We are a world of diverse people that are unified by our humanness and vulnerability. This workshop will be a dynamic sharing of ideas, tools, information and performance geared towards One World creative exchange. We will explore theories of global hospitality, courageous generosity, and paradoxical curiosity. We will dive into new versions of tools like voice, playwriting, audience engagement, Theatre of the Oppressed, and Playback. It will be part lecture-demonstration, part practical workshop, and part performance. In the H.E.A.T. Collective we dedicate our work to bring Healing, Education, and Activism to Theatre. We work both remotely and live. A core member of Theatre Without Borders and the initiative for human rights and artist safety, I have long practiced a One World approach to theatre and drama therapy. I am often teaching a playwriting class in Pakistan from California or directing an Applied Theatre piece in Seoul, Korea from Spoleto, Italy or leading a Drama Therapy workshop in Calcutta from New York City. I spend time each year teaching Puppet Building and Drama Therapy in The West Bank and in The Czech Republic. In this vibrant workshop we will experience the interaction of theatre with drama therapy, Social Justice with Peacebuilding, Free Expression with Cultural Diplomacy. We will engage in exercises and create applied therapeutic theatre with the spirit of the idea that “we are all in this together”.
To learn more, contact Dr. Jessica Litwak using the form below.