Theatre Against Social Exclusion
Country
Poland
Project Description
The project is realised by a theatre group, which has been active since 1995. The two expressions used to describe this activity are: "To feel self-fulfilled on the stage" and "Open theatre group".
There are 10-20 people actively participating in the group. About half of them have been in the mental hospital for several times. The others are students of the Music Academy in Wrocław.
The project consists of two parts. The first part is a theatre spectacle and the second is a dialogue with the audience just after the performance, carried out by the group members (mainly by non-professional actors with mental health history) and workshops for the target groups of spectators. So far they have included groups of social workers and students of social work, policemen, municipal guard workers, nurses and priests.
The performances have been attended already by thousands of spectators. In Wrocław the group usually performs on the stage of the Music Academy of Wroclaw. It was also hosted by local theatres in other cities (Bydgoszcz, Lodz, Cracow, Warsaw), e.g. the prestigious Centre of Contemporary Art in Warsaw.
Some of the plays performed by the group (e.g. "Windaerotherapy", "Where you are", "Psycho-dancing") have adopted texts written by persons with a mental health history. The group prepared among others "Faust" by Goethe and "Don Quichotte" by Cervantes.
The group works within the framework of the Lower-Silesian Association of Active Rehabilitation ART. It is supported by the Musical Academy in Wrocław, the Municipal Council of the City of Wrocław, the Wrocław Mental Hospital and the Fund of Civil Initiatives.
Project Aims (relating to social exclusion)
The project has the following aims:- Combating social exclusion by changing social stereotypes of persons diagnosed as mentally ill. Introducing new methods of action in this area (combining theatre performance with dialogue with the spectators and education workshops for target groups).
- Providing new possibilities of participation in the activities against social exclusion of people with mental health problems (as co-authors of the screenplays, lay actors, speakers in the dialogue on social exclusion and solidarity, presenters during the education workshops).
- Introducing new non-conventional forms of education for the groups of professionals which can be very effective in preventing and combating social exclusion
Areas
Education, Leisure
Effectiveness
With relatively small expenditure it was possible to achieve remarkable effects under this project:
- due to significant involvement of all the members of the theatre group;
- due to their long experience and qualifications obtained in the course of the group's activity;
- due to support of professional institutions and mainly the Music Academy.
Sustainability
Social stereotypes, including that of a mentally ill person are long-lasting and resistant to the changes. They are very difficult to abolish by discursive methods only. It is art, influencing different areas, that brings about required results, non-achievable otherwise.
In order to accomplish the durability of the effects of the project, it is necessary to promote them and to continue and develop the project as such, preferably in co-operation with other similar groups.
Both the theatre group and the Association ART have been well prepared for the project and seem to be well prepared for its development and continuation.
Innovation
The innovative nature (on a national scale) can be seen in the participation of persons diagnosed as mentally ill and students who have not had any experience with psychiatry. Non-professional actors, persons with psychiatric history and students of music therapy, work together to fulfil certain tasks, but not in the patient-therapist relation.
The innovative character with reference to social exclusion is also present in combining theatre performance with dialogue with spectators and education workshops for target groups.
Added Value
The realization of the project has been initiated in the period of the implementation of the Mental Health Protection Act and its following amendments (the last one took place in January 2006). The project is highly appreciated as a good source of information concerning mental health problems and could have an influence on the policies in this area.
The theatre group realizes practically what its members try to convey during the dialogue and workshops accompanying performances, the integration of persons with psychiatric history and persons without such experience.
Successful theatre performances influence the achievement of other goals of the project and effective workshops. Persons with psychiatric diagnosis revealed not only literary talents and perfect acting skills, but also responsibility and discipline without which the artistic success of prepared spectacles and success of the workshops would be difficult to achieve.
The members of the theatre group of Art Association are recognised to be experts in the area of information on mental health.
Transferability
The goal of combating social exclusion can principally be accomplished by any other theatre group engaging people with mental health problems. There are a few groups of this type in Poland performing at a high artistic level. Sometimes they seem to prefer to introduce the audience into some other, specific world or subculture of the mentally ill than to demonstrate their possibility of recovery. It is difficult to decide whether such an attitude promotes their inclusion or just the opposite - adding to their social exclusion. Discussion and research in this area is needed.
Positive results could be brought about by encouraging a greater number of theatre groups to actions aimed at combating social exclusion. Their joint efforts and presence in many towns all over the country or even Europe could result in shaping the attitudes of politicians, artists, journalists, social workers, doctors etc.
The participation in the project on "Good practices combating social exclusion of people with mental health problems" can be helpful in undertaking such actions.
Mainstreaming Potential
The project follows the postulated mainstream of the mental health policy described in the national programme, which is in accordance with the mental health act in force (adopted in 1994 and amended recently in 2006).
This project, carried out in Wrocław, had a good effect on the mental health policy in the cty of Wroclaw and in the region. It should be widely promoted so as to exert influence in the scale of the country.
Costs of the Project
The funds for 8 recent series of education workshops completed by theatre performances have been gained by the Lower-Silesian Association of Active Rehabilitation ART in the amount of 18000PLN. The resources were provided b the municipal authorities.
People involved in the Project
Among the project participants there are non-professional actors who took part in the first performance some 10 years ago. New people with mental health history are also joining.
They are at different ages (from 18 to 60), with different levels of education and social-economic position. Some young people who left school after the crisis have been able to restart secondary school and higher education. For others success on the stage provides motivation for taking a job in accordance with their qualifications and a chance to return to normal life. For all the participants this project means a form of mutual assistance and self-help, but also helps to discover their abilities and talents as writers, actors etc. Frequently it leads to higher self-evaluation and self-assurance.
The project initiator is a psychologist, music therapist and theatre director. For three years now she has co-operated with a person who has pedagogical and bibliotherapy education and has undertaken the tasks of the manager of a theatre group. All the other members of the group are students of music therapy at the Music Academy who can gain experience of contacting persons with mental health problems not in the patient-therapist relations but as partners in common tasks. In this way they acquire skills and knowledge indispensable in therapy, which stimulates return to active life (based on the so called recovery approach).
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Project
Strengths: co-operation between the association, many individual people and prestigious institutions under the project; the project allows people with mental health problems to speak about their problems in their own way.
Weaknesses: too modest resources assigned to project promotion; too little discussion and not enough effort to use the experience and skills of the members of the group to introduce (on wider scale) creative occupational therapy in Poland in view of taking a job and to return to "normal life".
Contact Person for the Project
Anna Jędryczka
+48 609 36 13 12
Renata Pawłowska
+48 509 49 48 87
Olek Samołuk
+48 691 43 07 43