Brief Report: National Therapeutic Theatre Workshop '08 Trainings in Psychodrama, Sociodrama and Sociometry

March 14 - 25, 2008

held under the auspices of The Bangladesh Therapeutic Theatre Institute [BTTI],  a wing of Unite Theatre for Social Action [UTSA], Chittagong

trainer:  Herb Propper, Ph.D., T.E.P., 

in collaboration with Danielle Forer, Graduate Social Worker and Psychodramatist, Psychodrama Institute of Melbourne, Australia

[N.B.- 1. This is a condensed report to make the information available to interested persons as expeditiously as possible.  The usual detailed Trainer's Process Report with participant evaluations will be created by Herb and Danielle within the next several months.

2. The complete NTTW'08 also included 3 training workshops in Playback Theater and Art Therapy led by Jennie Kristel, M.A., C.E.T. Playback Theater Practitioner March 1 - 13;  Jennie will be creating a separate report for this portion.] 

number of different workshops:  3
number of participants:  52
number of training hours, total:  70
workshop descriptions:  

"Introduction to Psychodrama and Sociometry with Clinical Applications for the Trauma of Natural Disasters"  3 days (March 14-16)

locale: ; "Center for Excellence", Dhaka University; Dhaka

    [a center for foreign scholars and researchers]

population: 17 participants (14 clinical psychologists, clinical psychology graduate students and department faculty; 2 UTSA staff, 1 assistant trainer/translator).

warmups:

group-buidling action sociometry (spectrograms, action sociograms) and action warmups; student-directed sociometry [Ass't. Trainer], role reversal practice within group; brief role presentations; Psychological Social Atom (on paper)

action pieces:

1) 1-role encounter from Social Atom, with surplus reality "wished-for" role;
2) Social Atom exploration, focus on encounter with deceased father and living mother;
3) Psychodramatic Photograph, with full scene-setting and auxiliaries: "a moment I want to remember."  

"Using sociodrama and sociometry for performers' creativity and  social issues"

 3 days (March 18- 20)

locale: "The Language Center,"Jahangirnagar University, Savar [suburb of Dhaka]

population: 11 participants (6 graduate/undergraduate students, 2 UTSA staff, 1 dramatist, 1 assistant trainer/translator)

warmups:

group-buidling action sociometry (spectrograms, action sociograms) and action warmups [including student-directed]; role reversal practice within group; group decision-making through a sociometric process [locogram & spectrogram]; brief surplus reality conversation with an admired artist; small-group Social Role Presentations [4 roles]

action pieces: 

1). vignette "a personal moment of creativity;" with group sociometric choice of protagonist, full scene-setting, auxiliaries, Double and Mirror;

2) Living Newspaper presentations in small groups; 1 Tableau Sculpture with role messages; 2 with full action, including songs and dual role-players;

3) Sociodramas: 1 mini-Sociodrama, 2 roles with role doubles; 3-role Sociodrama with full group in all roles.

4) a spontaneous encounter between 2 group members, with role reversal, director doubling and mirror. 

" Using Sociodrama and Sociometry in healing persons affected by Cyclone Sidr"

4 days (March 22-25)

locale: Karnafuli Training Center, Chittagong

population: 24 participants [17 experienced] (10 women, 13 men; 10 NGO staff workers; 5 BTTI core members, 4 university students; 1 each teacher, actor, health clinic worker, foreign NGO intern, 1 assistant trainer/translator)

warmups:

 "Circle of Safety" (Therapeutic Spiral)-3 levels; sociometric and other action warmups [3 student-directed]; several different Doubling practices; taking/presenting various Social Roles, with interview questions; group creation "Role of Person afflicted by Natural Disaster"

didactic: "stages of child development;" infant, toddler, young adolescent, presented in action

action pieces:

1) 4 Living Newspapers: tableau sculpture w/role messages; with full action, song & audience involvement as ending; full action, using role doubles where possible; "Personal Story" using actual Cyclone Sidr experience of 1 small group member, with epilogue.

2) mini-Sociodrama on hope/despair for recovery from Sidr: 3-place locogram on hope/despair; each group create sculpture with sounds, words & individualized roles; sharing.

3) "Model Sociometric Meeting of Bangladesh Therapeutic Theatre Institute":

warmup of barometer & 2 action sociograms; action: 2 small-group 'brainstorming' process discussions [small groups, rotating group memberships 3 times each], 1 on membership criteria, 1 on types of preferred program activities; closure: 2 action sociograms.

4) Full Group Workshop Closure Sociodrama:  Timeline of the life of the group--morning & afternoon of each day:  spontaneous identification of remembered moments by various group members in each time-segment; director doubling; from last segment, messages to group at each of the previous stages and final farewell.

notable events and highlights:

a very successful first collaboration and co-creation with Danielle Forer, psychodramatist from the Psychodrama Institute of Melbourne; she led a variety of action warmups and sociometry, presented a didactic segment on roles in child and preadolescent development, and directed a social atom exploration, enactment of a "moment of spontaneous creativity," a Living Newspaper piece, a full group 'mini'-sociodrama and 2 evenings of personal psychodrama;

productive discussion with the Dhaka  University Clinical Psychology Chairman on the future relationship between BTTI and Dhaka U., particularly the development of curriculum in psychodrama and sociometry for Clinical Psychology graduate students;

extensive practice with Living Newspaper at Jahangirnagar University and Chittagong workshops, including a variation intended especially to promote communication and connections between rural villages;

as chief invited guest at a North/South University Student-led Forum on the place of psychosocial care in recovery from natural disasters, Herb led a spontaneous 20-minute sociodrama on the roles of persons affected by Cyclone Sidr (10/15/07);

meeting with UTSA Executive Director, Executive Council President and 2 Council members to discuss issues in the identity and development of BTTI, especially creating sufficient training and expertise for Bangladeshi;

"Model Sociometric BTTI Meeting" in the Chittagong workshop; to provide an example of ways to conduct an organization meeting and to explore issues using methods and principles of sociometry;

4 evenings of personal, psychodrama in Chittagong (after the daytime workshop session), with self-selected group of 8 - 10 experienced trainees; 2 sessions directed by Herb and 2 by Danielle.