Macau’s Comuna de Pedra (“Stone Community”) said in a recent statement that it held two online drama therapy workshops, featuring two experts from the United States Christina Lewis and Jason Butler, to promote “art therapy” in the local community.
Comuna de Pedra was established in 1996 as a non-profit cultural and artistic organisation. Since then, it has been focusing on physical and dance theatre productions. The organisation also produces art projects such as art exhibitions, festivals and cross-cultural collaborative programmes. The statement added that the organisation had been advocating “art therapy” for six years to the local community.
According to the statement, Lewis, a drama therapist and professional clown, hosted in August “The Story of My Clown” drama therapy workshop which led participants into using a clown’s persona to play freely and “ridiculously” so that the participants could develop the courage to be embarrassed, disliked, and eventually learn to embrace themselves and face their dark side with humour.
Meanwhile, the statement said that Butler, also a drama therapist, hosted in October “Play is the Medicine: drama therapy online workshop.” The statement said research has shown that play and spontaneity are extremely useful qualities to be cultivated by anyone, adding that Butler introduced theories of play and engaged participants in collaborative, playful exploration based on a method in drama therapy called “Developmental Transformations” (DvT).
