ABSTRACT:

In Hungary, the first sociodrama training came into existence in 2022 in two parallel groups. The training aimed to integrate the sociodrama experience already present at MPE and the knowledge derived from the Performers international project.
Along with this, the sociodrama scene in Hungary has become more vibrant: the first generation of trainers and assistants began working with the method in various institutions, communities, formal and informal settings.

Our main areas:

• We launched a sociodrama training in Budapest.
• We created an accredited teacher training program in collaboration with Budapest University of Technology and Economics and Radnóti Theater.
• In higher education, we have been regularly holding courses with sociodrama for changing the mindset of future intellectuals for over 8 years. Additionally, we introduced sociodrama as a research method in legal education and in a doctoral school at the Faculty of Social Sciences at ELTE University.
• In collaboration with Lutheran church groups, we initiated the processing of topics such as LGBTQ identity and belonging to religious communities, as well as verbal abuse within the church community through sociodrama.
• We created participatory theater performances with various civil groups addressing public issues.

During the workshops, we focus on specific areas according to the participants’ needs – in dramatic form. We welcome all new cultural perspectives and look forward to enriching debates!

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:

ABSTRACT:

When we launched our training program in the fall of 2022, the shadow of the status law loomed over teachers’ heads (a law recently introduced in Hungary that further restricted the mobility and personal rights of teachers) and some were even involved in protests or seeking alternative employment. School faculties were fragmented, and students were learning from home. In the midst of these uncertain times, we were unsure if there was a demand for yet another training program, but we sensed a need for support. Therefore, we organized workshops, and to our surprise, the available slots were filled within days.

Our 60-hour accredited teacher training program, held under such circumstances, had two main objectives. Firstly, to introduce teachers to the concept and approach of sociodrama, enabling them to bring this perspective into their schools. Secondly, to provide educators with straightforward action-method techniques that they can apply in their daily work when addressing disengaged and seemingly powerless adolescents or when attempting to make the often traditional lessons relevant to contemporary youth.

What made this training unique was our collaboration with the Radnóti Theater in Budapest, which provided an opportunity to bridge the gap between the artistic experience and students, who are mostly trained on fast-paced digital cultural products.

In our workshop, we demonstrate how to engage and motivate high school students through sociodrama. The workshop uses a scene from a play as a starting point, illustrating how sociodramatic exercises can be integrated to address questions and issues that resonate with students.

Participation in the workshop provides ideas on how to:
-make students more active in the classroom.
-educate students in critical thinking.
-increase their empathy.
-boost their self-confidence.
-awaken students’ creativity.
-process issues that affect them through a theater performance.

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:

ABSTRACT:

Radnóti Miklós Színház is one of the most prestigious theatres in Hungary. Its repertoire https://radnotiszinhaz.hu/bemutatok/ and its theatre education activities through its sociodramatic approach reflect a sensitivity to social issues in Hungary. The 2022-24 campaign drew attention on fourteen important issues on the national level https://radnotiszinhaz.hu/14-ugy/

Since 2020 Radnóti Színház also offers participatory theatre https://radnotiszinhaz.hu/rim/radnoti-youth-workshop/
These performances are not created by professional actors but by everyday, civilian people, and as a result of an eagerness to play and create, a commitment to social issues and a desire to belong to a community. The previous shows elaborated on the following themes: How can we handle the burden of social expectations? How can we use theatre as a collective social memory in public spaces? How can we, disabled and non disabled adults promote the vision of future integration?

The participatory theatre programmes of the 2023/24 season focus on the theme of generation gaps. High school students engage with adults aged over 60 in the creative process. The two generations set off separately by getting to know each other and later merge as an inter-generational group. The project is based on the novel ‘Momo’, chosen by the highschoolers: the primary focuses are the relationship with time and manipulability.

The workshop will also serve as the public presentation of the season’s work. In this event we invite participants to step into the story and reflect on the given themes together with us.

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS: