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The Faculty for Social Wellbeng has long been contemplating creating an experience within the Faculty that is able to address 'self-reflection' and at the same time 'enhance the bonding' between us. The Faculty came to the conclusion that theatre will be able to respond to these needs and in fact is are launching two sessions of ‘Theatre for Professional Development and Wellbeing’ run by Mr Carmel Sammut and Mr Daniel Mercieca, two extremely competent professionals that will lead the sessions. There will be two workshops, one for academics and another one for administrators.  

Carmel and Daniel claim; ‘Theatre techniques, especially those related to the Theatre of the Oppressed can be and have been extensively utilised for the promotion of personal wellbeing within social contexts.  Such techniques, in the hands of professionally trained facilitators, lend themselves towards the cultivation of a reflective process aiming at enhancing a sense of cohesion, compassion and sense of identity within any group.... We will be drawing from Theatre of the Oppressed games and activities.  Since one of the facilitators is a qualified dramatherapist we will also be drawing from dramatherapy techniques especially in terms of ensuring a degree of psychological safety for all involved.  In terms of techniques we will initially propose generic group cohesion and creative games, moving on towards the group using the same techniques to flag and explore issues which seem relevant to participants.’ 

The objectives of the sessions are:

- to facilitate a safe, hands-on creative, group process within which participants will be able to:

· experience and reflect on how theatre techniques within a group experience can contribute towards personal and social well-being;

· engage in a creative, reflexive process regarding their role and experience as an administrator;

· explore how such experiences can be further developed and applied to address group dynamics and to promote self-reflexive processes.

 

The two, two and a half hour workshops will take place in November (Admin staff) and January (Academic staff)

Bios of Facilitators
Carmel Sammut was among the first students who graduated with a Theatre Studies component to his undergraduate degree from the University of Malta and went on to study theatre at the University of British Columbia (Canada) where he graduated with an MA in Theatre theory and practice. While studying in Canada, Carmel came in contact with practitioners like David Diamond (Theatre for Living (2008)) and Prof Jan Selman (University of Alberta, Canada) who introduced him to the works of Augusto Boal and histheatre arsenal of the Theatre of the Oppressed. This practice opened the way for Carmel’s instruction and participation in theatre workshops using Forum theatre and other drama techniques to utilise  theatre as an instrument of change in the community. He has used these techniques to great effect with students in schools where he has led workshops to address academic and personal issues among both students and teachers.

 

Carmel also trained as an actor at the Manoel Theatre Academy of Dramatic Arts and has participated and led several theatre workshops both locally and abroad. He has also acted in several local theatre and tv productions and also with foreign productions both in films and tv. He has taught drama for several years at local drama schools. Apart from being an actor, Carmel has also directed theatre productions both locally and abroad. He was also part of the group of experts who coordinated and wrote the local curriculum learning outcomes for drama to set the standards for the subject area in local schools.

Presently, Carmel is a senior lecturer at the University of Malta Junior College where he lectures in English literature and language. He is also reading for a PhD with the University of Kent (UK) and researching embodied readerly immersion through practice-based research using applied theatre. His research is intended to shed more light in how an embodied approach to literature can enable students to have a better understanding of a literary text.

 

Daniel Mercieca trained at the University of Hertfordshire (UK) and presently works as an HCPC (UK) registered dramatherapist in the context of out-of-home care and in private practice.  Dramatherapy is a unique form of psychotherapy in which creativity, play, movement, voice, storytelling, dramatization and the performance arts have a central position within the therapeutic relationship.  (HCPC (UK) Standards of Proficiency, 2012, p.15).

Within the area of out of home care, Daniel set up and coordinated a trans-disciplinary therapeutic team and has also contributed towards national research projects.  He also worked in community development where he set up forum theatre projects within different communities.

Daniel lectures on a part-time basis at the University of Malta and is one of the founder members of the Creative Arts Therapies Society in Malta. He is also a member on the National Institute for Childhood within the President’s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society where he used “theatre of the oppressed” techniques within a project investigating young person’s perspectives on bullying.  Having completed training in integrative relational supervision at the European Centre for Psychotherapeutic Studies, Daniel offers supervision to health care professionals alongside support group facilitation to professionals in education and social care. For the past 7 years he has also contributed to MEDAC’s Human Rights Summer School by offering workshops on the use of theatre for human rights education. 

At present Daniel is undertaking PhD research on children's views of psychotherapy at the Institute of Education, University College London.  He has contributed to the book Dramatherapy with Children, Young People and Schools: Enabling Creativity, Sociability, Communication and Learning (2012) and has presented at a number of conferences both locally and abroad.