Applied Theatre in Practising Integrated Approaches: Movement and voice as connecting expressions

The project ATIPIA (Applied Theatre in Practising Integrated Approaches: Movement and voice as connecting expressions) was a new European partnership with the main idea to share the concept and different practices of applied theatre on a wider European level. It had an innovative quality by incorporating unique nonverbal, embodied performative techniques of voice, movement and body-awareness into the field of theatre education for adult educators and elderly target groups. The idea of the project emerged from the need identified in the region of the coordinating organization (Shoshin Theatre Association). In Romania the afore mentioned different theatre techniques represented in this case by the participating partners: Káva Drama/Theatre in Education Association (Hungary), Leeds Beckett University and Teresa Brayshaw (UK), Colaborative Reichenow (Germany), Roy Hart International Arts Centre (France), are not known by the adult educators or by the potential beneficiaries. Moreover the experienced partners wanted to learn and experiment with new techniques. The project was constructed based on these principles with the following objectives: to have common trainings hosted by each partner, in order to learn and experiment with each other’s techniques, and through these to have by the end of the project a combined set of tools which was tried out with a civil elderly target group. In case of the coordinating organization as a result a team of adult educators were also formed who participated on the trainings and can continue to incorporate these methods into their work in the local region.Accordingly with the project’s objectives we held five joint staff trainings: one in each partner's country. The first four served as a profound meeting of the partners and their methods. The partners took turns in leading and participating in the trainings, giving space for everybody. Each training was led by the hosting organization, the others participating in the sessions. The visits were supplemented by tours in the local organizations facilities in order to meet the local circumstances and culture. The last one held in Cluj-Napoca was a complex training led collectively by the partners to the civil target group. One longer training was also scheduled where two members of the coordinating organization visited Leeds Beckett University to acquire techniques and methodologies through intense training used by the establishment in the field of education, active aging, movement awareness and different performative styles. The two members were able to meet a number of diverse local and regional groups and/or initiatives active in the field of participatory theatre. During the joint staff trainings 38 different adult educators from the five participating organizations were involved, many of them participated on several trainings. These participants formed the first target group of the project: beginner or professional adult educators from the field of applied theatre. On the final joint staff training the second target group was addressed by the coordinating organization: seven 60+ elderly participants from Cluj-Napoca who participated in the one-week long workshop. This session was ended with a public presentation of the work the partners prepared during the week. There were present approximately 30 people who were interested in applied theatre or came from other areas such as social workers. The first few trainings prepared the adult educators in terms of the techniques and the partnership in terms of collaboration for the final training where the verbal, non-verbal and body awareness techniques complemented each other and they proven to be beneficial to the elderly participants on physical and mental level as well. The community we formed during the project cooperated well and made strong connections with the elderly participants. As a result, maintaining a longer impact, the local community from Cluj-Napoca will continue to meet and work together with the coordinating organization and its adult educators on a regular basis. During the 13 months of the project there were three organizational mobility meetings: in the beginning, in the mid-term and towards the end of the project. During these 18 different people have participated from the organizations. The last mobility meeting in Budapest also gave space for presenting all the outcomes of the project for 12 interested from the field of theatre. Four outcomes were completed: a documentary film about the activities, three articles about the trainings, two research papers and the open test programme with a public work demonstration. As a conclusion, ATIPIA experimented on a new adult education form, which on a long term perspective leads to the search for new educational methods. The present project was a preparation of the future vision of ATIPIA 2, a two year-long innovative strategic partnership.