newsletter

Members of Dramatherapy

Scotland Executive are:

* Maggie Morgan - Chairperson

* Genevieve Smyth - Secretary

* Elinor Vettraino - Treasurer/Link Person

Please contact E.Vettraino if you want to contribute to this group - all help v. welcome!

Apologies for the lateness of this issue, however, here it is in technicolour glory! This issue contains information on how some of our members are doing and also brief write-ups of Playback training at Dundee’s Rep Theatre and the latest SATF event. Read on and enjoy!

Elinor

On Saturday 22 January, the third SATF event kicked

off with John Lane, artist and author of several texts

including ‘The Living Tree - Art and the Sacred’. John

spoke to the group (which consisted of 54 SATF

members from all over Scotland) about the changing

nature of art and how a lack of soul in art has led to

its meaning being lost on the generation of artists and

followers today. He felt that we have turned away from

art for the community and by the community and instead

are individualistic in our search for beauty and

spirituality (both of which he believes are not to be seen

in the art of today). It was a very insightful presentation

which raised more questions that it answered.

Dr Ann Cattanach led the afternoon discussion on the

use of Play Therapy with young people. Her talk was a

fantastic insight into the tragic and sometimes humorous

world of Play Therapy, highlighting the wonderful

benefits of such an intrinsically natural form of therapy.

Ann’s work is based around the Social Construction

model in that each individual has stories to tell about

themselves which frame their perceptions of their own

being as well as the world around them. It is from this

basis that she works. Overall, it was a brilliant day with

much thought provoking discussions. Elinor.

News from Sara Anderson training at

Roehampton Institute where she will finish in July.

I am interested in developing work in these areas:

* facilitating rituals for individuals and groups based on my course experience.

* dramatherapy at a creative expressive level as opposed to a therapeutic level, with adults with learning disabilities.

* facilitating general workshops on ritual, myth, fairy tales and story making (I am running an 8 week course aimed at the general public titled ‘Self Exploration through Creativity and Ritual’)

* ritual theatre/para-theatre workshops in the outdoors/sacred sites.

* using my dramatherapy skills in a business environment (I have a business related degree).

I am also travelling to India to get involved in some dramatherapy projects, so

any contacts? Let me know! Sara. A.