Based on Jacob Moreno’s technique of the future projection in psychodrama, Adaline Starr (1977) introduced the term, ‘Rehearsal for Living’. Her idea was that individuals could develop more effective functioning in specific situations of their lives by rehearsing that functioning beforehand in a psychodramatic enactment.
Role training applies role theory and psychodrama techniques to bring about progressive role development in specific contexts. It is therefore ideally suited to rehearsing life situations because it provides a structure whereby a protagonist can set out a challenging scenario from their life on the psychodrama stage, develop a fresh perspective, warm up to spontaneous action and enact a new response or role that meets that scenario more adequately. Spontaneity lies at the heart of this work, emerging in the here and now as the protagonist relates to the situation unencumbered by habitual responses from the past and meets the new moment with immediacy and vitality. It is a rehearsal for life.
In this workshop, we will bring the modality of role training to rehearsal for life. Over two days, you will have the opportunity to develop a new role response to a situation in your own life. as well as develop your abilities to conduct a role training session for someone else’s rehearsal for life. There will be a focus on:
· Bringing the scenario to life through the development of a psychodramatic enactment.
· Paying attention to the relationship system that is impacting on the situation.
· Identifying critical moments when spontaneity is lost.
· Engaging the group members in assessing or mirroring the protagonist’s functioning in a way that promotes their spontaneity.
· Engaging the group members in generating options through experimentation and playfulness.
This workshop is suitable for people who want to apply role training in their work as educators, coaches, trainers, therapists and group workers. Those new to psychodrama will learn about the method from immersion in the role training process and through participating in the discussions that follow. People with experience in psychodrama and advanced trainees will have opportunities for supervised practice.