24rd International Summer Conference 2026
Theatre & Therapy
June 3 – 6, 2026
Bringing life forces into play
– Attitude and craft in the tension fields of theatre therapy practice
The roots of theatre therapy reach deep into cultural and human history – to the original healing powers of theatre, to ritual and community-building forms in which expression, healing and social order were intertwined. At the same time, theatre therapy is a relatively young discipline within today’s therapeutic landscape. In Germany, it has become increasingly widespread only in recent decades.
Theatre therapists often introduce their work into existing professional fields for the first time. In doing so, they represent the specific potential of theatre therapy and take a position — through both their professional expertise and personal attitude — within systems shaped by other therapeutic approaches. Theatre therapy opens up a unique perspective, especially in institutional contexts: it creates a possibility space beyond everyday life – a playing field that can be both inviting and unsettling. It shifts the focus from the problem or symptom to the whole person with their resources and individual attempts at solutions. It provides a framework for the chaos from within something new can emerge. Theatre therapy brings people’s creative, competent and knowing sides into play and creates a safe space in which wounded parts of themselves can connect with their own life forces. Theatre therapy creates connections: to one’s own body, to other people and to realms of experience that transcend the here and now – such as myths, dreams, stories and the more-than-human nature.
With its specific potential, theatre therapy practice – depending on the respective field of work – operates in a variety of areas of tension: between artistic-therapeutic autonomy and institutional adaptation, between the dynamics of individual processes and the structural limitations of the respective framework, and between an understanding of therapy focused on the individual and the collective dimension that transcends the personal, which has been inherent in theatre since its inception.
These areas of tension require theatre therapists to adopt a reflective attitude, to continuously reposition themselves within the respective system, and to engage in an inner process that nourishes their own vitality, thus creating a space in which people can experience connections to themselves and beyond themselves, and can revitalise their resources and life forces.
This year’s Summer Academy focuses specifically on what this can mean for theatre therapy practice: What helps to address these areas of tension in our work? What strengthens the attitude and role of theatre therapists, especially in a multi-professional context? How can the craft be expanded and deepened in order to utilise the diverse possibilities of theatre therapy in one’s own way? And how can the forces of life be continually nourished?
In order to tailor the programme to the different situations and needs of the participants, an expanded concept was developed for this year’s Summer Academy:
- Masterclasses are aimed at theatre therapists who have completed their professional training and offer inspiration for their current therapeutic work and for exploring their dramatherapeutic attitude. Participation is possible from the fourth year of ITT professional training programme or from the seventh semester of the bachelor’s degree programme in theatre therapy. The masterclasses are designed to last one day, so that two masterclasses can be attended.
- Workshops are open to all interested persons and provide an opportunity for in-depth exploration of the respective topics over two days.
Saturday marks the joint conclusion of the Summer Academy: insights from workshops and masterclasses provide an overview of the work processes of the past two days, while lectures by our international guests Amani Mussa, Susana Pendzik, Salvo Pitruzzella and Anna Seymour shed light on central aspects of the topic from different theoretical perspectives. The subsequent reflection explores how attitude and craft can be further developed in the areas of tension in theatre therapy practice in order to continually bring life forces into play.
Further information:
Conference Address
Akademie der Kulturellen Bildung des Bundes und des Landes NRW e.V.
Küppelstein 34
42857 Remscheid
Organizers
Institut für Theatertherapie (ITT)
www.theatertherapie.org
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Theatertherapie e.V. (DGfT)
www.dgft.de
Overall direction, conception, program
Daniela Debald und Ilil Land-Boss
debald@theatertherapie.org, land-boss@theatertherapie.org
Registration and information
Martina Hoffmann-Seidel
Tel. +49 (0)152 38501660
hoffmann-seidel@theatertherapie.org
On-site management
Klaus Wührl-Struller
Tel. +49 (0)170 7580780
kws@dr-eulenspiegel.de
Informationenon the venue and how to get there
https://kulturellebildung.de/information/der-tagungsort/