FreeDOM

Aims of the practice and description of participants -	A group of 10 people who are suffering from homelessness and disability, following by the Municipal Social Welfare Center in Gdynia – Poland. -	Enhance people who are removed from the mainstream of social life and absent from official discourse to be socially rehabilitate by expressing themselves through acting and to make them aware of their creative potential.

Resources, Materials needed -	Cooperation with a Theater such as the Gdynia Glowna Theater. -	A comfortable place with a housing atmosphere and “climate of mystery” such as the Culture Consulate in Gdynia. -	Facilitators such as theater animators (i.e., scriptwriters, body movement teacher, acting teacher) and psychotherapists.

Duration 4 months.

Step-by-step - what has to be done? The practice is based on an informal approach in which stakeholders are taking part: 1. Scripts workshops (7 classes by 2 hours during the first month) during which participants have the chance to learn the principles of creating theater scenarii and building dramaturgy based on their own stories. For instance, the facilitator introduced the participants to the theory of writing and dealing with history, and then exercises in pairs, improvisation exercises in various situations and chosen places (eg escape room), tasks to tell different stories: the funniest, the most difficult, etc. Writing was a barrier for some participants who lost their patience in carrying out this task. Creation of the hero, his features and vicissitudes involved the participants very much. 2. Acting and movements workshops (7 classes by 2 hours during the second month). On the one hand, the movements workshops enhanced participants to practice exercise with a ball in pair in order to break body contact. On the other hand, acting workshops consisted in improvisations and abstract exercises with animal sounds. During it, a lot of participants closed in on themselves for fear of doing something stupid/ridiculous, or because they had a problem with repeating the sequence of movements that had to be remembered. 3. Rehearsal time for the performance (2 weekly workshops during the two last months). 4. Premiere of the performance “Escape World” in which participants have the possibility to use their learning skills. Moreover, due to its eloquence and aesthetic dimension, it is a tool of integration, enabling the meeting of creators and viewers. During the performance, visual effects, music and video material were used. One of the participants was responsible of the rhythm of the performance.

Learning Outcomes - which skills are addressed? -	Team-working and hierarchy of goals. -	Creativity, curiosity, concentration and sense of responsibility (e.g., learning a text by heart, remembering a movement sequence, be ready for the final presentation). -	Empathy and self-expression. -	Ability to express one’s own needs.

How do you check the outcomes are reached? -	Breaking barriers. -	Motivation to change. -	Acquiring the ability to identify one’s own hobby. -	Undertaking work on weakening defense mechanisms. -	Shaping the ability to perceive one’s own resources. -	Forming a new identity. -	Taking part of the project become a source of proud.