Dramatherapy and violence against women

In this chapter, the author summarises eight years of her experience as a dramatherapist, working with violence against women in different settings, countries and cultures. Throughout this journey just as violence against women is a cross-cultural occurrence, dramatherapy too is cross-cultural tools that can help to raise awareness, combat, and heal the wounds of this problem. The reasons for this are varied and may be clear to those who are familiar with dramatherapy. They have to do with dramatherapy’s ability to provide a safe distance from events which are, by any standards, too close. Theatre and drama exercises were used throughout the creative process, and the dramatherapy approach served the purpose of incorporating personal material. Referring to the measure of success in a therapeutic piece, Renee Emunah points out that a dramatherapy production should not only concentrate on the personal achievement of the performers, but also aim at attaining theatrical excellence.