The piece, autobiographical, covers the tragic reality of metaphors to be able to say "the personal and the collective, the private and the intimate"
We are not made of atoms
rather, of story particles
The Autobiographical Theater project as a tool to fight against vulnerability, is presented under the acronym ATENEA and financed by the Erasmus+ Program and coordinated by the Valencian NGO Associació Àmbit. Good practice based on a theater methodology developed by the director Domingo Ferrandis for the group of the Associació Àmbit, people who live with some mental illness, some ex-prisoners and with dual pathology « addiction together with mental disorder”. Actresses and actors from the Ámbit Association group, the staff who attend them, including its director Javier Vilalta and director Domingo himself, staged the autobiographical piece by its own members A world apart inside the world, from which ATENEA was born, with the scenic objective of "raising awareness, making visible and raising awareness about mental health" premiered on March 13, 2019 in the Sala Inestable, Valencia, Spain, within the programming of the Festival 10 Sentidos, beast edition (2019) sponsored by Fundación Bancaja.
ATENEA, is the «dissemination» of said methodology to treat, raise awareness and eliminate other stigmas.
If no one is left out, the pieces fit together, but if even one person is left out, humanity falls apart. The coronavirus gave me the solution. Everything is connected.
Humanity is connected!
Plug "A world apart inside the world"
We are memory, experiential and social particles interconnected by the same molecules; memories, duels, desires, joys, fears, love, suffering, needs, passions... everything that gives mass to the human tessellation.
The Autobiographical Theater metabolizes narratives of authentic experiences of the cast, some tragic that involve their lives and their daily relationships, and where fiction becomes «not only a pedagogical method of citizen awareness» Something even more molecular «the empowerment of the psyche and the stigma». Generate coping mechanisms, adaptation as social independence..
Raise awareness, make stigma visible, put vulnerability, prejudices and limiting beliefs into aesthetic plasticity, promoting a disruptive change in stereotypes using theater as an incentive for inclusion initiatives.
The ATENEA project aims to promote social inclusion by accompanying vulnerable groups in "repair, recovery and reinsertion" in their daily lives to help them have a "life project" achieve dreams "work, self-esteem and autonomy" be happy and integrated in society, using autobiographical theatre.
The dream
The reason why ATENEA was born, which is the use of Autobiographical Theater to address different stigmas and/or vulnerabilities, is the result of an illusion motivated by Domingo. Whose dream was to be able to use this powerful scenic artistic resource and with such good positive results with its participants in other people. This illusion was achieved thanks to the help in the co-writing of the designer Ana María Solís, the support of Àmbit and the opportunity given by the Spanish Agency.
Today that illusion has materialized into a physical reality and we can enjoy 6 fictional stories based on the realities of 6 stigmas and 6 partner countries: Vilnius, Lithuania; Lecco, Italy; Berlin, Germany; Kalamata, Greece; Novo Mesto, Slovenia and Valencia, Spain. That they have been seen together at the Autobiographical Theater Festival that took place in July 2022 in Valencia, Spain. Where the attending public was able to enjoy a relaxed discussion with the companies - their actresses and actors - and the partners of the consortium.
For this reason, ATENEA wants to make available to society the Autobiographical Theater Methodology, guides, resources and dramatic tools to use in vulnerable groups, repair the stigma so that its members recover their routines, hobbies and relationships. With “two objectives” the first, to accompany them in overcoming their stigma, and the second, the relationship with other people from other stigmatized groups.
The Mental Health program proposed by Domingo was achieved through the achievement of phases that decided to assemble them, thus the Methodology of the Autobiographical Theater «9 chained steps» was born.
1. Trust, create the right environment for them to want to be and express themselves.
2. Stories, that comfort provided them with the ideal intimacy to recount passages of their lives.
3. Transcription, collect all those life stories and save them.
4. Investigate, inquire about what they had told us.
5. Narrative, transform all the real information into a dramatic text, that is, go from reality to fiction.
6. Aesthetics, once we had the scenic argument, we began to design the atmospheres; music, lighting, costumes, props, etc.
7. Theater, staging with the public.
8. Colloquium, after the performance, cast and audience spoke about the stories that the piece makes visible.
9. Disseminate, diffuse and replicate good theatrical practice, which is ATENEA, and invite other groups that need to tell their stories.
ATENEA worked the methodology with the 6 groups and 6 stigmas:
-Ex-prisoners with mental health problems;
-People with mental health problems;
-Women facing geographic barriers;
-Women in search of their professional path;
-Long-term unemployed;
-Asylum seekers/refugees.
The LTTA are the activities carried out by Domingo Ferrandis to implement the Autobiographical Theater Methodology, which concentrated the 9 phases: 1. Trust; 2. Stories; 3. Transcription; 4. Research; 5. Narrative; 6. Aesthetics; 7. Theater; 8. Colloquium; 9. Dissemination; in 3 phases to fit the methodology to the three meetings;
-First, LTTA Confianza in Valencia, Spain, from September 26 to 30;
- Second, LTTA Narrative in Kalamata, Greece, from October 21 to 25;
- Third, LTTA Estética in Lecco, Italy, from November 18 to 22.
After the formation of Autobiographical Theater lasted more than a year, each group co-creating its scenic piece with the help of a director or stage director. The premieres were on different dates so that they did not coincide and the rest of the components of the ATENEA project could attend each performance.
The result was 6 scenic pieces
1. Power and vulnerability of refugee women. Partner: Euro-Med Youth Federation e. V. Berlin, Germany.
2. The Puzzle. Partner: k.A.NE. Social Youth Department, Kalamata, Greece.
3. Frammenti e Futuro. Partner: The Cultures, Lecco, Italy.
4. One way ticket. Partner: DRPD., Novo Mesto, Slovenia.
5. When I breathe, I think of you. Partner: ENTRI, Vilnius, Lithuania.
6. A world apart inside the world. Partner: Àmbit, Valencia, Spain. Six cultural bubbles for social inclusion, where situations of silence that encapsulate lives and ways to get out of them were reported, offering tools to return to everyday life.
The 6 scenic pieces could be seen together at the Mostra ATENEA, the first AUTOBIOGRAPHIC THEATER FESTIVAL to address vulnerability and break the stigma. Performing arts for social inclusion. The Festival was held in Valencia, Spain, on June 24 - 27, 2022 and was organized by the NGO Asociación Àmbit, directed by Domingo Ferrandis, and managed by Ana María Solís, Enrique Salas, Eva Tormo and the director of the NGO Valencia Javier Vilalta. The Supported by Ayuntamiento Valencia and the Generalitat Valenciana through Arts Inclusives.
The impact on the ATENEA participants has been better than we expected. as the indicators reveal. For a beautiful, self-sufficient, dignified and pleasant life, without the burden of stigma.
ÀMBIT team coordinator of the ATENEA project, Vàlencia, Spain
Director Àmbit: Javier Vilalta coordinator: Ana María Solís
Management: Enrique Salas - Eva Tormo
Director: Domingo Ferrandis
PARTNERS
DRPDNM (Novo Mesto, Slovenia) People with mental health problems
EMYF (Berlin, Germany) Women facing geographical barriers
ENTRI (Vilnius, Lithuania) Women in search of their professional path
K.A.NE (Kalamata, Greece) Long-term unemployed
Les Cultures (Lecco, Italy) Asylum seekers/refugees
