The Theatre Arts Training Program aims to address the need for professional training programs designed for people with developmental disabilities. Like the rest of us, people with developmental disabilities aspire to fulfill themselves professionally, acquire skills, learn and develop. In order to provide our members with this experience, the Kamah Association, in collaboration with HaMila Theatre in Kibbutz Harduf, has launched in 2009 a unique three-year training program for developmentally disabled adults interested in the stage and theater arts.
The project is based on our strong belief in the therapeutic power of the theatrical experience: through work with text, music and movement, members can connect with and process emotions in a positive way. The uplifting artistic experience and the empowering experience of performing in front of an audience are also central to the therapeutic value of the project.
The members of the program dedicate two full days of their week for theoretical and hands-on classes in acting, singing, costume and set design, and the history of theater. During the course, participants produce solo and group performances: In 2010 the theatre students produced “Chelm” and the puppet show “Animal Stories”. In 2011 they put on “Ophelia’s Shadow Theatre”.
The first class of the Theatre Arts Training Program consists of 6 members of the Beit Elisha community. In the future, we hope to expand the project to persons with developmental disabilities who do not live at Beit Elisha. At the end of their studies, graduates will become part of a working theatre ensemble. Based at Harduf, they will produce one play each year and take it on tour throughout Israel, performing as a touring theatre in schools, community centers and theaters.
The program is run by Eitan Kalmanovich, graduate of the Speech and Drama Seminar. Kalmanovich is an actor, director and an experienced drama therapist.
The Theatre Arts Training Program provides persons with disabilities with an empowering experience and helps them become their own advocates in changing attitudes in the Israeli society and contribute to a more diverse public sphere.
