About Dramatool

An International meeting point for drama, theatre and education

The Dramatool is a meeting point for us who are interested in how drama/theatre could be used as a tool for change. The Dramatool is a world wide network where you can express the variety within the field of drama/theatre. Our target groups and also the producers of this site are those who work with Drama and Theatre facing a troubled world. It is usually the grassroot practitioners that would benefit from an exchange and cooperation. Knowing there are thousands of practitioners working to improve the conditions of other people, the possibility to network, share and coordinate will hopefully empower us.

Our vision:

Empowerment of drama and theatre practitioners through networking

We exist!

With respect to the fact that there are a lot of practitioners around the world that work with empowerment issues using Drama/Theatre as a Tool for Change, there is a need for collegial exchange and networking amongst us.

The technique exists!

The Internet allows a lot of possibilities to administer a multiplicity of collegial exchange. The technical possibilities in administering an international network based on various practitioners, has never been as favorable as they are today. The computer can store and handle an endless amount of experience with no internal preference. But technique does not automatically lead to a successful cooperation and collegial exchange.

Chatting with colleagues on the Internet does not necessary lead to a change in mind neither does a cultural exchange which is the necessary lead to a collegial learning. Sometimes the opposite might be the outcome. "That was a boring play and what a lack of dramaturgy" or "Well; that was an impressive stage prop but what on earth was the message?"

First of all-equality

In the Dramatool we strive to create prerequisites for an international exchange, such as: mutual equality, a networking culture including a networking outlook upon knowledge and an adapted networking technology. First of all - equality. Experiences from previous international collegial exchange have shown that this is not always the case. A genuine equal meeting between two different contexts is rare. On the Dramatool we say we do not just want exchange; we want change: Dramatool for a change.

What is a networking Culture?

The possibility to share information that could lead to knowledge was one of the basic principals that the Internet was built upon. The network is based on different nodes that can communicate with each other. The communication goes on in all different directions, compared with a traditional organisation where the one-way-flow of information is more common. The information "the what is considered necessary to know", or values is usually distributed from the top and downwards. In a network it is different as all the existing nodes are free to communicate. And what is "considered necessary to know" is therefore a question for everybody involved in the network. The knowledge is endless and different. The values are not fixed so rating what is considered top and bottom is more difficult. Our assumption on the nature of knowledge is based on endlessness - then sharing it with others will not reduce it.

Problematic international exchange

The meeting between technique and needs for international exchange are not an unproblematic encounter. If technique is not actually meeting the needs of the practitioners then of course it will appear rather useless. To many drama practitioners the meeting with the technique is really a meeting with the unknown. Providing enough knowledge for all involved in the administrative parts of Dramatool is therefore an important prerequisite. In order to adopt the technique to our needs as practitioners we have to have a critical amount of knowledge on how the technique operates.