Discovering the Self Through Drama and Movement: The Sesame Approach

This is the first detailed account of the theory and practice of the Sesame Method, which was created by Marian Lindkvist 30 years ago, as it has evolved and been handed down experientially. It is now taught at the Central School of Speech and Drama; many of the contributors are current or former teachers at the school, or are Sesame trained therapists working in the field.

The book aims to define the work of Sesame in terms of the theories upon which it is based and the method which puts these theories to use in practice in a variety of client groups. The reader is invited to enter imaginatively into the experiences of body, movement, voice, myth and ritual, and to be a witness as others explore this medium. Experts in the field spell out the theoretical base of Sesame work in its different aspects: in movement, drama, voice, myth ritual and Jungian psychological theory.

Finally the contributors describe how they use the method through therapy sessions and workshops in the community with various clients, from people with physical and learning disabilities to children who have been abused and people in prisons.

As well as presenting an overview of Sesame, this book will inspire readers to a rediscovery of the joys of self-expression through dance, movement and drama, through the transformative nature of the Sesame experience.