Theater and Alzheimer: a laboratory of life and communication

The advantages of research and in-depth study in the theatrical field in relation to the territory are many. In this sense, the Academy often puts on workshops with the aim of developing some aspects and problems of our social life by applying theatrical specificities in different areas.

This was the case for the Asperger’s syndrome as well as for the reality of migration that, in addition to a documented essay, resulted in a directing project for the diploma work carried out by the students of the third year of the Bachelor. These are faces of a single medal that analyze our everyday life, communication in our social life with the help of theatrical practice. Next year the director Volker Hesse will stage a show with the students of the last year of training dedicating it to a very sensitive topic such as senile degenerative dementia or more commonly known as Alzheimer’s.
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Very common among the elderly, Alzheimer’s often begins to manifest itself with difficulty in remembering recent events, the so-called short-term memory. But there are also other symptoms: disorientation, sudden changes in mood, depression, inability to take care of oneself or problems related to social behavior, from empathy to the ability to establish relationships. These are all signs that gradually impair mental abilities to the point of personality obliteration. But what are dementias and how to recognize them? Who is the person with Alzheimer’s and to what extent do they retain self-awareness? What is left of them? How do they manage their emotions, relationships with others? To what extent does the use of the body become important and how can theater and dance become tools of knowledge, care and well-being? Last but not least: can this disease, this degenerative process be transformed into a project of well-being through theatrical pedagogy?

The Café Philo meetings curated by Giorgio Thoeni resume with an appointment during which we try to formulate answers and anticipate projects centered on a delicate and complex topic thanks to the contributions of our guests:

Rita Pezzati, psychologist and psychotherapist, professor of Psychology of Aging at SUPSI, member of the Alzheimer’s Committee of Ticino and president of GINCO (Gruppo Invecchiamento Consapevole).

Nunzia Tirelli, artist with extensive experience working in the field of dance and theater, both as a dancer and as a teacher with workshops of movement therapy and movement analysis.
Since 2013 she has been promoting and organizing the Laban Event at Monte Verità and since 2018 she has been a member of the federal jury for the Swiss Dance Prize.