Preventing Harassment through Physical Theatre

A practice-based and theoretical research path aimed at developing awareness and empathy on the issue of sexual harassment in the school environment

The project “Preventing Harassment through Physical Theatre”, promoted by the research department of the Accademia Dimitri, responds to the growing need to address the issue of sexual and sexist harassment in schools and universities through activities of information, awareness, and training. It originates in Italian-speaking Switzerland and is aimed in particular at students, school and university staff, but also at a broader audience interested in the topics and outreach activities proposed.

The project develops through an informative and workshop-based pathway characterized by an experiential, participatory, and non-moralizing approach. It is grounded in practices of physical theatre and body awareness that foster a better perception of one’s body and sensations, opening perspectives on the themes of sharing and boundaries in relationships. The goal is to cultivate greater awareness and the ability to reflect on personal and interpersonal dynamics, while providing tools to interpret and deal with critical situations in the context of harassment prevention.

The proposed working method is interdisciplinary and, by emphasizing the complementarity between practice and theory, starts from a clear assumption: physical theatre can be a tool that stimulates awareness and empathy, and is capable of fostering changes in mindset and sensitivity regarding the issue of harassment.

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The project “Preventing Harassment through Physical Theatre” was launched as a pilot initiative in 2023. In 2024, it entered its first experimental phase with 11 workshops carried out in collaboration with CPT – Centro professionale tecnico di Lugano Trevano, DFA – SUPSI, and the SUPSI Gender & Diversity Service. In 2025, following a phase of monitoring and data collection, a follow-up plan was developed, leading to a new experimental phase.

The research program foresees a new cycle of workshops in collaboration with the same institutions but involving new classes and target groups, for a total of 24 sessions, running from November 2025 to April 2026.

For info about the workshops: accademiadimitri@supsi.ch