Innovations in drama therapy: a discussion with Wits DFL alumni Drama Therapists around innovations in their practice
Bandile Seleme
Bandile Seleme is an Afrikan Intersectional Feminist- interested in how drama therapy may be applied from an African perspective to achieve social transformation and justice through critical reflexivity and praxis. As the current Psychosocial Programme Manager at Lawyers against abuse, she supports survivors of gender-based violence and child abuse to navigate the justice system by fostering emotional capacity and social re-integration. She is also a board director for Baratang Initiative- providing trauma-informed interventions at schools.
Welma De Beer
Welma de Beer is a lecturer, teacher, facilitator, actress, writer, director, producer, and drama therapist. She has a MA in Applied Drama, she also completed her MA Drama Therapy degree at Drama for Life, Wits and is a HPCSA registered drama therapist. Currently her interest lies in education, focussing on addressing trauma’s impact on the physical, psychological, and cognitive development of learners. Her PhD dissertation focuses on finding a drama therapy training model: innovating and implementing a healing centred, professional development programme for teachers to address trauma and build resilience in South African schools.
Her experience includes working in various fields; from scriptwriting and research for television and theatre productions, to producing, directing, and acting in productions ranging from television series to more serious theatre productions, cabarets, musicals, children’s theatre, industrial and developmental theatre. Her scope includes television, puppetry, storytelling, music, drama, dance, and drama therapy.
Rozaane Myburgh
Rozanne Myburgh is an arts therapist specialising in drama therapy, registered through HPCSA (Health Professions Council of South Africa). She is the managing director at Lefika La Phodiso Community Art Counselling and Training Institute. She started working at Lefika La Phodiso in 2016 as the training coordinator, where she was responsible for supervision and training and involved in various national community projects and participatory research interventions. She also facilitates a drama club for adolescents at the centre. From 2020 she is a lecturer in reflective practice and holds the community practice and clinical supervision for the new honours programme at the University of Johannesburg. She has also recently been appointed as a clinical supervisor at the University of Witwatersrand‘s Drama For Life department. After completing her MA in Drama therapy with distinction she spent a year at Ububele Educational and Psychotherapy Trust in Alexandra, Johannesburg. She loves working in communities with groups and individuals and believes in the creative arts therapies as an important healing tool. Rozanne was the chairperson of SAAD (South African Association of Drama therapists) from 2017-2019 and represented drama therapy on SANATA (South African National Arts Therapies Association) in the transformation and education sub-committees. Rozanne is an Expressive Movement facilitator and an accredited Circle of Security Parenting facilitator. Rozanne is involved in facilitating arts-based workshops for Lefika La Phodiso and other organisations.
Her previous work experience in the media industry includes graphic design, journalism, photography, web design and she was an art director and digital editor at Caxton magazines.
Monique Hill
Monique is a drama therapist living in Phuket, Thailand. She runs an online private practice which focuses on drama therapy sessions held via video call, text messages and email. Monique is also a certified cyber therapist and enjoys exploring the geeky, online world and adapting drama therapy to the digital space.
Lireko Qhobela
Lireko Qhobela holds an MA in drama therapy and is currently a PhD candidate with The Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and Reparative Quest together with the drama department at Stellenbosch University. Her doctoral research looks into the experiences of applied drama and theatre practitioners within the South African context. She enjoys a fusion of play, dance, yoga and storytelling in her facilitation work. She is excited by work related to personal reflections and healing; the courage it takes to journey inward and take responsibility for one’s peace of mind. Her most recent facilitator engagement has been running a series of dialogues on Ubuntu with postgraduate students from Michigan State University and Stellenbosch University. Current research interests include topics related to the body, space and place, violent histories and trauma.
