Deep It: Mobility in Banská Štiavnica about Human Rights and Theater

If someone would ask you, what’s the connection between Theater and Human Rights, the first reaction could be a surprise, maybe “nothing”, maybe theater as a way to express freely. It sounds like a difficult wedding to work, the truth is, it happened and it became a very happy one!

In the beautiful town of Banská Štiavnica, in the middle of Slovakia, Thalia Teatro, with the support of the Erasmus+ program, developed the project “Deep It” from Oct 16th to Oct 26th 2022. The town, famous for its mining and rich history and protected under UNESCO heritage, provided a magical environment for creative artists from different countries to develop their skills in the promotion and protection of Human Rights through theater-focused education.

The discussion of Human Rights happened throughout the entire project, but it was in a theater that the “Salamanders” (the legendary animal that allegedly gave glory to the town) found their most precious gold nuggets. Formed by young adults to 36 years old and from very different backgrounds, this heterogeneity provided rich soil for imagination and creativity to run free, enriching the whole experience.

Teamwork is dreamwork, and so it was during the 10 days in the town of Shiny Salamanders, to achieve a common goal organically, most of the tasks were performed in groups, this approach provided room for more discussion and different points of view, and shaped the result of each exercise. But everyone has their own voice and thinks as individuals, so at the end of every exercise, a lot of discussions would naturally arise, with each participant having the chance to share their views and opinions on the topics. Quite an interesting process, as theater allows you to communicate without language barriers, and provides such an ample and rich range of interpretations, critical when dealing with performances related to core values of our society and that can touch each individual in a different way.

The discussion and promotion of Human Rights are of utmost importance to all age groups worldwide. Everyone has their own voice, and it’s very important that we use it! But Theater, and art in general, allows us to communicate and express ourselves beyond borders, beyond words, in situations where verbal language fails us. Why rely only on being vocal, when most of our communication is actually non-verbal?

Text: Deep It team, Thalia Teatro

Foto: Archive of Thalia Teatro, Deep It project