{"id":31694,"date":"2025-10-07T11:33:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T09:33:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=31694"},"modified":"2026-03-12T09:47:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:47:02","slug":"drama-for-life-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/drama-for-life-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Drama for Life 2025: Human Change! From Ideals to Justice(Us) | 8\u201310 October 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Johannesburg\u2019s arts and intellectual scene is gearing up for a powerful week of creativity and critical conversation. Drama for Life (DFL), the globally recognised centre for applied drama and theatre at the University of the Witwatersrand, will host its 17th Annual Conference and Festival from 8 to 10 October 2025 at the Wits Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This year\u2019s edition, themed <strong>\u201c<\/strong>Human Change! From Global Ideals to Justice(Us)<strong>?\u201d<\/strong>, challenges communities to imagine new ways of being human, to turn ideals into action, and to bridge the gap between global ambitions and local realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ALSO READ: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/summer-2025-at-thaba-eco-hotel\/\">Summer 2025 at Thaba Eco Hotel: Picnics and World-Class Hospitality<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-platform-for-transformation\"><strong>A Platform for Transformation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Drama for Life describes the three-day hybrid gathering as one that \u201cpositions the applied arts and arts therapies as key instruments of healing, resistance, and bold reimagining.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Artists, researchers, and delegates will explore <strong>justice as a living, embodied practice \u2014 Justice(Us)<\/strong>  \u201cco-created through community-grounded dialogue and performance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Participants will engage through <strong>applied drama, expressive arts therapy, dance, and embodied practices<\/strong> that question what it means to be human and how individuals can move toward more just futures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThis is a call to action for artists, scholars, activists, and changemakers to get in the thick of it,\u201d said <strong>Dr Sibongile Bhebhe<\/strong>, Deputy Head of Department at Drama for Life. \u201cWith embodied arts, we are constructing Justice(Us),  a collective power force that converts pain into power and ideals into action.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/099A3229_II-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31698\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-inside-the-17th-conference-and-festival\"><strong>Inside the 17th Conference and Festival<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This year\u2019s hybrid format fuses high-intensity academic sessions with performance, dialogue, and embodied experience, the type of integration that has made Drama for Life one of the continent\u2019s leading creative platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Core highlights include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Key Themes:<\/strong> Human Transformation, Justice, Global Ideals, and the reimagined concept of Justice(Us).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dynamic Sessions:<\/strong> Arts-based approaches to overcoming trauma, repression, and authoritarianism; decolonial and indigenous pathways to meaningful change; the role of applied arts in migration, mental health, and education; and the ethics of artificial intelligence in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Collaborative Performances:<\/strong> Co-created works that show how art can spark social dialogue and influence real-world change.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>According to organisers, the festival offers \u201can immersive blend of intensive academic dialogue, inspiring performance, hands-on workshops, and somatic experience  a must-attend event for those committed to social change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-drama-for-life-s-ongoing-mission\"><strong>Drama for Life\u2019s Ongoing Mission<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For over 16 years, Drama for Life has used theatre and the expressive arts to drive social change. Based at <strong>Wits University<\/strong>, it has become a global force in using performance and creativity to advance health, human rights, and social justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By combining <strong>scholarly research<\/strong> with <strong>artistic practice<\/strong>, DFL has developed a model now followed by educators, therapists, and artists around the world.  Its annual festival and conference extend this mission. It offers a space where local and international practitioners can share evidence-based methods for using the arts to build empathy, resilience, and justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/099A3432_II-002-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31697\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-global-gathering-in-gauteng\"><strong>A Global Gathering in Gauteng<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>By hosting the 2025 festival in Johannesburg, DFL once again cements Gauteng\u2019s reputation as Africa\u2019s creative capital. The province\u2019s cultural hubs from Soweto\u2019s vibrant streets to Braamfontein\u2019s academic corridors. These hubs remain a living laboratory for artistic activism and storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The conference is expected to attract delegates from across South Africa and abroad. The aim is to position Johannesburg as a continental hub for progressive arts-based research. The <strong>hybrid model<\/strong> also allows international participants to join virtually while staying connected to the city\u2019s energy and artistic spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-registration-and-participation\"><strong>Registration and Participation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Registration is open, with <strong>early-bird spots available for international delegates<\/strong>. The full programme and speaker lineup will be announced soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To register, visit:<br> <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSdUhIBOqcqxh3LJOvJHD6f-mYEOtEjvpXFOJHNsNPO703pa_Q\/viewform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Drama for Life Conference and Festival Registration<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information, visit <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dramaforlife.co.za\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.dramaforlife.co.za<\/a><\/strong> or contact:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Bridget van Oerle<\/strong> \u2013 083 263 6991 | <a>bridget@thebuzhive.co.za<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/media.gauteng.net\/2025\/10\/FINAL-Conference-Poster-for-print.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of FINAL Conference Poster (for print).\"><\/object><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-3b2ded07-0536-49b0-b002-5468e1c4e335\" href=\"https:\/\/media.gauteng.net\/2025\/10\/FINAL-Conference-Poster-for-print.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FINAL Conference Poster (for print)<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/media.gauteng.net\/2025\/10\/FINAL-Conference-Poster-for-print.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-3b2ded07-0536-49b0-b002-5468e1c4e335\" download target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-call-to-create-human-change\"><strong>A Call to Create Human Change<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At its heart, Drama for Life\u2019s 17th Conference and Festival is an invitation to act. It is to use art as a bridge between ideals and lived justice. By interrogating the theme <em>Human Change!<\/em> and embracing the idea of <em>Justice(Us)<\/em>, the festival asks participants to transform reflection into transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a world shaped by political upheaval, migration, and climate crisis, the message is both urgent and clear. The message is that <strong>art can be the foundation for human renewal.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As organisers put it, the event \u201canswers the urgent question: In a world coming apart under political chaos, migration crises, climate disaster, and resurgent authoritarianism, how do we reimagine humanity, catalyse radical change, and align global possibilities with local potentialities?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This October, Johannesburg won\u2019t just host another conference it will become a stage for <strong>conversation, movement, and transformation<\/strong>. Here, justice finds its rhythm, and the idea of <em>Human Change<\/em> begins to take real shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Johannesburg\u2019s arts and intellectual scene is gearing up for a powerful week of creativity and critical conversation. Drama for Life (DFL), the globally recognised centre for applied drama and theatre at the University of the Witwatersrand, will host its 17th Annual Conference and Festival from 8 to 10 October 2025 at the Wits Theatre. This<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":31700,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Johannesburg\u2019s arts and intellectual scene is gearing up for a powerful week of creativity and critical conversation. 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