Between 4–13 February 2025, we hosted the Erasmus+ training course “Sensorial Theatre in Youth Work” in Timișoara, Romania. The programme gathered 30 youth workers and members of cultural organisations eager to explore how innovative theatrical methods can be combined with non-formal education to enhance work with young people. The activity was organised by the Timiș County Youth Foundation (FITT) in cooperation with Teatrul Senzorial Timișoara, taking place at the Youth House, a Council of Europe Quality Labelled Youth Centre.
The training introduced participants to Sensorial Labyrinth Theatre (SLT) — an avant-garde art form that merges immersive, interactive, and improvisational theatre with non-formal learning. Unlike classical theatre, where the audience passively observes, SLT transforms each spectator into an active participant who experiences the performance through all senses. Participants learned to use light, sound, movement, texture, and smell to create meaningful emotional connections and safe, reflective spaces for young people.
Through a carefully structured learning flow, the course combined theory, practice, and reflection. After initial sessions on trust-building and group dynamics, participants were introduced to the philosophical and artistic principles of sensorial theatre. Guided by experienced facilitators, they explored sensory perception, empathy, and embodiment through practical exercises and improvisation. Each day concluded with reflection circles, where the group analysed their learning outcomes and connections to youth work.
As the training progressed, participants co-created site-specific and immersive performances inside the Youth House, transforming familiar spaces into experiential labyrinths that invited introspection and dialogue. The final days culminated in a collective sensorial performance open to the public, designed and performed by the participants themselves. This final showcase demonstrated how theatre can transcend language and cultural barriers, becoming a powerful medium for inclusion, expression, and transformation.
Throughout the ten days, participants not only deepened their artistic understanding but also developed new competences in facilitation, communication, and empathy — essential for working with young people from diverse and vulnerable backgrounds. The sessions on co-creation and participatory theatre equipped them with methods to apply sensorial theatre in educational, therapeutic, or community contexts.
To extend the learning experience beyond the training, a booklet was created, compiling sensorial theatre techniques, exercises, and reflections gathered during the course. The booklet will be made available alongside this article, serving as an open resource for youth workers and educators who wish to integrate these innovative methods into their daily practice.
BOOKLET:
The closing evaluation and Youthpass sessions helped participants reflect on their personal and professional growth, identifying how the sensorial approach can enrich non-formal learning, encourage creativity, and strengthen emotional awareness among young people.
“Sensorial Theatre in Youth Work” reaffirmed FITT’s mission to bridge culture, education, and social inclusion through innovation. By combining artistic experimentation with youth work, the training empowered participants to use the arts as a transformative tool — one that engages not only the mind, but all the senses.
AFTERMOVIE:
Project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.