Dramatherapy’s function in current times: A floating island of hope in a chaotic environment1

This reflection has been adapted from a keynote speech pronounced at the 7th Conference of the European Federation of Dramatherapy in collaboration with World Alliance of Dramatherapy, on the theme ‘Human & Nature in Dramatherapy’, which took place in Rīga, Latvia, in May 2025. It looks at the current state of affairs in the world and wonders about dramatherapy’s function in it. Drawing on Eugenio Barba’s notion of the ‘floating island’, the reflection suggests an analogy between dramatherapy and a floating island, as a resource that can present an alternative in the chaotic environment of the world.