Contemplative Practices for Theatrical Interventions and Living
Applied Theatre and Racial Justice Care Community Change 2026 DOI: 10.4324/9781003272434-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Reflective case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Argues that theatre can function as a contemplative practice, not just a place for consuming stories, and that integrating Buddhist interbeing into theatre-making can foster empathy and collective responsibility. The project Labyrinth: Defining Humanity exemplifies this approach, commissioned by the Beijing International Festival and named Top 8 in Beijing News. |
Abstract
Through a core understanding of the Buddhist concept of interbeing and how it aligns with theatre as a school for empathy, Teo shares a reflective journey-mapping of the generative process of creating Labyrinth: Defining Humanity (2018), an international performance project in Beijing, China. Teo, whose contemplative practices are rooted primarily in Buddhism, seeks to integrate spiritual practice into dramatic structure and all theatre-making processes to center communion and paths to joy. Theatre as a place of contemplation and the consumption of stories is distinguished from theatre as a contemplative practice in which audiences intentionally engage in meditative acts of contemplation. Teo introduces examples of contemplative practices, leads the reader in exercises, and shares some ideas and paradigms that are the source of the practices that inform their approach to collaborative theatre-making. Labyrinth: Defining Humanity , an immersive, participatory work that uses game-like structures to ask audiences to take on the responsibility to collectively define humanity, serves as Teo&s;s case study. The project was commissioned by the Beijing International Festival and named Top 8 in Beijing News.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain sources of EEG gamma frequency during volitionally meditation-induced, altered states of consciousness, and experience of the self Advanced meditator | 2001 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Mindfulness Meditation for Alcohol Relapse Prevention: A Feasibility Pilot Study Adult alcohol-dependent graduates of an intensive outpatient program | 2008 | Prospective case series | n = 19 |
| How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator. A single long-term mindfulness practitioner (S) with 40 years of practice in... | 2015 | Qualitative case study | n = 1 |
| Loving‐kindness meditation to enhance recovery from negative symptoms of schizophrenia Individuals suffering from schizophrenia-spectrum disorders with persistent negative... | 2009 | Case study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Problem Gambling A female problem gambler | 2011 | Case study | n = 1 |