Music Medicine and Music Therapy in Austria

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the social vulnerability of slum residentsin times of disaster and to consider the possibilities of self-empowerment by thecultivation of “actual abilities” through theater workshops. The author has focusedon the Nang Loeng Community, occupying an urban slum in Bangkok, andwith the cooperation of a Japanese theater company, has carried out a four-daytheater workshop for elementary school students in the name of an “evacuationdrill.” Interviews and questionnaires were conducted to the residents and participantsto examine the possibilities of adopting this method in the community. Itwas found that, in order to utilize theater workshops for self-empowerment, thereis a need to investigate concrete means of improving the living environment andsolving family discord, as well as a necessity to consider the possibilities of socialparticipation through bottom-up discussions.