About

A European citizen's identity is inextricably characterized by the rich cultural legacy and traditions of Europe. Every member state of the European Union has its own distinct personality, shaped by treasured items and traits that have been handed down from earlier generations. The pinnacle of "methexis," or communal sharing, is theatre, one of the broadest categories of performing arts. The audience participates, develops, and improvises the ritual action in a tradition that dates back to Greek theatre. People share a similar experience through knowledge, participation, and exploration. It is then through sharing that a deeper understanding may be established, toleration may be fostered, and finer shades of one's personality may be shown. Cultural heritage is a living testimony to a history that must be preserved bequeathed to the future; created by a social group and transferred and shared with another social group. However, incarcerated citizens are deprived of this favorable occasion: The limits placed on them prevent them from attending cultural events, let alone taking part actively in artistic activities, therefore prisoners are denied this favorable opportunity.

Under this perspective INTEGRATE project directly aims to facilitate a digital pathway for both the theatrical groups but also the incarcerated (but rather talented) people through a web repository tool and a digital documentary, in order to show their work, promote and enhance their role in society and strengthen all kind of theatrical and other art-related activities in prison. Mainly this project will produce three distinct, but rather complementary outputs in the form of an Intelligent Collaborative Drama and Theatrical (ICDT) web repository tool, theatrical lessons delivered inside prison, and a final inclusive documentary that will portray the work which will be performed throughout a course of 24 months of this theatrical training inside the prison premises of four (4) European countries.