The Beauty of Dialogue

An artistic encounter with our cultural potential

Online Kurs with Christine Schmalor

on 4 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 22 March 2023

early bird price until 11 February!

People can communicate through language – as well as in many other ways. The special thing is that they can generate knowledge through this communication, not by fighting each other, but by being curious about each other. Dialogue allows people of all natures to meet and recognise each other. But the rules of the game are often not known and so a conversation, discussion, dispute or argument is confused with dialogue.

Everywhere we hear calls for “dialogue” – why is it so difficult to conduct it? Understanding is a territory of desire that only needs to be stepped into. Theatre has always known this – the dialogue was born on stage. But why do we see so little dialogue on stage today, even when many people are present on it at the same time? The monological structures have us firmly in their grip …

With this seminar I would like to invite you to discover the beauty of dialogue and to revive a seemingly forgotten cultural technique.

Let us begin with the Dialogical Principles. What distinguishes the different forms of dialogue from each other and how do they work? Only when we know them we can play with them, use them confidently, switch from one form to another – and above all involve our audience. The art of conducting dialogue is not based on the use of sound volume and the striving to triumph over the other person or to win. Instead, dialogue is the ingenious means of making all of us winners in a meaningful way. Dialogue is a wonderful game based on humour, lightness and freedom.

Numerous practical dialogue exercises will open up a new dimension for your own stage language.