Open Sesame: Reconnecting the Practise

Open Sesame: The Key to Opening Doors

This is a moment to open Sesame again
and to follow where it leads.

Open Sesame is an invitation to reconnect with the living lineage of the Sesame Approach to Dramatherapy.
A space where past and present practitioners meet—not only to remember, but to re-animate, re-imagine, and open what comes next.

This gathering brings together graduates of:

• The Sesame Approach to Drama & Movement Therapy
• Psyche & Soma

Across generations, trainings, and pathways.

Through movement, story, and shared presence, we return to the core of Sesame—not as something fixed, but as something still unfolding.

Arrival & informal connection over tea and coffee

Experiential workshop led by Mary Smail

• An ‘old school’ Sesame space rooted in myth, movement, and imagination
• Engaging with themes of closure, shadow, and renewal

Time to gather, reflect, and imagine forward together

• Where is Sesame now?
• What wants to emerge?
• Who has time, energy, or skills to contribute?
  This is not just an event.
  It is a threshold.
  

Mary Smail trained in Sesame Drama and Movement Therapy in 1990 and has worked extensively across clinical and community settings, including the NHS, private practice, and therapeutic organisations.

She is a UKCP-registered psychotherapist, former visiting lecturer at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and former Director of the Sesame Institute.

Her work centres on the use of myth, fairy tale, and imagination in therapeutic practice. She is a co-author of Dramatherapy with Myth and Fairytale: The Golden Stories of Sesame (2013), written alongside Pat Watts and Jenny Pearson—a key text within the Sesame approach, gathering the ‘golden’ stories at the heart of the work.

In this workshop, Mary will be working with one of these Sesame stories, inviting participants into an embodied exploration through movement, imagination, and shared symbolic space.

Mary trained with and worked alongside Billie Lindkvist, founder of the Sesame approach.

This gathering offers:

• A chance to meet practitioners trained directly within the early Sesame lineage
• Access to rare archival materials and journals
• A space for new graduates and experienced practitioners to meet as peers

St. Barnabas Catholic Church Hall
28 Vine Road, East Molesey, KT8 9LF

• 🚆 Nearest station: Hampton Court (15-minute walk, Zone 6)
• 🚗 Free parking available (Sundays)
• 🚖 Easy access via Surbiton (taxi/ride share)

A beautiful setting—participants are welcome to arrive earlier and enjoy the local area.

• 2:15 – 3:00pm Arrival, tea & coffee
• 3:00 – 4:30pm Workshop with Mary Smail
• 4:30 – 4:45pm Break
• 4:45 – 6:00pm Group discussion & future directions
• After 6:00pm Optional group meal at a local restaurant/pub

We are planning a group meal nearby.
If you would like to join, please email us after booking so we can reserve accordingly.

£20 standard
Concessions available — please contact us:

📧 [email protected]

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