SOLIS SRLS and the European Project JANUS: Youth, Autobiographical Theatre and Festival Outcomes
- anlazu
- Dec 14, 2025
- 3 min read
Within the framework of the European project JANUS – Youth Vulnerabilities in a Europe Without Borders (Project No. 2023-1-RO01-KA220-YOU-000154837), co-funded by the European Union, SOLIS SRLS contributed to the project through its expertise in Autobiographical Theatre, a youth-centred artistic methodology developed by Domingo Ferrandis (SOLIS SRLS) and facilitated during the project by Ana María Solís.
JANUS is a youth-focused project, addressing vulnerabilities, identity, mental health, resilience and emotional wellbeing among adolescents and young people through artistic creation and participatory theatre.
The project was coordinated by the University of Arts of Târgu-Mureș (Romania), which led the overall implementation and applied the Autobiographical Theatre Methodology in academic and artistic contexts with young participants, in close collaboration with SOLIS SRLS.
Methodological Contribution of SOLIS SRLS
Within JANUS, SOLIS SRLS played a key role in contributing and accompanying the methodological framework, ensuring ethical, trauma-sensitive and youth-appropriate implementation:
Contribution of the Autobiographical Theatre Methodology, grounded in personal storytelling, embodied expression and artistic creation with young people.
Facilitation by Ana María Solís, supporting safe processes of narration, trust-building and collective creation.
Support to youth resilience and creativity, enabling participants to transform personal experiences into artistic narratives.
Contribution to methodological flexibility, allowing different artistic languages and formats while respecting emotional safety.
Academic and Artistic Implementation
University of Arts of Târgu-Mureș (Romania) – Project Coordinator
As coordinating organisation, the University:
Applied the Autobiographical Theatre Methodology within youth artistic and higher education pathways.
Identified Trust as a foundational stage of the methodological process.
Tested flexible performance formats (theatre, dance, video, symbolic and multimedia approaches), reducing emotional exposure while preserving artistic integrity.
Contributions of Other Partner Organisations
Fundatia Professional (Romania) contributed through the organisation and presentation of a youth pilot performance, supporting the dissemination phase of the project.
Shipcon Limassol Ltd (Cyprus) participated through a youth-focused artistic performance, exploring autobiographical themes related to adolescence, identity and emotional transformation.
JANUS Festival of Autobiographical Theatre – Culminating Project Event
A major milestone of the project was the JANUS Festival of Autobiographical Theatre, held in Romania from 2 to 5 June 2025. The festival represented the public culmination of the methodological and artistic work developed throughout the project.
The festival brought together young participants from different regions, offering a safe and inclusive space where vulnerability, identity, mental health and resilience could be explored through theatre, dance and performative creation. Beyond the performances, the event fostered dialogue, empathy and reflection among audiences, contributing to mental health awareness, stigma reduction and social inclusion.
Performances Presented at the Festival
The festival showcased four autobiographical youth performances, each reflecting different applications of the methodology:
Breaking the Silence (2 June 2025)
A testimonial theatre performance created with six young performers, dismantling the myth of “happy adolescence” and addressing anxiety, social pressure, silence and the need to be heard. Directed by Erika Domokos, the piece was built through a gradual trust-based process that allowed participants to safely share deeply personal stories.
Birthday Party (3 June 2025)
A collective creation developed within the Acting Department of the Târgu-Mureș National Art College, using autobiographical theatre to explore memory, identity and the symbolic meaning of birthdays through devised theatre.
Persona (4 June 2025)
A dance performance presented by Shipcon (Cyprus), focusing on female adolescence, bodily transformation, emotional turbulence and social pressure, translating lived experience into movement and choreography.
Shards of Light (5 June 2025)
A large-scale choreographic and multimedia performance exploring youth experiences of trauma, fragility and hope. Developed through workshops centred on vulnerability and improvisation, the piece transformed personal experiences into a collective journey towards resilience and self-recognition.
Impact and Sustainability
Across the project and its festival outcomes, several key impacts emerged:
Personal and collective transformation of young people through autobiographical storytelling.
Strong adaptability of the methodology across youth, educational, artistic and community contexts.
Increased awareness of youth mental health issues and reduction of stigma through artistic dialogue.
Sustainability ensured through continued academic application by the University of Arts of Târgu-Mureș and ongoing methodological development and dissemination by SOLIS SRLS.
The JANUS Autobiographical Theatre Methodology stands as a robust and reproducible youth-centred framework, capable of uniting personal growth, artistic innovation and social cohesion, with clearly defined roles in coordination, methodological authorship and facilitation.
🔗 More information on the official project platform: https://proje
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