gets around on blue-lustre, black-tipped fairy wings

Master's Student Isabel Martins

Positions

Teaching and Non-teaching Assistant SCPA

Faculty of Arts , School of Creative and Performing Arts: Drama

Contact information

Background

Credentials

Associate Member, Associated Designers of Canada, 2021

Theatre/Film Production Permittee, IATSE Local 212, 2022

Educational Background

Bachelor's Degree Honours Anthropology, University of Toronto, 2021

Diploma Theatre Production, Humber College, 2019

Program Puppetry Intensive, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, 2020

Research

Areas of Research

Interdisciplinary: Reducing Stereotypical and Self-Directed Behaviors in Captive Chimpanzees through Caregiver-Led Dramatherapy-Based Activities

In the field of therapeutic arts methods, dramatherapy has mostly been designed with an emphasis on people, focusing on the complexities of human experiences, emotions, and expressions. While this approach has provided valuable insights into the therapeutic benefits of dramatherapy for humans, a notable void exists in the literature regarding the prospect of applying dramatherapy principles and techniques to nonhuman primates.

The unique aspect of my research lies in pushing the boundaries of dramatherapy by integrating insights from various disciplines, including process arts psychology and primatology, while exploring dramatherapy techniques with captive chimpanzees and their caregivers. By undertaking this innovative approach, the research seeks to bridge the existing knowledge gap and delve into the intersections between dramatherapy principles and their application to the diverse histories, identities, and behaviors of these nonhuman primates.

Projects

Dramatherapy-Based Activities with a Caregiver as a Compound Enrichment Strategy for Chimpanzees in Captivity: An Exploratory Study

An ongoing, interdisciplinary, MFA project

Awards

  • Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship, University of Calgary. 2022
  • Canada Graduate Scholarship Master's Level, Social Sciences and Humanities Reasearch Council. 2023