The scent of memory: Sensory dramaturgies in blindfold theatre

Blindfold Theatre is a form of theatre in which the performance is experienced with the audience’s eyes covered, while other senses are fully engaged. The method is not merely a live audio play; it makes use of hearing, smell, touch, and spatial awareness, and the story is conveyed through acting as well as music, sound effects, and sounds produced by the performers themselves.

Blindfold theatre works for both sighted and visually impaired audiences without the need for descriptive interpretation, offering a more intense theatrical experience than conventional theatre and allowing space for the audience’s imagination.

Blindfold theatre provides a deep, embodied, and participatory experience, where the world of the story unfolds through the senses and the audience’s imagination is fully activated.

In this workshop, participants will explore the creation of blindfold theatre and its pedagogical and dramaturgical possibilities. The session offers an introduction to blindfold theatre, with a focus on sensory dramaturgy and the activation of sensory memory. Participants will experiment with how smell, sound, spatial awareness, hearing, and touch can function as elements of storytelling and stage expression, and how these tools can be used to sharpen the audience’s senses.

Working in small groups, participants will create short blindfold theatre scenes, experiencing firsthand how a performance can be constructed without the sense of sight and how restricting certain senses can enhance bodily memory and meaning-making.

Participants will engage in practical exercises, discussion, and experiential learning, making this workshop ideal for those interested in exploring the role of the body and the senses in storytelling, pedagogy, and drama education. The aim of the workshop is to open new perspectives on how the body and senses can act as creators of meaning and carriers of cultural memory.