The present research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of psychodynamic theatrical play on children with symptoms of anxiety. Drawing from psychoanalytic theories concerning object relations, symbolic function and transitional space, the paper discusses the different dynamics employed during twelve sessions of theatrical play, as well as the procedural progress of the children who participated in the process. The theoretical implications of the theories of Vygotsky, Klein, Piaget and Anzieu are contextualised in this research analysis, which used a kinetic family drawing and a draw-a-person test to establish the anxiety symptoms and emotional stability of three children aged 10 to 12 before and after the completion of twelve sessions of theatrical play, in order to examine the potential effectiveness of an intervention based on the above principles. The different phases of the intervention are analysed and the outcomes of the intervention are discussed.

theatrical play, psychoanalytic theories, symbolic function, symbolization, object relations, intervention