"It's Okay Not to be Okay"

By: Leah Shapiro '16

Advising Faculty: Ginny Anderson

This performance, ‘It’s Okay Not to be Okay,’ is a portion of the work I completed as part of my Honors Study titled, ‘Self-Revelatory Performance: The Intentional Use of Theatre’s Therapeutic Nature.’

Self-Revelatory Performance, considered both a form of drama therapy and a unique type of theatre, is defined as a form in which a performer creates an original piece of theatre based on existing life issues in need of therapeutic exploration (Emunah, 2015). Self-Revelatory Performance walks the line between therapy and theatre because it is an experience that offers transformation, understanding, transcendence, and often healing, while ultimately creating a captivating and moving performance worthy of being put before a witnessing audience. Theatre in its very nature is therapeutic as it raises awareness to emotions, attitudes, and issues (both personally and socially).

The purpose of this Honors Study is to explore Self-Revelatory Performance as a form that explores the intentional use of theatre’s therapeutic nature. My exploration has taken place through traditional research but also through praxis-based research and experiential learning. For this reason, this Honors Study has both a written component and an original performance component, my own Self-Revelatory Performance, ‘It’s Okay Not to be Okay.’ 

Related Fields: Theater