Theater is the most overlooked branch of creativity, especially when using it to work through our trauma. There are many good reasons it goes unnoticed, of course. For one thing, drama therapists are not available in every city. Another reason is that we don’t all have immediate access to a stage. Lastly, both social anxiety and isolation are common problems in the CPTSD community. So, the mere idea of performing takes us too far out of our comfort level.
Of the four major branches of creativity, theater is the only one that practices both being seen and heard. When we are performing, we’re using our bodies (somatic work) to deliver our lines (verbal processing). We are using our imagination to play with a range of emotions. We learn through active experience that it’s less to do with what you say, but how you say it – it’s all in the delivery.
So, when you record your performance, you’re automatically giving yourself something to watch and something to listen to. (Remember two weeks ago, when I drove home the importance of giving ourselves something to see and something to hear for flashback management.) Again, this depends entirely on your comfort level. There are professional actors who cannot stand watching themselves, so don’t beat yourself up if this is you, too. The only thing that matters is deciding what it is you want to see and what it is you want to hear.
Theater as the Living Room Performance
Don’t have access to a stage, smokescreens, or other cool stage props? No problem. There are ways you can perform your scripted trauma (Part 1 article: writing for the stage) inside the comfort of your own home. Whether you want to host an amateur thespian party or if you prefer keeping it solo, there are ways to get the most out of your script.
You and Your Friends: Interdependence Benefits
Interdependence is the healthy reliance between two or more people. It’s the active experience of developing trust while daring to be vulnerable. Drama therapy is a creative means of using our bodies and our voices to process our trauma while experiencing safety and trust among our fellow actors.
You’d be pleasantly surprised by the number of people who get excited at the prospect of “playing around” with acting. When the added incentive is that there’s no pressure to perform it for a live audience, you really see their inner child light up. Acting is the ultimate “let’s pretend” for grown-ups.
All you need is a copy of your script for each actor and a few people you trust, each playing a different role. Or the actor/s playing the dual role. Remember last week, on writing the script, dual-role actors have always been common in stage performances.
Give each of your chosen “actors” time to read and digest their script before you host your thespian party. At least two weeks, but no longer than a month. This gives them enough time to decide for themselves what they will bring to their role, while the excitement of “playing pretend” stays fresh. You will see what I mean by this later.
A simplified template
Keep your expectations at a baseline. Remember, this is an amateur thespian party. Don’t expect anyone to have their lines memorized. Your actors may or may not bring over props from home. They may or may not decide to come dressed up in character. Be okay with all of this, so that you don’t end up playing the role of, shall we say the “bridezilla” of your own party. Treat your party like it’s the first rehearsal day, because that’s really what it is.
In theater, on the very first rehearsal day, the focus is on running through lines. Everyone is reading through their copy of the script and working through different ways to deliver their lines. No props are provided this early on, so actors typically mime whatever object it is they’re picking up. It gives each person an opportunity to talk about how they see their character and the events that are unfolding in the story. You will see that there’s a distinction between an actor getting a feel for their character in private, and getting a feel for how they are interacting with others.
Pleasant surprises: my example
When I performed my Father’s Day rap, I needed someone to deliver the Papa lines: “You’re getting more like her every day; that makes her child abuse a-okay,” three different times. So, I asked my husband to stand in as Papa and to say those lines in rhythm to the music. I had no expectations outside that. In fact, I fully expected him to have a copy of the lyrics so that he would know when to say his lines again. Keep in mind, I started writing my lyrics on May 9 (2020, Mother’s Day weekend). I performed it on June 19 (Father’s Day weekend, 2020). So, not much time for someone who had never had a theater or music lesson in his life.
First, he did not need a copy of the lyrics because he had memorized each prompt for when to deliver his lines. Then he got dressed up for his role. He chose a wife-beater t-shirt, glasses and a cowboy hat. Just for the record, my father never wore wife-beaters or cowboy hats, though he did wear glasses. Still, it was refreshing to see my husband dress up in his interpretation of my father. It gets even better!
He shook his finger at me and threw in a nasally nerd voice, even shook his head at me at one point, right before he said his lines. Then, as the song developed and my lines got increasingly aggressive, he flinched and gazed at me wearily out the corner of his eye. As I drove home what a coward he was, he lowered his head in shame. I was amazed by how much he brought to his role, when all I expected was rhythmic line delivery.
Record for Screenshots
This uses even more pathways for working through your trauma, because it’s how you can merge theater with art. Record your performance (whether with your friends or solo) and take screenshots of any pieces that are meaningful to you. Then, once you’ve reviewed your screenshots and you’re satisfied with what you’ve captured, you can delete your video, if that’s what you want. You can then create art out of those screenshots. This gives you something to look at and something to remember with pride.
Building art: collages and memes
The best option, in my opinion, is Canva. There is so much you can do on that site for free. Not only are all of my history comics created on Canva, but so are the featured pics that go with them. Those featured pics are collages highlighting the contents of my comics. (Canva is NOT paying me to say this, by the way.) It’s worth adding that if not for Canva, I would still be wondering how to create my comics and my visual aids.
Other collage makers are MOLDIV and Photo Collage. Both have basic features for free, with an option to unlock more for a price. MOLDIV has built in options for turning screenshots into magazine covers or themed cards. Photo Collage allows you to set the width and height (8×11) so that you’re better inclined to get what you see when you print your images. These are great options for anyone who wants less digital and more “hands on” art creations. For example, cutting the printed pictures out to embed in your bullet journal or creating wall art.
Last but not least, you can create multiple memes. Personally, I like mematic. Not only can you do lots of things for free on it, but it’s user-friendly too. Crop, zoom and sizing are all easy. My favorite feature is how easy it is to use cartoon bubbles in place of traditional captions.
Theater for One: The Solo Performer
Whether you choose to record your performance or not, there are even more options for getting the most out your script.
How to Record for Screenshots
Remember that this depends entirely on how much energy you want to put into your solo performance. You can record yourself on different days performing different roles. For example, on one day, record yourself in the role of your main character. On another day, record yourself performing the lines of the abuser, and so on.
In case you don’t want to run through every line in your script, as honestly, most of us don’t have that sort of energy, you can choose key pieces to perform. For example, any lines where the character is supposed to address the audience, I guarantee you, those are pivotal lines. Lines that contain the unforgettable verbal abuse give you the opportunity for using facial expressions and body language to show how ridiculous the abuser was.
Expressive Selfies: My history comics as your template
Don’t record yourself performing at all. Instead, look at each line and think of one facial expression that defines it. Then capture it in a selfie. My history comics are based on this. I write my script as though I’m having conversations with people in history. Then, for each line I deliver, I only think one thing: what’s a good expression for this one? More often than not, I will say my line out loud so that I can get a feel for it. Then I work with my expressions so that I can capture it in a selfie.
In my Frederick Douglass comic, I “performed” as more than just myself. I played the roles of the slave breaker and also Douglass’s master in part one. Seeing how one was an abuser and the other used classic flying monkey language, I had a lot of fun making them both look ridiculous.
There’s one more thing worth noting in my history comics. You may notice my clothing changes every few frames. There are slight variants in my hair style too. They represent different days I worked through the performance of my project. Making only a few selfies per day helped ensure my project stayed fresh and more importantly, fun!
Empty Chair
Yes, the empty chair is back. That’s because it’s part of theater, especially when you switch chairs. What happens when we switch chairs? (Covered in my article three weeks ago.) We assume the role of the other person. Well, in this case, you have your script. You simply have different chairs per character. When you switch chairs, you’re assuming the role of the responder’s line.
You and the Mirror
Mirror work is great for inner child work. Using the mirror for script reading is also a great option for anyone who’s uncomfortable performing on camera. Choose the key pieces of your script that you would like to share with your mirror. Read through it first, so that you get a feel for your lines. Make little notations that can help you look at yourself and quickly glance back down in a smooth delivery. (This is a technique known as dramatic reading, which I’ll get into below.) Be sure to stay in tune with yourself and your reflection. How are you holding yourself while you’re reading? Notice how your tone changes. How is your reflection looking at you while you’re delivering your lines?
Basic Theater Exercises for Everyone
Dramatic Reading
Read a piece of prose or a monologue out loud. No more than one page in length. Notice emotional words, imagery, anything in there that deserves more stress than other, more common words. Practice looking up from your chosen piece while you are reading and glancing down in a smooth return. Use your tone, expression and some minor body language in your delivery.
It’s worth noting that before the teleprompters, newscasters had to master the art of looking at the camera with quick downward glances at their scripts. In other words, they used dramatic reading. Newscasters are still a great example of this, since no one likes their news delivered in a monotone. Next time you watch the news, pay attention to the influx in their tone on certain key phrases.
Theater for One: “What’s in this package?”
Have an empty box that’s small enough to hold. This is where you start experiencing multiple ways of delivering a single line. “What’s in this package?” is all you can say. No more, no less. The trick is the delivery of various thoughts and feelings you have concerning this package. Practice how you will say “What’s in this package?” for each one if you truly wondered:
- Is it a bomb?
- Is it something I wanted?
- I have no idea what’s in this package.
How are you holding your package in each delivery? How is your expression and tone changing?
Theater for Two: “Don’t you like me?” and “Of course I do.”
You get a single line each. One person says “Don’t you like me?” and then the second person replies, “Of course I do.” As with the above “What’s in this package?” no more, no less gets said. It’s up to you and your partner to create the situation that’s going to prompt person 1 to ask person 2 if they like them. So, body movement is key for delivering this one.
You and your partner determine what sort of relationship dynamic this is. Is it a parent/child relationship? Romantic? Friendship? Or is this simply the work environment? Whatever it is, your silent actions should be designed in such a way that will trigger the first line. What happens when the second line is delivered? Is “Of course I do” delivered with warmth or is it delivered dismissively?
Theater is the active practice of being in your body and becoming aware of what’s going on within. It’s the development of self-awareness, trust, and social identity. It’s the most underappreciated branch of creativity for healing our wounds. Hopefully, if anything, I’ve given you some ideas on how you can start utilizing this one for your own growth journey.