ABSTRACT
Although psychodrama is usually considered a group therapy, Moreno’s first use of drama as a therapeutic intervention was in individual work: at some time between 1908 and 1912 he worked with Elisabeth Bergner, a troubled child. At first he worked individually with her, encouraging her spontaneity and creativity through poetry and dramatic play, later inviting her to join a children’s theatre group (Marineau, 1989: 35-38). She was to become one of the most famous actresses of the German stage in the twentieth century and acknowledged Moreno’s role in developing her creativity. This is what Moreno himself says on a recently rediscovered audio tape:
Psychodrama can be done also on an individual basis. You cannot do group psychotherapy except in a group – that is what the word means. You can do psychodrama a deux. You can do psychodrama just like you do psychoanalysis. Instead of being on a couch you are on a stage in action, in a series of actions. You can do group psychodrama and individual psychodrama. Psychodrama is really more inclusive than group psychotherapy.
