ABSTRACT
Theatre groups with people who are struggling to rebuild their lives (particularly after leaving an institutional setting) can help reduce isolation and recidivism, and can also be a healing force for the larger community—by witnessing the challenges and achievements of groups that have marginalized or stigmatized, and finding universality in our shared human struggles. This chapter tells the story of one group of people (former psychiatric patients) over one year and the play they created about their lives. The evolution of a drama therapy group process, and the challenges of commitment especially for fragile or unstable participants (and ways a facilitator can sensitively and creatively support consistent attendance), are described in vivid detail. This group case story of performance-oriented drama therapy includes ways of addressing depression and suicidality, fears of failure, and low self-esteem. The troupe’s intense struggles and joys through the lengthy process to the final achievement of performances before public audiences (a feat which at many points seemed monumental and elusive), are recounted. The theatre production, Inside Out, included humorous scenes pertaining to the mental health system, as well as poignant scenes that transformed, in the words of a troupe member, “pain into art.”
