Theatrical Makeup as a Therapy

The elements of Theatrical Therapy traces a long and winding road back in history to the time of Aristole and beyond. As the man who coined the word "catharsis", Aristole acknowledged the emotional cleansing that acting could have. Like an early form of Psychodrama, a method of psychotherapy where role playing and acting out are encouraged to reveal inner emotions, Aristole realized that Theatrical Performing was a form of emotional exploration. In 1925, Jacob Levy Moreno moved to New York City from Romania and began to pursue his theories of psychology which led to the implementation of Psychodrama as a formal therapy. After presenting his theories to the American Psychiatric Association in 1932, Dr. Moreno spent the next forty years in New York City refining his approach to therapy, which included, Theatrical Therapy, Group Therapy, Psychotherapy, and Psychodrama while holding positions at Columbia University and the New School for Social Research. Before his death in New York City in 1974, Dr. Moreno wrote his own epitaph which reads, "The Man who Brought Laughter to Psychiatry".

Arriving in New York City in 1925 and continuing to live and work there until his death, Dr. Moreno bore witness to the rise of New York City as the theater capital of the world. Walking the same streets as Mehron Melik, who was during the same time becoming a part of the New York Theater Scene by founding a Theatrical Makeup Company, Dr. Moreno was probably influenced by the live performances that permeated New York City at the time. His marriage of acting and therapy consumed his life, and became the passion of his second wife Zerka Moreno who has become the foremost authority in the field of Psychodrama, which continues to evolve.

Drama Therapy is the child of Psychodrama and uses theater to explore personal growth and mental health. Now widely accepted throughout the world because of the foundational work of Jacob and Zerka Moreno, Drama Therapy has been used in schools, mental health centers, prisons and even business development. Practiced around the world, Drama Therapy includes full scale Theatrical Productions that includes, Sets, Costumes, Theatrical Makeup and Audiences.

The theory is that by role playing (acting), a person will expand their view of emotional situations and deal with them as the character that they are playing, thus enabling them to see and feel the different approaches of dealing with the emotional complexities of life. The more successful programs of Drama Therapy are able to give their clients the full Theatrical Experience including Professional Theatrical Makeup, well constructed sets and live audiences. In the public sector, Drama Therapy Programs are suffering greatly due to a lack of funding, in US Prisons once thriving Drama Therapy Programs are almost non-existent. Other programs in schools, addiction centers and metal health facilities have gone back to almost a group therapy experience where role playing without the benefit of a Stage, Professional Theatrical Makeup, Costumes, Sets and Audiences have become the norm. A Mental Health discipline that has had much success is now fading due to a lack of funding in the public sector.