CHRISTIANA OWUSUAA ASIEDU.

10837737

THEA 484 DRAMA THERAPY

J.L MONERO

Jacob Levy Moreno was a Romanian-American psychiatrist and the father of modern

psychodrama. Psychodrama therapy is an observational kind of therapy and an approach in

psychotherapy which enable patients to examine issues and solve them in a dramatic action.

Moreno invented psychodrama in the early 1900’s and his first session was held in 1921.

Besides, 1 April 1921, he staged a drama with no actors at the comedy house called the Viennese

Komodienhaus (comedy house) saying that the viewers themselves were the actors and directors

of the presentation. He was criticized by the Australian society yet, he kept on testing his beliefs

on adults. His ’spontaneity theatre was changing to therapeutic theatre’, where it clearly depicted

how an actress called Barbara enhanced her relationship with her husband through the role that

was particularly given by Moreno in Cathartic representation on the stage. He associated with the

academic world in New York City and initiated the concept of group psychotherapy and

sociometry to the American Psychiatric Association. Moreno managed a group therapy in

schools and prisons.

Lastly, Moreno depicted psychodrama as the “scientific exploration of truth through dramatic

method”. In 1936, he opened the first psychodrama theatre at Beacon Hill Sanatorium and 1941

in June, the first theatre of psychodrama in a public hospital was opened. In 1911 at Vienna, he

worked with children in the Stegreiftheather as his first experiments. He therefore passed away

in 1974.