In 1999, at the age of 18, Joey Pagaduan was sentenced to life in prison. Joey was found suitable by the California Board of Parole Hearings in 2020, but his suitability was unilaterally reversed by Governor Gavin Newsome. Two years later, Joey was found suitable again and, after 23 years, was released on June 30, 2022. Joey is an accomplished acto…

This episode is an audio extract of a presentation that took place during the NYU Drama Therapy Research Symposium 2023, hosted by the NYU Program in Drama Therapy and Theatre and Health Lab. View the full video presentation here. Drama Therapy Collection YouTube ChannelDrama Therapy Collection

Justin Hong was incarcerated for 14 years where he was a part of California’s first in-person BA degree program in communication studies. It was in prison where he discovered his passion for art and acting and where he performed in several theater programs. Since his release he has earned a BA degree in organizational communication. He lives in Los…

This special episode of drama therapy Collection is on the creative healing work of Spoon Jackson during incarceration. Jackson is a renowned poet and performer serving a life sentence in California. The program is in two parts. Part one is a documentary-presentation by Lynn Baker-Nauman on the healing aspects of Spoon's therapeutic performance in …

This special episode of drama therapy Collection is on the creative healing work of Spoon Jackson during incarceration. Jackson is a renowned poet and performer serving a life sentence in California. The program is in two parts. Part one is a documentary-presentation by Lynn Baker-Nauman on the healing aspects of Spoon's therapeutic performance in …

Duncan Martinez was part of the first cohort to participate in Cal State LA’s Prison BA initiative. On October 5th he participated in a historic graduation ceremony in Lancaster along with 25 others, an event that was covered by major national and local news media, including LA Times, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, and more. Duncan is highly respected and admire…

Tue Huynh is a formerly incarcerated person who participated in theater work while in prison. His interview focuses on his journey from a hesitant participant to someone who gained skills in public speaking and advocacy, defending himself in court and winning his immigration case to stay in the United States upon release. He shares the empathy he e…

Louie Brash, Ensemble Member, Project Re/Frame, is a passionate advocate, artist, and dog trainer. He lives his life with compassion and empathy and has an unflinching belief in the goodness of people. While he was at California State Prison-Lancaster, Louie began developing leadership capacity – promoting, creating, and facilitating numerous self-…

Monica Phinney is a Registered Drama Therapist who worked with filmmaker Robert Greene, on his latest documentary, Procession (now available on Netflix). Monica specializes in using theatre and roleplay alongside other expressive arts to achieve therapeutic and educational goals. Her past roles include engaging the arts in hospitals, nonprofit orga…

Trung Tong is a formerly-incarcerated person who is currently working as a substance-use counselor with Options Recovery Services. He is an undergraduate student at San Francisco State University majoring in Psychology. During his incarceration, he was a member of Marin Shakespeare Company’s Shakespeare for Social Justice program at Solano State Pr…

Daniel Whitlow is a current graduate student of communication studies who served 22 years in prison—much of it as a juvenile sentenced to life without the possibility of parole (LWOP). In the interview, Whitlow details the profound impact of studying narrative practices and engaging in performance through Narradrama. The Drama Therapy in Prisons Co…

Juan Carlos Meza was incarcerated for over 20 years. He talks about his de-humanizing experience and how drama therapy helped him find and express his humanity. It also gave him a chance to help others inside and show them a way to find their humanity by having it be okay to access emotions and share their stories. Through doing Shakespeare with Ma…

John Bergman is an internationally renowned drama therapist, theater worker, Visiting Associate Professor at Hollins University, and the director of The Geese Theater Company. In his interview, he shares about the primal nature of drama therapy. He speaks on the hunger of the people incarcerated for this type of work and that focusing on the whole …

Stephanie Wichmann, MSW, LICSW, RDT is on the teaching staff at SoCal Drama Therapy Centre teaching Special Populations with Drama Therapy courses. Stephanie was a NADTA alternative training (AT) drama therapy student, receiving her RDT certification in 2014. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 12 years experience utilizing her profe…

Armand Volkas is a drama therapist who wears many hats. He is also the clinical director of Living Arts Center and the Playback ensemble director. Among many other things, Volkas created Healing the Wounds of History, a drama therapy approach that leads to healing and transformation of intercultural conflicts and intergenerational trauma. When it c…

Ellen Williams is an associate professor at Rutgers University and director of a 4H youth development program. 4H stands for head, heart, hands, and health. In her half hour interview, she explains in detail that she is not be a part of the system, clearly wanting to show that she does not support the conditions in prisons. The Drama Therapy in Pri…

Suraya Keating is the director of Shakespeare for Social Justice with Marin Shakespeare Company. She works with people who are currently and formerly incarcerated. Inside she teaches and directs students in Shakespeare plays. She also developed the Parallel Play, a creative and expressive performance process that follows the semester in which a Sha…

Linda Gregoric Cook is a past president of NADTA (1995-97). In her hour-long interview she details the educational background and professional training that led her to start one of the earliest drama therapy programs in prisons in the 1970s, a program that lasted over a decade and received a great deal of recognition and support. To view the interv…

Rhodessa Jones identifies as an activist/artist and is the founder of the Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women, an award-winning performance workshop committed to the personal and social transformation of women since 1989. She is also the co-founder of the critically acclaimed performance company, Cultural Odyssey. Jones has been widely pu…

Zeina Daccache is a drama therapist, Board Certified Trainer, and founder of Catharsis: Lebanese Center for Drama Therapy. Their mission is to spread drama therapy around the country and region. They are mainly known for their work in Lebanese prisons. They also work with Palestinian refugees, Syrian refugees, migrant domestic workers, and anyone w…