We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexis Poledouris a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Alexis, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear stories from your time in school/training/etc.
Grad school was certainly a highlight. Getting a Master’s degree from Columbia University in theater directing and studying under Anne Bogart and Brian Kulick was a dream come true and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Being a theater director for hire turned out not to be the path for me, and while teaching and writing certainly fed my soul, I knew something was missing. I hadn’t yet combined my love of theater with my desire to “help people” in a sustainable, meaningful way. Luckily, I had a prophetic fever dream while on a road trip in Oregon and woke up shouting “drama therapy!” From that moment to this one, I have immersed myself in the theory, practice, possibility, and profession of drama therapy in as many ways and as often as I can. As a trained and registered drama therapist, I now work in private practice and in therapeutic settings such as an in-patient hospital, outpatient programs, and residential treatment centers; I work virtually and in person, with individuals and in groups, from ages 8-80. I love being a drama therapist.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Spontaneity and improvisation are the two pillars of drama therapy and, I whole-heartedly believe, the secret to life. Beyond just playing games and doing make believe, theater teaches and, maybe more importantly, actively encourages both creative thinking and inherent coping skills. Life skills. The creative arts therapies offer an alternative avenue into the psyche that can complement more traditional therapies; we are talking about and experiencing engaged embodiment. In groups, my sessions tend to follow a traditional drama therapy structure: a check-in, followed by a mind/body warm-up, and then an activity exploring a theme, emotion, event, or relationship. We might incorporate writing, drawing, improvisation, role play, or small objects and figurines or cards to utilize a more projective technique; we process whatever might come up and offer feedback, and check out. When I work one-on-one, the shape may differ, with more emphasis on talking, sharing, and processing. Group, individual, live, or virtual, all my sessions are a chance for clients to engage with their own creative and interpretive minds, to seek and tease out stories, characters, metaphors, meanings, or implications through theatrical techniques and methods. I engage with clients of all ages and walks of life, with additional training and experience in the expansive realm of sexuality and gender diversity. The spaces I create strive to be inclusive, creative, and affirming. Sometimes a bit silly, sometimes intense. It all depends on who is in the room and what feels right; together with a client(s), we co-create an immersive experience to explore in barely an hour’s time.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
I think the profession of drama therapist came to me when I was ready. As many drama therapists say, once they start training, I realized that I was often “doing” drama therapy in my directing and teaching, before I really knew what drama therapy was. Whether I’m working on an experimental, ensemble theater piece or an individual self-revelatory, psychodramatic exercise, I am always looking for the universal in the personal via a path of expression that somehow, in some way, eases human suffering. Long story short – yes! I would choose drama therapy time and again and only wish, a little, that my literal and metaphorical “awakening” happened sooner. There’s still so much to learn and do, but that’s the good news.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Shifting my focus from being a theater director to a drama therapist took some adjustment. When I shared my interest in becoming a drama therapist with a directing mentor, she stated, “You’re at a crossroads.” But really it was more of a merging, a superhighway of theater and career and hopes and visions for the future yielding to a clear, open road of doing theater and “helping people” that had always been there. I’d taken off ramps onto this road before, to teaching and studying more applied theater techniques and approaches. This time, for a lot of reasons but mostly good timing and other unknowables, I was excited to stay on the side road. And, it turns out, I can still jump on the highway! I’ve been able to do things like direct circus acts and provide support at a children’s theater. And all the while, I am doing what I love and what I think I’m here to do: talk to people, do theater, make a little sense of it all.
Contact Info:
- Website: alexispoledouris.com
- Instagram: alexispoledouris
- Facebook: alexis poledouris
Image Credits
Alexis Poledouris