Drama Therapy Collection

Send us Fan Mail The Ripple Effect of College Prison Programs explores what becomes possible when higher education enters spaces designed for punishment and isolation. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Taffany Lim, an educator and leader whose work with the Cal State LA Prison Graduation Initiative has helped transform lives and the institutions surrounding them. Dr. Lim’s 2025 Bloomsbury book, The Ripple Effect of College Prison Programs: Hope, Humanity, and Transformation, brings this w...

Send us Fan Mail Edwin Cruz is a seasoned professional with over seven years of experience in community advocacy, peer support, and program leadership. As a Peer Support Specialist with the State of California, he assisted clients in transitioning between levels of care, setting recovery goals, and managing mental health challenges. Previously, he served as a Support Group Facilitator and Community Advocate, leading initiatives to deter juvenile delinquency and promote rehabilitation through ...

Send us Fan Mail In a departure from our usual focus on drama therapy and arts in prison, this special episode confronts an urgent global threat: the rise of authoritarianism and the disturbing shift in U.S. foreign policy toward aligning with Russia against Ukraine. We’re honored to welcome Dr. Marina Levina, a leading voice in media and critical cultural studies, whose research on monstrosity, propaganda, and imperialism sheds light on the silence surrounding Russian colonial violence. In c...

Send us Fan Mail Samuel Nathaniel Brown, a dedicated advocate and former incarcerated individual, spent 24 years challenging the inhumanity of the current prison system. He champions innovative rehabilitation approaches for successful societal reintegration. Sam's incarceration journey exemplifies reentry success, showcasing his unwavering determination and the vital support networks needed for human rights advocacy. During his time in prison, Sam initiated the 10P Program, guiding incarcera...

Send us Fan Mail 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 actor having played Hamlet, Bottom in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Master Harold in “Master Harold and the Boys,” and many other roles...

Send us Fan Mail 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 Channel

Send us Fan Mail 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 Angeles where he is a working actor and tattoo artist. Drama Therapy Collection YouTube Channel

Send us Fan Mail 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 a production of "Waiting for Godot" and his other creative endeavors. This part was presented in 2021 at the annual conference of ...

Send us Fan Mail 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 a production of "Waiting for Godot" and his other creative endeavors. This part was presented in 2021 at the annual conference of...

Send us Fan Mail 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 admired for his achievements by faculty across the department who taught in Lancaster during the past five years. View more of Duncan's...

Send us Fan Mail 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 experienced for his father while playing the role of a father onstage. He shares, “If I can do acting class, I can do anything else...

Send us Fan Mail 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-help classes and participating in numerous theatre workshops. Due to his positive programming, Louie was transferred to the...

Send us Fan Mail 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 organizations, theatres, schools, and most recently on a feature film set. https://www.heartwork.studio/about-us https://www.i...

Send us Fan Mail 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 Prison and San Quentin State Prison. Upon parole, he performed with Marin Shakespeare Company’s Returned Citizen Theatre Troupe. In ...

Send us Fan Mail 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 Collection can be accessed by the general public at: https://dramatherapyabroad.wixsite.com/dtcollection/drama-therapy-in-prisons ...

Send us Fan Mail 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 Marin Shakespeare Company and the Parallel Play process, Meza was able to write his own material. Even more importantly for him was ...

Send us Fan Mail 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 institution, including the correctional officers, is key. He shares that drama therapy is a great pathway for people who have had ...

Send us Fan Mail 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 professional theater and comedy background as a means of individual/community engagement and therapy. She has worked across the age spe...

Send us Fan Mail 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 comes to prison work, he shares a story of being contacted by a public defender to work with an incarcerated person before their tr...

Send us Fan Mail 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 Prisons Collection can be accessed by the general public at: https://dramatherapyabroad.wixsite.com/dtcollection/drama-therapy-in-p...

Send us Fan Mail 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 Shakespeare play has been performed. Students are asked to take themes from the play and create original material based on their own ...

Send us Fan Mail 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 interview with Linda Gregoric Cook, visit the DTC YouTube channel. Drama Therapy Collection YouTube Channel

Send us Fan Mail 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 published with accounts of her work and methodology as well as the recipient of many fellowships and grants. She has taught at...

Send us Fan Mail 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 who would like to benefit from drama therapy, including corporations. Catharsis also has a training program for people aiming to be...