I have 2 children. Believing my life in the Arts is over, I retrain as a Physiotherapist. “Touch is light”, says my teacher. I love listening to the body. I move to a foreign country where I don’t speak the language and there is a Physiotherapist on every corner. I follow Aikido lessons. I become hooked on learning how to hold ground and master my fear.
My focus shifts and I am training engineers, legal or financial professionals in communication skills for corporate development. Everything I have learnt in the theatre is transferable to developing Leaders & strengthening Teams. I upgrade my credentials and follow a course in Energy Leadership Coaching. Theory is useless without Practice. Deep learning must come through the body, the tissues, the muscles and the bones. It is with the voice, the mind, the heart, in a relevant context and with others.
I integrate the Body Knowledge, Psychology & Theatre lessons, the Martial Arts Mind and create In Resonance Coaching.
I want to be an actress. I want my art to heal people. I tell stories to my dolls and teddies in beds lined up in my imaginary hospital. At lunch time I assemble an audience on the concrete steps of the playground and perform an improvised rerun of a sitcom to make the crowd laugh.
Today, I am still in my bliss when performing. A long-form improv Festival in Munich with Impromptu: Devising one-woman shows like ‘Medea’, or ‘Speaking in Tongues’: Headlining for ‘Girls Night Out’ a Stand-Up Comedy Tour. Turning art exhibitions into events through Mask work.
I help people write and perform their dreams, and their nightmares. I transform them into Art. In doing so, they re-write their stories, re-form their narratives to empower themselves and take others through a live cathartic journey.
This is Theatre.
Not knowing what to do with a Masters Degree in Theatre & Psychology, I ran away from teacher training college and end up teaching. On my first day someone hands me the key to the gym where the Drama class is held, and a whistle saying, “You’ll need this to control them.” I fail and fail and fail again. This is the only way to learn: by doing it on your feet. In secondary schools, I allow the students to choose the theme and write about themselves. Theatre is Community and there is a place for everyone.
I switch to College level and feel blessed with people who have chosen the Arts. The challenge now is that one group of dancers, would rather not speak. And the other group of animation software programmers, would rather not speak. I must understand how to influence resistance. This is where I learn why teachers have long holidays and how to prepare lessons that include every single learning preference on the spectrum.
Welcome Psychology.