In the Wings: Actors & Mental Health A Critical Review of the Literature

Author

Gabrielle L. Arias, Lesley UniversityFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-18-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA - Master of Arts

Department

Expressive Therapies

Advisor

Christine Mayor

Abstract

Studies show that professional actors and performers are more likely than their civilian counterparts to suffer from depression, anxiety, and various other mental health struggles (Burgoyne, Poulin, Rearden, 1999; Geer, 1993; Maxwell, Seton, & Szabo, 2015; Robb & Due, 2018; Rob, Due & Venning, 2016; Seton, 2010). This review synthesizes some of the literature published regarding actors and the negative mental health issues they may suffer, with attention paid to two specific acting techniques that are commonly taught in the United States, Stanislavski’s ‘system’ and Strasberg’s ‘method.’ Using a mental-health lens, a critique of these techniques is offered to the reader. The current approaches to helping mitigate the effects of acting will be discussed and specific drama therapy techniques are offered to supplement these approaches. Finally, the case will be made for why this population would benefit from drama therapy. Recommendations for future interventions and research are described.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Arias, Gabrielle L., "In the Wings: Actors & Mental Health A Critical Review of the Literature" (2019). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses. 109.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/109