Dissent: A Dramatherapy Play

Dissent was born from an experimental class series in Narradrama at the Drama Therapy Institute of Los Angeles. Cassandra Ambe, both a graduate student in Marriage and Family Therapy and Dramatherapy working with Dr. Pam Dunne’s concepts and guidance, developed the piece originally as a three act play. Partially autobiographical therapeutic performance, partially D&D fairytale adventure, the story follows Satya, a brooding, thinky painter who becomes determined to disentangle herself from everything she knows about art, her lineage and the silent forces that guide her fate. After the mysterious discovery of an old album, she uncovers her mother’s real name. The revelation spurs on a journey through dreamlike landscapes and unsettling liminal spaces where Satya discovers deeper connections with her ancestors, nature and her own creations. Themes include cultural liminal experience, identity exploration, grief and healing.