Jean Houston, Ph.D., psychologist, philosopher and researcher in human capacities, uses theater as a transformative tool in her interdisciplinary approach to teaching. Dr. Houston is the author of 26 books, including: “The Hero and the Goddess: The Odyssey as Mystery and Initiation.” This is the second of a two-part interview.

JH: I work all the time. I’ve just come from training thousands of Arab people in 10 different countries. I was in England, and it was all up on a huge screen. You could see all of these very large groups in all these countries. I trained them in some of my work in human development, in the light of social change.

EH: Do you use theatrical techniques?

JH: All the time, it’s what I am. It’s not a question of use. It’s incarnation, it’s what reality is.

EH: What makes a great play?

JH: You always have the artist’s skills sharpened, crafted. You have the statement. You have the playing of the story of the soul. I once was in the middle of Australia. I asked an old Australian aborigine, “How do we humans differ from the others: the wallaby, kangaroo, and koala?” She said, “We’re the ones who can tell the stories about all the others.” And I thought that was one of the best definitions of being human. And I think it is telling the story loud and clear and true. Often, it’s very uncomfortable. Continue reading ‘Going beyond the stucknesses of everyday life’ →