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Therapy doesn’t usually come with stage lights, a hard deadline, and a room full of witnesses. That’s exactly why self-revelatory performance can hit so hard. We sit down with Aileen Cho, LMFT, registered drama therapist and board certified trainer, and incoming chair of the Drama Therapy program at CIIS, to break down what “self-revs” are and why they’re more than autobiographical theater.

We talk drama therapy fundamentals, then zoom in on how a self-revelatory performance asks the performer to work with real material that’s still alive to make an aesthetically poignant piece of theatre. Aileen explains aesthetic distance, the sweet spot between being flooded and being disconnected, and why the theatrical frame matters as much as the personal story. We also get honest about the director’s job: holding ethics, containment, craft, and the messy reality of making something out of nothing.

We dig into the rehearsal process from dreaming and gathering to shaping, scripting, and making tough cuts, plus how self-indulgence can show up as difficulty in editing or as avoidance. Then we turn to the audience, not as passive consumers, but as compassionate witnesses whose presence can support transformation for the performer and spark healing for themselves too. If you’re curious about therapeutic theater, trauma-informed creativity, drama therapy training, or why real-life ritual feels so rare in an online world, this conversation gives you language and a roadmap.

Subscribe for more season two conversations, share this with a creative who needs a stronger container, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Guest:  Aileen Cho 

https://www.aileenbcho.com/

https://www.ciis.edu/academics/graduate-programs/drama-therapy

Host:  Kimberly Koljat

https://www.kimberlykoljatlmft.com/

Music:  Peter Joseph

Graphics:  Big Love Designs

https://www.biglovedesigns.com/