Rebecca Walters, co-director of the Hudson Valley Psychodrama Institute, found mention of a contemporary opera based on a psychodrama group. "Sort of," she says.
The opera, titled Sylvia, is the creation of Julia Adolphe, and is about a young Jewish woman's affair with an older man. Julia discussed her idea with her college master's adviser, and he seized on the idea of psychodrama as the framework through which to
tell the entire story.
"I began researching psychodrama extensively and
found that there were fascinating parallels between the goals of
psychodrama and the goals of opera. Both seek to open the creative mind,
to provoke new thought patterns and solutions, and to evoke a
collective memory. Both are larger than life and engage the wildest
parts of our imaginations. With the psychodramatic format as my guide,
the structure of the opera fell into place. I was able to move fluidly
through past, present, and an imaginary future."
