meaning of me
meaning of me: immersive theatre workshop
Arizona State University | May 2018
meaning of me was a research-based immersive experience design developed with project collaborator Farzaneh Hedayati. we brought in the talented actor Fargo Tbakhi to join the team.
our project was selected and funded through ASU’s HIDA Design and Arts Corps program. our goal was to offer an arts-based approach to mental health education for college students.
we created an immersive theatre experience, inspired by Dr. Viktor Frankl’s monumental book Man’s Search for Meaning.
the experience layered elements of performance with interactive workshops. Fargo acted as Dr. Frankl, reciting a combination of his actual writing with our adapted script. the three-part monologue shared Dr. Frankl’s work from before, during, and after his experience in Auschwitz.
as facilitators, we provided guided activities to support self-reflection and support attention on the existential search for meaning and purpose in life.
“This was a freeing experience”
“It wasn’t just watching a performance, but moving around and interacting with one another. Never a moment to feel bored. Always something going on.”
“A balance of intention and emergence. I could see connection, purpose, lines, and movements, transitions. But there were also spaces for me to contribute to the experience in a novel way. It gave it a dynamic that pulled me into the experience. Some processes feel observational. This was different.”