The Drama Therapy student body comes from a variety of backgrounds including theatre, film, television, psychology, social sciences, and education. Additionally, many different countries, languages, ethnicities, and ages are represented. Through the internship process, students are required to work with two different populations, which help them to expand their knowledge base of facilitating healing among diverse individuals. As our field is still a burgeoning one, each student makes a commitment to becoming a pioneer to its development. Read current student bios here.
co-founded with her husband that uses drama and the
creative arts to empower social and emotional learning for children
families, schools and communities. Marianne's first
book, The Sacred Weave of Mothering: Reflections from the
depths of the soul to the heights of the laundry pile (2002, Aslan
Publishing), continues to inspire mothers, parents and grandparents
around the country. Marianne appears locally on News
12 and was heard across the country on syndicated
radio stations offering counsel and reassurance for parents
on how to talk to their children in the wake of the attacks on 9/11.
She is the proud mom of four children.
Carla-Marie Mercun has been performing onstage regularly as an actress, singer, and dancer since the age of three. A lifelong lover of the arts, Carla is a proud member of Actor's Equity and has performed Off-Broadway in Tony n' Tina's Wedding and My Big Gay Italian Wedding (original cast), in addition to countless one woman shows, musicals, cabarets, and plays in New York City. Her favorite professional work has been for The Metropolitan Opera, where she performed specialty acting and stage combat roles in eight operas including Il Barbiere di Siviglia (directed by Tony winner Bartlett Sher), Carmen, the USA premiere of Mazeppa, War and Peace, and more. Carla is also a classically trained pianist, taught dance for 6 years, and enjoys creating visual art and crafts.