Who administers the sessions?
Sessions are administered by Case Western Reserve University students with experience in improv who have been trained in the administration of the program exercises.
Who are the researchers?
The primary investigators are Amy Przeworski, Ph.D. from the Department of Psychological Sciences and Christopher Bohan, M.F.A. from the Department of Theater at Case Western Reserve University. Arin Connell, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychological Sciences at CWRU is providing clinical supervision. Graduate students in Dr. Przeworski’s lab, and undergraduate students in the lab are also members of the research team.
Staff Bios
Amy Przeworski
Amy Przeworski is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences. Her work focuses on novel interventions for treating anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms in children, adolescents, and adults. Dr. Przeworski specializes in evidence-based interventions, such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), to address these psychological symptoms and to prevent them in those who are at risk for developing them. Dr. Przeworski is excited to collaborate on this project with Chris Bohan from the Department of Theater and is learning so much about the creative and fun ways to express oneself in improv!
Christopher Bohan
Christopher M. Bohan (actor) is an instructor of acting, improvisation and directing at Case Western Reserve University and an artistic associate with the Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium. Chris is working toward his certification in Drama Therapy with the North American Drama Therapy Association. He works as an actor and director in the Cleveland area in both theater and film, and is a founding member of Cleveland’s longest-running improvisational comedy company, Something Dada. In 2017, he earned the Cleveland Critics Circle award for Best Actor for his portrayals of Brian in How to be A Respectable Junkie and Sam in The Flick. He earned his MFA in performance from Wayne State University, where he had the opportunity to travel to Russia to study at the Moscow Art Theater School. He is a graduate of Saint Ignatius High School and Lehigh University and a member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA.
Phuonguyen (Hailey) V. Chu
Hailey Chu is a clinical psychology doctoral student at Case Western Reserve University. Hailey’s research interests include identifying and leveraging culturally specific mechanisms that underlie the development of anxiety to inform more individualized and appropriate interventions for youth and their families. Hailey is excited to be part of this project exploring a novel and creative intervention modality.
Samantha Martin
Samantha Martin is a clinical psychology doctoral student at Case Western Reserve University. Samantha’s research interests center around the development of novel or adapted treatments that utilize paraprofessionals (e.g., teachers, community center staff) to provide treatments in an affordable, inclusive, and accessible way. Samantha is excited to be part of a project exploring a novel intervention that may expand the reach of evidence-based care for adolescent anxiety.
Julie Origlio
Julie Origlio is a clinical psychology doctoral student at Case Western Reserve University. Julie’s research interests include studying mood and anxiety disorders among adolescents, particularly stress-related factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of these psychiatric conditions. Further, Julie is interested in adapting psychotherapy treatments to meet the needs of marginalized populations, including LGBTQ+ youth.
Olivia Hovis
Olivia Hovis is currently studying dramatic writing in pursuit of her master’s degree in theatre arts at Case Western Reserve University. She previously studied theatre performance at The American and Musical Dramatic Academy and The New School. She has always had a passion for sharing the joy of theatre with others; In 2022, she directed a high school drama program and counseled students at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. With Project Drama, Olivia hopes to give youth a safe environment to create theatre in, be themselves, and learn how to navigate stress in a healthy way.
Katie Booze Mooney
Katie Booze-Mooney is a first year Theater Arts MA student. Katie is an actor and improviser in the Cleveland area, most recently at Dobama Theater and Imposters Theater. She also has an extensive background in arts education, the bulk of her career being with New York Edge, one of the largest free after-school programs in New York City. She is currently working towards certification in psychodrama and is beyond excited to be a part of Project DRAMA. Katie earned her BFA in Musical Theater at The New School in New York City and is a proud AEA and SAG-AFTRA member.