photo by David Dickinson
Cast of the Washington Improv Theater performs "iMusical" as part of the Stages of Healing series at Walter Reed Naional Military Medical Center.
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Bring On The Laughter: Stages of Healing welcomes Washington Improv Theater
To promote healing through the performing arts, the Stages of Healing (SOH) series at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) welcomed the Washington Improv Theater (WIT) group to the hospital for a performance Feb. 8.
The SOH series is designed to provide a respite for patients, families, visitors and staff for a shared experience, explained Sara Barrett, a health educator for the traumatic brain injury inpatient unit as well as the resiliency and psychological health service, and co-organizer for SOH events at WRNMMC.
Dr. Micah Sickel, another organizer for the SOH series and a child psychiatrist in WRNMMC's Behavioral Health Department, said SOH events provide a venue for people to "rejuvenate, gather with other people and benefit from it."
Art, including poetry, music, theater, dance and more, has been shown to bring amusement, hope and healing to people, including those experiencing physical, emotional, mental or spiritual challenges, Barrett and Sickel explained. They said they are always looking for input on how SOH events are received by members of the WRNMMC community, and suggestion sheets are available after each monthly performance.
Last week's SOH brought WIT's "iMusical" to WRNMMC. The five cast members of WIT got the WRNMMC community involved with the theater group's improvised performance of the musical comedy. The audience was treated to lunch during the show.
During their performance, the WIT cast took turns asking the WRNMMC audience to call out different subjects. Once a subject was presented, the singers and pianist would instantly create scenes or songs.
The WIT's performance of "iMusical" has been described as "spot on" by "The Washington Post," and it has been performed at comedy festivals in Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York.
"It was invigorating," said Towanna Parker-Lewis, administrative support specialist for the Department of Strategic Communications at WRNMMC. "Laughter is always healing to the soul," she added.
The WIT is not only a theater group, but also a school for improvisational performers. The school encourages students to "explore creative collaboration, communication skills and team building; all skills that add up to those you need to be an improvisational performer," explained Mark Chalfant, artistic and executive director of the non-profit theater.
"From this theory, WIT does community outreach with seniors, children and [various] organizations," Chalfant continued. He added, "People take [WIT classes] because they want to perform, but a lot of people just use it in their own daily and personal lives as ways to loosen up and be more creative."
The troupe can be seen performing at their home base in the Source Theater located at 14th and T Streets N.W. (just south of Washington's historic U Street corridor).
For information about the Washington Improv Theater, visit washingtonimprov.com.
For more information on SOH events, visit the Walter Reed Bethesda Twitter site WRBethesda, and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center's Facebook Fan Page at http://ww w.facebook.com/pages/Walter-Reed-National-Military-Medical-Center/295857217 111107.