Moreno Institute, NYC

Thu Dec 4 10:53:04 CST 2008

Wow Marcia- Could you organize a book? Stories of the life and work of JL and Zerka- It has always been wonderful to hear the stories told by Peter Rowan, you, Rebecca all my teachers. Some are fun and many more are teaching stories.It would be wonderful to get this other side the students view to round out what really was a historical time period for the growth of Psychodrama.
Thanks for allowing us this glimpse into the Moreno Institute.
Jen

Jen Kristel, M.A.
Expressive Arts Therapist
Playback Theatre Director/teacher

"Be the change that you want to see in the world" Mahatma Gandhi

> To: list at grouptalkweb.org
> Subject: Moreno Institute, NYC
> From: mkarp11444 at aol.com
> Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2008 16:32:09 +0000
> 
> Dear Grouptalkers,   Just for the record, at the Moreno Institute, 78th and Broadway, NYC public sessions. People paid 3 dollars admission fee. The session was from 8 to 10:30 or 11 p.m. Sunday night was a trained psychodramatist and Broadway actor, Walter Klavun. Monday night was a Christian Brother, Joe Power.Tuesday night was me, in my final training and after qualifying for the Directorship. Wednesday night I think was Social worker and Musician and teacher, Robert Siroka, a single man then and finishing his psychodrama training and teaching at Hunter College I think. Thursday night was Hannah Weiner, very intuitive, creative  and visceral. Moreno encouraged her to get her masters degree, which she did. Friday night, the biggest crowd usually and Saturday night was J. L. And Zerka Moreno Saturday night was Akron, Ohio, psychologist and President of the New York Psychological Society, Jim Sacks. He was trained along with Mike Nichols and Elaine May both improvisational comedians,  Mike Nichols went on to direct Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff? The film with Eizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton and went on to direct many others and is still working, I think. They all trained in chicago with Theatre Games inventor Viola Spolin. Comedian Shelly Berman and famous actor Alan arkin were training along with Jim. That is where Jim learned theatre games for warm ups which has influenced people in their warm up work around the world. Jim always drew a big crowd too and we had lots of fun. Moreno didn't use any theatre games, per se. He used to warm up the audience by talkingn asking questions, having a discussion together with the audience and sometimes had us do" bonding"( my word, not his. He didn't use such a jargon-type word.)  exercises,.where the audience of strangers could get to know each other a little bit and not feel so alone.. In my day, Dr. Usually introduced Zerka to the group, saying they were like Adam and Eve. He, sometimes warmed up the audience and she would direct the session. He would usually go to his office then and read the newspaper or talk to his brother, William in person or by phone. We would all drive back together to the training Academy in a small New York town called Beacon, Dutchess County, N.Y. One and half hours from New York City. In the Moreno's car. Zerka drove. Dr. Sat in the front seat and usually slept. Sometimes we would all talk about the session on the way back. We would get back late on Friday night, go to our beds in the student residence on many acres of land by the Hudson River and return to the Psycodrama Theatre, which was dedicated to actor Franchot Tone's mother , who was a benefactor and former patient. Zerka would train us all day in the theatre , each taking turns directing by the choice of the protagonist and we would gather at night in the Morenos' living room with Zerka and Dr. To review the day. He was very interested in all of our impressions of the director, the auxiliary, the protag.the group and of course the session. We would tell him all about it from many view points, depending on who played what role, psychodramtically, personally, professioanally or whatever.We would talk, Dr. Would ask questons of us with genine interestas if we were participating in a grand experiment.  Moreno would lecture or tell an anecdote or an experience.he was very funny when telling stories and never failed to make us laugh. He wanted to be remembered as " The man who brought joy and laughter into psychiatry." It says just that on his urn in Austria. At the time I am writing about, moreno was in his early 70's and liked to have a glass of orange juice in the evening.. Zerka was largely silent in these evenings with Dr. And she would do her sewing one handed, which always impressed me. When he gave us exams,which were questions put to us and answered in the group in the living roomn they went something like this:  "What is an auxiliary ego ?" He might ask one of us such a question.. We would begin to answer and relievingly, he would take it over and give us  half hour lecture on auxiliary ego. Somehow, because you were spared being put on the spot and in the spotlight, it was such relief to hear him talk that you could listen with new ears. Some nights we would have off and all go together with our tweachers, to the local cinema, if something good was playing. Zerka and Dr. Used to hold hands in the movies. I liked that. Once we went with their son, Jonathan to a fireworks display in the park. We sat on blankets and enjoyed the display together and then we would all go out to Angelo's Pizza place in Beacon, which we used to call the Annex because we were all there so often. Moreno liked pizza and liked to go with us. Once, the first time I came to the  New York training,, Zerka and Dr. Took me and some others to the Russian Tea Room in New York City . The ballet dancers, Neureyev and Fontaine use to hang out there. It was very expensive and very delicious with lots of crepes, bilinis, caviar and sour cream with good tea. The waiters all knew him and loved him. He had been on a nation wide L.A. T.V show, an interview with Michael Putterman. Putterman was known for his ascerbic comments and putting the interviewee on the spot. People across the nation usee to watch the cock fight between interviewer and interviewee. Moreno knew just how to handle him, and very subtlley and gently put him in his place. The waiters had all seen the programme and felt triumphant that "our Dr." Handled Putterman so deftly. He was a hero that night. We drove, late at night to Beacon and all night long my stomach was upset from the rich food. All I coiuld see in my mind's eye, was lashes of sour cream and caviar until I felt sick and dizzy. I had to stay in bed and missed the very first training session though I so wanted to be there. It was partly all the excitement of finally getting there, meeting the Morenos and eating such rich food so late in the night. I was just 23 and not used to any of it . I paid the price. The night seemed interminable with all that cream swimming around in my head and stomach. Very often, Moreno used to make up words to describe things. For an example, in the public session, he would go off the stage, into the audience and he would meet people, shake hands with them to get a somatic assessment of their warm up to him and the event. He would look someone in the eyes, and ask,"Are you single, married or mingled?" Mingled, in his mind, meant living together or some combination of the other two words. I always enjoyed his ability and courage to make up a word that suited just  what he meant. Like astronaut and cosmonaut. He made friends easily this way. Taxi drivers liked him too. He used to say if you ever want to know anything about NYC, politics, diections, reccommendations, social information, current events, everything, just ask a taxi driver. He thought that they have the closest finger on the pulse of the society.  Enough for now. . I have enjoyed telling you these memories of 40 years ago. They were wonderful times and I feel priviledged to be exposed to two truly extraordinary people. Marcia Karp
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