HARRISBURG, Pa. — William Doan, Penn State Laureate for the 2019-20 academic year, will present his work titled “The Anxiety Project,” at Penn State Harrisburg at at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, in the Olmsted Building auditorium (C213).
"The Anxiety Project" includes over 400 drawings, written pieces, and a live performance, all of which explore what it’s like to live with anxiety and depression, using a combination of personal experience and research into the complex world of mental health. Doan uses the intersections of art, science and health to make creative work informed by research and scholarship.
“For me, it is in these spaces where important questions of aesthetics, ethics, and representation lead to sustained collaborations with other artists, scientists, health care professionals, and audiences," said Doan.
Doan is a professor of theatre in the College of Arts and Architecture and artist-in-residence in the College of Nursing. Doan is a past president of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and was recently inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre. In addition to articles in scholarly journals, Doan has co-authored three books and several plays. He has created solo performance projects at a variety of venues across the United States and abroad. His current work includes a new performance piece, "Frozen in the Toilet Paper Aisle of Life," which is part of "The Anxiety Project." Work from this project also includes multiple short graphic narratives published in the Annals of Internal Medicine/Graphic Medicine.
To learn more about “The Anxiety Project,” watch this video. For information about the event, contact Taneile Fasnacht at taf14@psu.edu.