Unseen Narratives: Navigating Trauma Storytelling in the Arts

There is a moment in the Broadway musical “Water for Elephants” when a ghost version of the character Wade, played by Wade McCollum, is on stage. The character Wade is crying, and the scene comes across as tragic to the audience. To the actor Wade, it doesn’t feel tragic.

“In that moment, I'm not just personally forgiving, I'm not just personally and character-wise invoking liberation. I am praying that may all beings be free from suffering. That it's hard to be alive, and that every single person in that audience is dealing with their own grief and their own pain,” Wade tells hosts Lindsey Silverberg and Bridgette Stump

A prolific actor and filmmaker, Wade is earning a degree in cognitive neuroscience. Tune in for his insights about the intersection of art and trauma storytelling, including that artists have a responsibility to be compassionate to themselves and their audiences. Click here to learn about his upcoming film, “Secondary Dominance,” where he plays a neuroscientist hosting an event about trauma, the brain, and art making.

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