Artist and Chief-of-Staff at The Moth, Sarah Jane Johnson, and Patrice Miller, director, joined Hope Singsen to discuss their project, Devil In A Box, which was presented to sold out houses at The #HealMeToo Festival.

Equal parts poetic theater and feminist stand-up, Devil in a Box follows the journey of a young American woman from sexual assault, through the French justice system and into life after trauma. A frightening yet joyous tale, Sarah Jane chronicles the complexities of it all with disarming honesty, beaucoup d’humour, and a 24 oz. can of Miller Lite.

By turns frank, hilarious, and inspiring, Sarah Jane and Patrice share with Podcast listeners about:

• The story of how Devil in a Box started as a performance art piece and evolved over years in tandem with Sarah Jane's court case and recovery process
• Ways that working on the piece both were and weren't always healing for Sarah Jane
• How the Devil in a Box team has developed a method of collaboration that engages them all in a healing process 
• Patrice's insights as a self-declared “lazy witch” on the magic of imagination and the healing similarities between making magic and making art
• The “go to” skills that help Sarah Jane, Patrice & Hope in moments of challenge, like:
  • Finding friends you can really talk to, 
  • “Trying on” ideas for yourself to act “as if” you were already “healed”, 
  • Stretching yourself by taking a “contrary action,” 
  • Learning ways to step back from dark thoughts that might otherwise spiral and seem larger than they are
  • How to honor your own ways of surviving and start seeing the next things you could do to have a fuller life, even while healing
  • Coming to accept that being a survivor will always be in one’s life, but it doesn’t have to control things, as you figure out how you want to dialogue with it
  • Observing tricky moments “in neutral” in order to avoid making things worse, and come back to it later

 The #HealMeToo Podcast is hosted by Hope Singsen--the artist, creativity researcher and survivor-activist who founded the #HealMeToo Festival in NYC this Spring. 

On the episode details page for this interview, you'll find many testimonials about Devil in A Box, as well as a video teaser for the show. While you're there, you can also link to other  #HealMeToo Festival performance videos, and sign up on our email list to hear about future pop-up #HealMeToo Festival events.

Subscribe now. Let's talk about how we can #HealMeToo.

Find the #HealMeToo Podcast on Apple Podcasts at bit.ly/hm2pod. Or visit healmetoopodcast.com to find links to other platforms.

Interview recorded & prepped by Delaney Hafener
Edited by Hope Singsen
Music performed by Micah Burgess:
If I Can by Hope Singsen & Dillon Kondor
Rockabye by Hope Singsen, Dillon Kondor & Micah Burgess
Gorgeous Fire by Hope Singsen & Dillon Kondor

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