Nightmare Quote by Susan Messing
“I deal with the depraved, the sick, the pathetic, the disturbing and the profoundly depressed. I will try it all on. I will try on what I am and what I never want to be. And everything I wanted to be, but never can be. I can be a supermodel, or your worst nightmare. Off-stage, I just get to leave it, and nobody thinks I'm like that. This is what prevents me from being a psychopath and a sociopath, my time on stage.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The New York Times, 2022
Describes using performance to explore dark personal themes, preventing personal pathology by channeling them into art.
In simple terms: Stage work helps process dark emotions.
Key Takeaway
Channel inner turmoil into performance.
Themes
mental health
art therapy
identity
performance
Mood
introspective
raw
Type
artistic
therapeutic
When to use this quote
- theatre practice
- personal therapy
- creative writing
Key Concepts
psychology
self‑exploration
Questions to Reflect On
- How does performance differ from therapy?
- What limits exist for art as coping?
A Different Perspective
May not replace professional therapy.
