I AM A ZEBRA

Performance Art for Learning in the Worlds of Medicine and Healthcare

What does that do to the confidence of a client in the medical establishment and how can a physician regain that trust?

"Brilliant, powerful, edgy, funny…

​nothing quite like it”  

Kim G, MD

​internist

​​VISION

Providers, policy makers and consumers in the worlds of medicine and healthcare will be in relationship with each other and collaborate in decision-making in a manner that is informed by each others' history, place, cultural space and aspirations.

​​Click "Contact"  to connect with me and we'll discuss a performance art learning experience that would work for your learners.

Or, click "Performances / Events" to find a planned performance that might speak to you. 

                Join Ingrid on a journey of trials met with humor,

  pain muted by joy, and the absurd kind of amusement

            that only the world of medicine could provide.

             Have fun with her, as she tries to discover

          how she’ll next use her peculiar identity

to do the reinvention that illness demands.

Did everyone really do this blond 'fro thing in the '70s or was Ingrid just looking to make up for lost time....um, hair'?

Life as a bald teenager is just one of the stories that illuminates what medical intervention might really mean in the life of an individual.

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​MISSION

I AM A ZEBRA pursues its vision by developing personal stories into performance art, to:

  • allow the storyteller to rediscover their own experiences through varied lenses
  • enable the storyteller to 'experience' the other characters in their own stories
  • move the storyteller into a position of power which social roles might otherwise inhibit
  • support the storyteller in gleaning wisdom from their experiences and sharing it with others

“What resonated most for me as a health professional student was the ‘tumor rounds’ bit. It is too easy to label patients by their disease and forget that they’re people” 

Brandon D, health professional student

I AM A ZEBRA:  A Curiously Entertaining Story of Illness  
                                                                                                    A One-Person Show

                                                                Written & Performed by Ingrid Masterton
                                                                                         Coached and Directed by

                                             Anne Marie Scheffler of Second City Toronto

“Thank you, Ingrid, for telling your story. As someone with a chronic illness who's been misdiagnosed many a time, it really resonated with me. Hearing your story, I felt less alone in my experiences and inspired by your strength and humor. It's a very important story and I'm grateful that I got the chance to hear it.” 

​Lauren N

“ Ingrid masterfully presents a world of conflict and decision-making. Occasionally, we as health providers and future health providers find ourselves as patients and recipients of healthcare. It can be uncomfortable and confusing when we, as healthcare recipients, are not aligned with those charged with our personal health care, and systems work against us. This wonderful show brings these conflicts into the open and creates a meaningful and poignant dialogue using humor and fact”.
Roberta O’Shea PhD PT

​Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, College of Health and Human Services,  Governors State University

Ingrid on stage at Second City's DeMaat Theater

"Impactful!

What a way to process the profound and the absurd".

Kathy L

breast cancer survivor

​

Oops, that little

hardware fracture seemed to have

escaped more than

5 physicians who reviewed

the film. 

“ Many thanks to Ingrid for sharing her story, which moved the crowd to laughter, tears, and amazement. A special thanks to all who attended as your presence helped to raise over $1000 to support Illinois PT research”.
Illinois Physical Therapy Association

Revitalize Recap 2018 (annual statewide conference)

​Learn more about Ingrid and contact her to find out how she can craft a performance art learning experience - with a dose of humor - that will speak to your learners. 

Let me know: 

  • who your learners are 
  • what the learning objectives are
  • the context of the learning experience


Broadly speaking, this might be anything from:

  • a 10- 20 minute sketch to be done during 'rounds', dramatizing a real patient, doctor, nurse or administrator experience 
  • to a 50-90 minute performance, dramatizing 'a life' that's been immersed in the worlds of medicine and healthcare (e.g. see below)
  • ​to a stand up routine designed specifically for your audience
  • to a facilitated sketch writing and/or performance session for learners to better explore their own experiences and how they inform their present situation of learning, providing or receiving medical or healthcare

 “ ‘Zebra’ is such an educational experience (whether the therapy/medical profession wants to experience it or not!).”

Jane C, Retired

person w/ an amputation

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