ABSTRACT
The title of this chapter is “Psychoanalysis and theatre”. Serious academic scholars and theatre professionals will know more about theatre than I do. However, I was a paid-up member of the American Federation of Radio Actors in my youth, one of my sons is a professional actor, and I have analysed several eminent actors. If you follow MASH, you will remember that the psychiatrist to the hospital is Dr Hildebrand. This was no accident—so that I do have at least a nodding acquaintance with the theatre and with acting. From the analytic point of view, I have been a training analyst for over twenty-five years and a member of the Independent Group of the British Psychoanalytical Society. Please note that while I have established some credentials in relation to my title, I have not yet mentioned the second word in the title—that little conjunction “and”. In some ways, it is the most important word of the three and may lead us in some interesting directions.
