Catharsis Theater in Los Angeles & Beyond

Group grief workshops & creative healing gatherings.

Founded by Brian Stefan, LCSW, Catharsis Theater is where real stories take the stage. It’s a living space for release, insight, and renewal. Since 2023, over 40 gatherings have opened hearts and sparked healing, with many more to come.

These gatherings draw inspiration from the early 20th-century Theater of Spontaneity, created by J.L. Moreno — the visionary behind group psychotherapy who believed that healing didn’t just happen in hushed offices but flourished in communal spaces where spontaneity, creativity, and human connection could thrive. In a time when mental health was largely kept behind closed doors, Moreno sparked something radical: a movement that brought people together to witness, improvise, and heal in public.

Catharsis Theater carries that torch into our modern world. Here, we blend gentle improv, embodied exploration, and deep witnessing to help move through grief, anxiety, artistic block, or simply the heavy ache of being human.

What people are saying:

"This wasn't just cathartic. It was clarifying."
— Participant

"As a therapist, I didn't expect to need this. It met something in me I didn't have words for."
— Mental Health Professional

"Three hours here did more for me than three months of talking."
— Participant