Scranton campus to welcome Penn State Laureate William J. Doan Oct. 24

Dr. William J. Doan casually posing for the camera

Penn State Laureate William J. Doan, Ph.D., will bring his “Anxiety Project” speaking tour to Penn State Scranton on Thursday, Oct. 24. He is using his art to explore what it’s like to live with anxiety and depression. As part of the duties of the position, Doan is giving frequent performances, discussions and workshops throughout Pennsylvania.

Credit: Penn State

DUNMORE, Pa. — Penn State Laureate William J. Doan will bring his “Anxiety Project” speaking tour to Penn State Scranton on Thursday, Oct. 24.

The presentation will take place from 12:05 to 1 p.m. in Dawson Building 10, Lunch will be served.

The "Anxiety Project” features over 300 drawings, four graphic medicine publications in the Annals of Internal Medicine, and a 50-minute live performance that includes 127 of the drawings. The goal is to provide a better understanding of anxiety and depression that’s “rooted in artistic practice, integrated with science and informed by research,” according to Doan, professor of theatre in the College of Arts and Architecture and artist-in-residence in the College of Nursing.

“The intersections of art, science and health are the spaces in which I make performances and graphic narratives, often blending the two into live performances with drawings,” Doan said earlier this year. “For me, it is in these spaces where critical questions of aesthetics, ethics and representation lead to sustained collaborations with other artists, scientists, health care professionals and audiences. … Whether these questions have to do with class, race, gender, education, the environment or, most recently, living with anxiety and depression, my commitment to a collaborative approach to making innovative work is what activates me.”

Doan was named Penn State Laureate for the 2019-20 academic year with the intention of using his art to explore what it’s like to live with anxiety and depression. As part of the duties of the position, Doan is giving frequent performances, discussions and workshops throughout Pennsylvania.

Established in 2008, the Penn State Laureate is a full-time arts or humanities faculty member who is assigned half-time for one academic year to bring greater visibility to the arts, humanities and the University, as well as to his or her own work. Doan succeeded 2018-19 Penn State Laureate John Champagne, professor of English and chair of the Global Languages and Cultures program at Penn State Behrend.

A past president of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and a recent inductee into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre, Doan has written or co-written three books, several plays and numerous scholarly journal articles. In addition, he has created solo performance projects at venues throughout the United States and abroad.

For more information on Doan and “The Anxiety Project,” visit williamjdoan.com.