Program:

Tara Handron: Actor & Playwright of Drunk with Hope

Meet Hope. She is that nice girl (most of the time) who tends to drink too much (most of the time). She and others do this despite the blackouts, fights, hangovers, emotional unmanageability, and the list goes on. Sounds pretty insane. And yet even when you know you have a problem, how you stop?! That is what Drunk with Hope is about. Drunk with Hope is an engaging and entertaining one-woman show that deftly portrays the insidiousness, sometimes funny, but essentially devastating effects of alcoholism and addiction. Fortunately, that is not all, because there is a solution to that problem. This play demonstrates that solution in a way that is understandable and accessible. In addition to providing her experience and research about 12 Step recovery, she also portrays the many feelings and challenges all people experience in challenging times while navigating life’s ups and downs.

Developed out of her Georgetown University master’s thesis, Tara Handron tells the stories of a variety of women, some in active addiction and some in recovery. Forget what you think you know about alcoholics and recovery. Buckle up for a ride with Ms. Handron who was called by DC TheaterScene, “dynamic and damn near fearless” in her show that The Washington Post described as “skilled at packing humor and theatricality into sociological observations.”

Drunk with Hope has been seen all over the country in theaters, festivals, professional conferences, and even jails.  Ms. Handron performs the play in 60 minutes or less, depending on the needs of the group for whom she is performing. It is also followed by a question and answer portion so that she can address questions about why she developed the play, her research, alcoholism and addiction, recovery, and the use of technology in recovery. Zoom meetings became vital and essential in 2020 and now have a significant role, more so than ever, in the recovery process. Tara can address the question of face to face meetings vs. virtual ones. In the end, you will have laughed, you will have cried and most importantly you will leave with Hope!

Tara Handron has twelve years of experience working in the addiction treatment field at two of the best non-profit treatment centers in the field. She has been active in her own recovery from alcoholism for over 23 years. Her acting training and background are based on her foundation from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts. She studied primarily at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute with additional training at the Atlantic Theater Company, Playwrights Horizons, and The Second City Conservatory Program in Chicago.