Garland School Alum Turns Research Into Award-Winning Play
How do you take academic research on a subject matter as taboo and sensitive as domestic violence and turn it into a theatrical art piece for the community? Meet Garland School alum Geneece Goertzen, PhD, MDiv, LMSW, who turned her passion for abuse advocacy and research into an award-winning play.
Goertzen (MSW '22, PhD '25) has already translated her research into multiple books, podcasts, publications, and presentations. However, as a survivor of domestic violence in her own life, it was the idea of the stage that arrested her imagination in a brand-new way:
“One of the reasons the play was interesting to me was because a decade ago, the kids and I got involved at the local community theater here and that was a conduit of healing for us. We found that people in the community were wholesome and good – we could believe in them, and they could believe in us. Having been in abuse for so long, that was a new concept for us: we found that they supported our healing journey.”
Surveying the experience of 25 different survivors of domestic violence, Goertzen’s research aimed to capture a broad range of stories with an emphasis on life after escape and deliverance form abuse. “We wanted to focus on the resiliency of survivors – trying to find the hope after domestic violence,” she shared. Goertzen used the acquired data from her mixed-methods survey and worked with a local playwright, Trent Clifford, to compile the results into the three main characters of her play, Living in Light.
Domestic violence can be a difficult and uncomfortable topic to discuss. “We know there are a lot of dark spaces when talking about abuse that not everyone wants to acknowledge,” Goertzen said, and we wanted to try to change that in a way that people would be able to interact with, something that would be more palatable.” That’s precisely why the play was not only successful but resonated deeply with those in the audience – it did what only good art can do and presented itself as a mirror through which the viewers could connect with their own experience or that of someone they know.
“It was very validating to hear people come up to me after the play and say, ‘Oh my goodness, I felt like I saw my marriage play out in front of me on the stage,’ or ‘I felt seen, I felt heard. No one has ever talked about this in this way before.’ … I felt really validated that we had the ability to touch the lives of so many people.”
The play, a 2025 Purple Ribbon Award winner, triumphs as it presents academic research on a sensitive subject in a way that was accessible, palatable, and ultimately encouraging. For Goertzen, Living in Light and all the work that she does around domestic violence “encompasses my desire for advocacy – I want to help other survivors find that path to healing and I want to help faith healers find a way to respond with courage to those who may come to them with stories about what is going on in their home.”
For more on Goertzen’s journey, research, and advocacy, listen to the entire interview.