Grief Dialogues: Putting Death and Dying on Stage with Elizabeth Coplan

In this episode of Before You Go, host Natalie Buster explores the power of creative arts and storytelling to normalize conversations about death and grief—a central theme of the podcast's current season.Natalie sits down with Elizabeth Coplan, founder of Grief Dialogues. Elizabeth shares her journey from a corporate career back to her roots in theater and storytelling after a year of profound loss. She explains how she founded Grief Dialogues to utilize the theatrical arts (stage and screen) as instruments to put death, dying, and grief on display. This work creates a vital space for audience members to connect with and process their own fears and losses.Tune in to learn about Elizabeth's mission to address the "death taboo" and why she calls mortality "the great equalizer". You’ll also hear about her highly-regarded work, including the short play, "Hospice: A Love Story," and her Pulitzer-nominated full-length play, "Till Death".[00:00:14] Host Introduction/The Power of Creative Arts: Natalie introduces the season's focus on using creative arts to hold space for the stories of people who have died.[00:01:11] Guest Introduction: The host introduces Elizabeth Coplan as a former actor who pivoted from a corporate career after a personal tragedy to found Grief Dialogues.[00:03:21] Elizabeth's Storytelling Journey: Elizabeth shares how her lifelong passion for theater and storytelling came into clear focus as her "dharma" or life's mission after her mother died.[00:05:41] The Inspiration for Grief Dialogues: Elizabeth realized people recoil from conversations about death after she shared details of a family member dying, calling it "the one thing we're all gonna do".[00:06:03] The "Great Equalizer": Elizabeth discusses why she refers to mortality as "the great equalizer".[00:06:57] The Cornerstone Play, "Hospice: A Love Story": Elizabeth describes turning her firsthand account of a cousin’s final days into a short play that became the foundation for Grief Dialogues.[00:08:15] The Full-Length Play, "Till Death": Elizabeth details the transition of Grief Dialogues during COVID-19 and the development of her full-length play which had an Off-Broadway debut and was nominated for a Pulitzer.