This past spring, I played Alice in “Alice By Heart”, a MOTH Live Entertainment production directed by my mom, Deena Selko. It was more than just a role, it was a turning point in how I understood myself, my grief and what it means to be heard.

The show is a reimagining of Alice in Wonderland, set in a London tube station during the Blitz. But for me, it became a way to mine the depths of my emotions. It was through this experience that I learned how to express feelings that I didn’t know how to say out loud before. Feelings about love, loss, and what it means to hold on to a world of your own when everything else falls apart.

For my senior project at Yampa Valley High School, I documented the process of creating the show Alice by Heart focusing on how theater helped myself and others in the cast overcome hardships of struggling with mental health. I wasn’t just performing. I was healing. Theater gave me language when I didn’t have words. It gave me strength when I felt small. It let myself feel, really feel, and because of the community that theater provides, I knew I wasn’t alone.

Mental health isn’t just about feeling, it’s about being seen, about finding outlets for all the emotion that builds up inside. For me, that was this show. And for others, I believe it can be art, music, dance, or just being in a space where it’s safe to express what’s real.

As my mother and director, Deena Selko, says:

“Theater is one of the last sacred places where we come together to feel something deeply and remember who we are. Our job isn’t just to create shows, it’s to create space for people to be human.”