Johanna de Ruyter and Stephen Meagher – Finding the Emotional Catalyst for Change
Workshop Title:
Finding the Emotional Catalyst for Change
Workshop Description:
A workshop introduction to the heart of personal story with Sydney Playback Theatre. In neither one’s personal life, nor the life of an organisation, is effective change ever wrought without acknowledging and working with the emotions that drive our behaviour and the acceptance of, or the resistance to, change. Drawing on a series or workshops devised for the Silverchain Palliative Care Service, we will take participants through the basics of improvised empathetic expression with playback theatre techniques using experiences shared by the group. We will demonstrate the structure necessary so that the story that needs to be told can be told.
If people got the best of the session what would they leave with?
A sense of the power that authentic empathetic listening and expression can have on the person or organisation that offers their story. A sense that creating a ritual space for expression allows emotion to emerge in a contained environment and become a catalyst for change.
How is this session connected to the conference theme?
This workshop offers an introduction to the basics of playback theatre, which we and other companies around the world have used to facilitate change in organisations and communities for the past 40 years. We have refined these techniques into adaptable workshop formats for use with many different organisations.
About the Workshop Presenter:
Playback Theatre Sydney is an internationally recognised ensemble of professional performing artists who have been serving audiences in Australia and abroad for the past 35 years. Playback Theatre was founded in New York in 1975 by Jonathan Fox & Jo Salas. Our mission is to present interactive, improvised performances that reflect the lives of each audience, giving fresh perspective to their experiences and inspiring them to new possibilities. It is a compelling blend of entertainment, surprise, reflection and connection as the improvising ensemble spontaneously brings the audience experiences to theatrical life. It’s both powerful and humorous – entertainment and discovery in one. Playback draws on fundamental human experiences and emotions by eliciting the audience’s own stories, and accessing the energetic spontaneity of the 6 piece performing ensemble to instantly create a theatrical reflection onstage – with drama, movement and music. The immediacy and the intimacy is exciting and revealing, bringing audiences into connection with our shared human experience.
Johanna and Steve have co collaborated on a range of skill based training for the Sydney School of Playback. Together they have applied Playback Theatre principles and practices to design story and improv based training for organisations such as – BENSOC Social Leadership program and Silverchain Palliative Care Service.
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