making senses

Self¹ is a story I believe, as told by the hero-making storyteller inside. Character is a profile the world perceives: the traits and habits by which I'm identified. If these are at odds, it may cause me great distress, unless the world or I can change who I am.

This workshop approaches "Character" and "Self" as our hardware and software. We'll create characters from the outside in, develop a sense of self from the inside out, and see what sense they make of each other in Impro games and scenes.

Inspired by Will Storr’s Selfie, and playing with Keith Johnstone's Impro method, we'll explore how our self-concept shapes character-destiny in story.

Status² is not what we are; it’s what we inherently do—tipping the balance and repositioning ourselves, relative to others, on the grand leaderboard of life... Are you above or beneath me? Are we in competition? If we could get along in life, perhaps we'd get ahead?

This workshop approaches "Status" as a game, ruled by the see-saw effect. In tenuous matches, balancing acts, and extreme gaps, this much holds true: if I'm to go up, you must go down—but can I stand a put-down from you?

Inspired by Will Storr’s The Status Game, we’ll play with Keith Johnstone's Impro method in status games of Dominance, Prestige, and Success. 

Story³ is 'what happens'. We process this simply, through cause and effect. We naturally organise information by order of when things happen and why. We create convenient, consumable narratives, which we store and share by virtue of Storytelling! 

This workshop approaches "Story" as a process of disrupting routines and playing with changes for characters we care about in ensuing scenes. Reincorporating ideas with newfound purposes, we'll find resolution in establishing new routines.

Inspired by Will Storr’s The Science of Storytelling, we’ll ground our stories in the emotional experiences of flawed characters in crisis, asking: Who am I, really? And who am I going to be?

Space⁴ is an information gap—the void we rush to fill. In stillness and silence, between what outwardly happens, we flood the scene with our projections. Invisible forces of comic-dramatic tension give rise, holding us in suspense, and releasing us in surprise.

This workshop approaches "Space" as both a physical and subliminal storyteller. Rather than explain it all away, it brings the audience into play— paying closer attention to detail, questioning, speculating, anticipating, bridging the gaps, and closing the distance to a satisfying conclusion.

We may yet confirm those conclusions, and perhaps we’ll meet expectations—or not. Do we give them what they want? Do we give them what they need? Or do we "hold" space, for possibility?

Style⁵ is what makes what you do feel uniquely "you." In some cases, it’s natural; in others, it’s deliberate. Sometimes, we’re aware of it; other times, we’re not. It’s this blend of instinct and intention that guides your creativity and shapes an identity in your work.

This workshop approaches "Style" as a game of attention and intention—what we choose to do, use, and lose in play, creativity, and performance. Playing with Genre, we introduce rules and tools to achieve specific aims. Then, we'll play our way.

Inspired by Jonathan Burrows' A Choreographer's Handbook, we’ll map Venn diagrams to find our selective styles at the intersections, then bring them into play in the spirit of "this is how we do it!"

Scene⁶ is a part of the story and can be a story in itself. A taste of the ocean contained in a drop, the scene encapsulates an experience, immersing us in it—elevating a moment with purpose, meaning, and significance in the bigger picture of Story.

This workshop approaches "Scene" as an essential moment with the potential to stand alone. Here, now, and after the fact, we make a scene matter by playing with impact. Affecting each other in a scene, we stand to alter our trajectories, change course, and reflect on this as our pivotal point of change.

Inspired by our favourite plays, novels, films, and TV shows, we want any scene to be more than a means to an end—not a building block, or a cog in the machine, but a moment that truly transcends.