Organizations and working groups need to get along with each other. Not always easy! Through simple and joyful improvisational activities, you and your group members will be introduced to essential skills for building creative flow with your colleagues and finding greater resilience inside yourselves. These practices include:
- Listening more receptively
- Building upon each other’s ideas instead of blocking them
- Quieting the inner critic
- Accepting differences
- Unleashing innovation
- Finding creative practices that support personal renewal
- Fostering organizational culture where these qualities are alive
From Technical communications manager, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Tori Orr
Everyone on my team appreciated the chance to do something unexpected and unique that challenged us to take a more creative approach to problem solving.
From Associate Dean, Simmons School of Social Work, Carol Bonner
True Story Theater helped our faculty to resolve conflicts related to leadership transition and tensions of our multicultural organization.
In three sessions we were able to move into more constructive dialogue and new alliances. The result is the work of our School is now more productive, effective, and fun.
Training options
These workshops are excellent for a wide range of ages — adults, teens, and seniors– of any physical and theatrical abilities (or lack thereof), and with group size from 8 to 100. The formats below can be chosen singly or combined. We recommend having some social time after any of these programs for participants to connect with each other and to unwind.
- a 90-minute interactive workshop on Zoom
- a 2-3 hour interactive workshop in person (outdoors or fully vaccinated)
- a 60 minute performance (with actors embodying true stories of participants) combined with a 30 minute interactive workshop — both on Zoom
When ask for a program
During times of organizational:
- Transition: arrivals or departures of key members, new goals or policies
- Stress: feeling pressured, short staffed, buffeted by national or global events
- Reflection: retreats, evaluation times, pauses in activity
- Celebration: marking achievements, seeking connection and rejuvenation
- Misunderstanding: untangling conflict, affirming common values
- Planning: new groups starting to work together, visioning & goal-setting
What to expect
We know that some people love improvisation, and for others the very word creates anxiety: “Will I need to perform? Will I be judged and look stupid?”
Participants are consistently relieved by the ease, safety, and support created in all of our workshops. We practice embodied attentive listening and play, not comedy improv. No one performs. No one needs to be fast or clever. We are committed to:
- Safety and consent: With any activity we offer, you have the option to step out at any time. Taking care of your own physical and emotional well-being is most important.
- Acceptance: In no activities is anyone judged or ranked. We applaud every person for the courage to simply show up.
- Respect: Laughter is frequent–but no one is ever laughed at. Activities are designed to honor everyone present.
- Welcoming difference: Many exercises invite participants to reveal what is important to them. We acknowledge differences in identity, background and perspective, and appreciate each person who takes the risk to share.