When the members of our last online Devising with Collaborative Energy Workshop waved goodbye and said ‘see you again next time’ to the group at the end of the session, all of them seemed so happy and satisfied. Qingyang was there too, having done all of the tasks and exercises and interacted with fellow members and she definitely felt the session bubbling with creative supportive energy. So what exactly happened?
Alice, co-artistic director of Scratchworks Theatre Company, facilitated a resourceful and fun theatre workshop which accommodated a lovely creative group with diverse members from different journeys, areas and even countries… Movement exercises that kickstarted the session warm us up, making us connect with our bodies as well as with the group. Games that initiated characters or settings sent us onto new creative journeys, which started to grow in the ensemble space and inspired one another.
The session seemed to reach spotlighted moments when each member of the group successfully comes up with 4 movements that perform their character, while writing a short dialogue. Movement improvisation and creative writing happen side by side. Alice’s easy-to-follow, playful and clever exercises deliver the energy of theatre devising to creatives of all walks.
Creative materials of each member interact with one another and at the end of the session, when we share each of us’s vision of a new piece, it can be viewed as a growing individual piece but also one that interweaves the group’s creativity. The future life of this piece beyond the session? May be a play, a theatre show, a novel, a film… who knows?!
It’s all possible. Because you’ve got something to take further beyond the session now. And a supportive fun group space online that you can return to next time.