Domain

Theatre, Dance & Improv

Actors, directors, dancers and improvisers on presence, trust and directive leadership.

Examples drawn from theatre, dance and improvisation -- voice and presence coaching, directive leadership from theatre directors, and the improviser's comfort with risk and spontaneity.

Open in Atlas

Where it runs — 5 chapters, 18 sections

VI. Getting Connected

Getting ConnectedFred Seddon, whose research work with groups of musicians we quoted earlier, used the term ‘empathetic attunement’ to describe performers who are ‘locked in’ to each other’s performances. These players are, as he put it, ‘decentred’ and focused as much on their fellow performers as…
First Circle: The Circle of Self and WithdrawalHere, your whole focus is inward. The energy you generate falls back into you. First Circle absorbs other people’s energy and draws all outward stimulus inward. When in First Circle, you are not very observant or perceptive about people or objects outside yourself. They interest…
Third Circle: The Circle of Bluff and ForceIn Third Circle, all of your energy is outward-moving and non-specific, and is untargeted. It is as if you are spraying your energy out to the world with an aerosol can. Your attention is outside yourself, yet unfocused, lacking precision and detail. You get a…
Second Circle: The Energy of ConnectingIn Second Circle, your energy is focused. It moves out toward the object of your attention, touches it and then receives energy back from it. You are living in a two-way street – you give to and are responsive with that energy, reacting and communicating…
Carmine GalloAnother thing that gets in the way of forging good connections in any context is a lack of trust.
Walking BlindThe group pairs off with partners. One stands behind the other with their hands resting lightly on the shoulders of their partner, who must keep their eyes closed. All of the pairs start to walk around the room; the person behind ‘steers’ their partner using…
The Counting GameThe group sits or stands in a circle – sitting is better – and closes
Switching PlacesThe group stands in a circle with one person standing in the middle of the circle. The people in the circle must silently signal to another member that they should swap places and they must do so before the person in the middle spots them…
Clap, Slap, StampThe group forms a circle. They are asked to count clockwise around the circle starting with a group member chosen at random: 1,2,3,
Build a StoryAsk the group to contribute one word at a time in sequence (staying arranged in a circle is probably easiest) to create a narrative.

VII. Directive Leadership

Directive LeadershipEnsembles don’t have leaders, in the normal sense.

VIII. Great Performances Have Form and Purpose

XII. How to Rehearse

XV. Performing at Every Level

Performing at Every LevelPerforming artists see the concept of performance at various ‘levels’ of engagement with their fellow performers.