This week I'll be joining Gary Briggle's Musical Theatre class at St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, doing some casual Q&A and then getting up on our feet as a group.  I'm glad to have been teaching with Upstream Arts for these past 7 years, as my time in those classes has stocked my shelves with great ideas for interactive, creative, outside-the-box group play. 

For those who haven't had the joy of this kind of energetic, safe-zone theater work, imagine the silliest, strangest, most creative moments that ooze out of you when you're all alone and listening to your favorite music. Or, perhaps, imagine being in the middle of a really difficult conversation and suddenly acquiring the flexibility to not have to use words anymore.  Or maybe, imagine how happy the world would be if ALL the cars in that rush hour traffic would just move at the exact same time, eliminating all that snaking and stop-and-go!  Ahhhh, nirvana.  Anyway, not exactly sure yet which games will float to the top for this Friday's class -- but, looking forward to stepping IN to respectful risk-taking with a new set of faces and, in doing so, stepping OUT of our comfort zones together to make them just a little bit bigger.

Hooray for play!

This week I met with my wonderful friend, the astoundingly creative and talented flute artist Julie Johnson, as well as her recent collaborator, Zenon Dance member and (as I witnessed today) compelling performer Tamara Ober.  We're looking at joining forces to create a possible extension of their recent improv performance, based on Flannery O'Connor's short story "Good Country People."  I already love Tamara, and let me tell you, these women are two powerful artistic forces! I believe the three of us could create something fierce, and I eagerly add my voice to the collaboration! Here's the video from their 2012 performance.