Preparing Participants to Perform on Stage

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The workshop series was the second community-facing event in the Tapestries of Transformation program.

We held four concurrently occurring weekend workshops throughout February 2024. Workshops included drumming, acting, storytelling and movement.

Each was led by a member of the creative team. For instance, the movement workshop was led by the choreographer. 

Participants included those who attended the retreat and also people from the wider community who hadn’t participated in the retreat but who saw one of our workshop fliers and had an interest in what was being taught.

All workshop participants were encouraged to participate in the final performance but were not required. 

The main aims of the workshops were to deepen connections between the participants while preparing them to perform on stage. Participants enjoyed seeing each other on a weekly basis for several weeks. This served to strengthen connections.

Key to accomplishing this goal was fostering an atmosphere of playfulness and exploration. 

The workshops, rehearsals, and final performance created space for camaraderie and creative expression that I will forever treasure.

Omar Columbus, Air Force. E-6

Workshop Topics

Fostering an atmosphere of playfulness and exploration 

For some, the workshops are another step toward “transmuting trauma,” i.e. shaking trauma out of the body, putting it into a physical form, and letting it become something beautiful. For others it’s about learning something new, or evolving a skill. 

Empower each workshop leader to assess the level of skill in the room and conduct their workshop accordingly.