Putting it into action is much harder then you think.
All of a sudden we have gone from this very free environment of going with the flow to one that has structure and don't get me wrong structure really has a value that helps us to understand where we stand and we can go from there me I like a little bit of flexibility and I guess I'm going to have to stand by my rule that sometimes we break the rules even though that's not okay with some of my members my group members as long as I explain myself and justify my cause and reason I'm sure I will be within reason to make this decision.
I'm proud of us having a manifesto. All of a sudden we have real clarity about the work we are doing and the direction we going in and we also come up with new rules that help define who we are for example... accepting the role of wheelchairs and walking canes into group practice.
Yes, this is a cool idea, love that they are noticing these things and we are talking about them. The group also instigated one about self management and I guess this all comes down to a witnessing what I have just been mentioning in everyday life. Quite often we have this scenario where someone doesn't want to stand near someone, they are having a block or a temporary tension from before class.
I invite them to change this situation; "I would like you to choose where you would like to stand, then move there" If someone is bothering you it's your job to find a new place to stand and this might seem ridiculous but actually it is the reality of working alongside people with disabilities so we have to keep talking about these things and keep them right at the forefront of what we are doing. This is the dialogue that we are having as a group. Self awareness, self management and on the spot decision making. At times it feels like the most important part of the dialogue we have because everyone can manage themselves and their own feelings about things and speak for that feeling then we can crack along in a really spectacular way.
Last night at Wellington Playback Theatre Company rehearsal we had the pleasure of working with Bev Hosking one of the founding members of playback theatre in New Zealand; one of the amazing things to emerge out of the session that really stand out my memory is the uncertainty of "Beginnings and Endings" and this is certainly something that we teach and play with in our work. I really think it comes down to something very simple listening and tuning in and generosity for others and that is part of a manifesto for we would like to take our company and we all said yes and move forward into that. Yes for listening, yes for generosity and yes for tuning into myself and to the needs of others.
Source: Saying Yes: Playback Theatre as a Metaphor for Life By Karin Gisler