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Why is the newsletter called ‘The Philosophical Theatre Facilitator’?
Well, firstly I am not going to be writing about some new category of performance: 'Philosophical Theatre'1. Neither do I claim to be the eponymous 'Philosopher Facilitator' dispensing wisdom - far from it. Instead, the title is a proposition, perhaps even an invitation, to consider the practical wisdom embedded in everyday theatre/drama facilitation practice. How might we take a philosophical approach to maintaining and improving our work a theatre facilitator, stage director or drama teacher?
The very nature of the profession means facilitators and directors often work alone, and in the hurly-burly of getting from one project to the next it can be difficult to find the time to engage in true reflective practice.
I've been training and mentoring facilitators (early career to the most experienced) for nearly two decades but, I would never claim to have the answers. Instead, I have found my most impactful role has been that of a curator, pointing fellow practitioners to structured ways of thinking: questions, ideas and resources that might help refresh or inspire their practice. In essence this is what I hope to offer with this newsletter. I'm planning posts that:
Prompt reflective thinking about facilitation
Challenge/explore orthodoxies or assumptions
Deep dives on the anatomy of well know games and exercises
Highlight alternative sources of inspiration
Signpost useful books and articles.
I’ll be posting a free newsletter monthly. I may add a more targeted weekly edition for paying subscribers if there is demand
Please do let me know if you have any ideas for future posts.
Could there even be a non-philosophical theatre? This might make an interesting post in the future.
It would be very interesting if there was a blog/post about the four mainframes of Facilitation, i really could do with a refresh.