Playable Theatre Workshop Series – 2019
The Playable Theatre Project hosted a series of 3 free workshops! The workshops were centered around developing skills for creating engaging and successful playable theatre experiences. The information was presented by participatory theatre experts and can be beneficial to designers and actors as well as audiences
Participatory Storytelling
Wednesday, February 27th 2019 6:00 – 9:00pm ET
“What’s Poppin'” 369 Huntington Avenue, Boston MA
Creating participatory narratives for meaningful audience agency. Featuring a roundtable discussion and works in progress playtesting/workshopping of the following:
- Tipford – Lizzie Stark & Jason Morningstar – A musical larp about a 1920s factory strike using protest songs as a key mechanic.
- Space Cowboys – Sam Liberty – A narrative-focused tabletop RPG that uses player driven action to create gripping and exuberant sci-fi stories in the mold of your favorite serial films and shows.
- So You Wanna Be a Medium – Nick O’Leary & Sharang Biswas – Participants test their psychic abilities — and soon find themselves facing difficult choices about the voices they hear from the other side…
Acting for Participation
Acting for meaningful audience participation.
Wednesday, March 27th 2019 6:00 – 8:00pm ET
Northeastern Campus – Ryder Hall 372
11 Leon St, Boston, MA 02115
Examining challenges of acting in pieces with meaningful audience participation, exploring the interaction skills built by techniques drawn from Theatre of the Oppressed, improv comedy, theme park character performance, and live action role play. Featuring a roundtable discussion and participatory exercises with Lizzie Stark, Kellian Adams, Caroline Murphy, Jacki Carlson, and Dani Snyder-Young.
Directions to 372 Ryder Hall: Ryder Hall is directly to the right of the Ruggles train stop on Northeastern’s campus, of you are facing the campus-side door to the train stop. Enter Ryder Hall through the front or side entrance and take either the stairs or the elevator to the third floor. From the staircase, turn left and follow signs to 372; from the elevator turn right and follow signs to 372.
Training the Audience
Wednesday, April 24th 2019 7:00 – 9:00pm ET
Adventure Pub, 190 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA
Playable theatre invites participation, requiring audiences- often with a wide range of reference points- to learn a new set of skills. Bring an example of a piece that needs onboarding- your own or someone else’s- to this hands-on workshop which will include creative brainstorming and case studies from facilitators, including Kellian Pletcher-Adams (Club Drosselmeyer, Save the Munbax), Lizzie Stark (#feminism, Save the Munbax), Celia Pearce, and Caroline Murphy and Athena Peters (Incantrix), at Athena’s new Adventure Pub in Arlington with a cash bar and plentiful delicious free food!