Social Presencing Theater Practice

Developed by Arawana Hayashi in collaboration with Otto Scharmer of the Presencing Institute, Social Presencing Theater is a pioneer social art form designed for systems change, blending contemplative arts, movement theater, Presencing, and mindfulness practices. It makes significant situations visible, explores emerging possibilities, and supports movement towards healthier futures.

Through practicing Social Presencing Theater and its simple awareness-based movement exercises and collective play, you start to listen to, and learn from, your “stuck” situations in life by noticing your body in the present moment and in relation to others. In that way things can fall naturally into place, without thinking hard. Practiced in organizations and social movements, it can help more constructive, collective things to happen, without the need of a central role to develop and implement a strategic solution for it.

Social Presencing Theater is an invitation to discover more spaciousness and openness in our daily living and our working with others.

People of all physical abilities are invited to attend and participate or witness/observe to the extent that they are comfortable and inspired.

All are welcome, regardless of prior meditation or practice experience.

Suggested donations for this guided exploration are on a self-selected sliding scale. Please consider offering one of the following three options:

$5, $12, $25

Cash, personal check, PayPal, or Zelle accepted.

Offered on the third Saturday of every month by Ryn Armstrong.

PLEASE REGISTER IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND SO WE CAN PLAN ACCORDINGLY.

Ryn Armstrong is an occupational therapist with her own company: breathe in, ACT OUT! Therapies. She has been a theater and movement artist and practitioner for 35+ years; she has been a meditator and yoga instructor for more than half that time. She has worked and played directly with Naropa University teachers, dancers and movers: Lanny Harrison, Erika Berland, Wendell Beavers, Ruth Zaporah, and Arawana Hayashi (author of Social Presencing Theater: The Art of Making a True Move). With permission, Ryn used some of Ms. Harrison’s and Ms. Hayashi’s  improv forms for her own experiential learning and research as a part of her OT graduate thesis entitled “A ‘More Safe Angle’: Improvisational Movement as a Means to Reach Occupational Therapy Outcomes.” Ryn has participated in the massive open online course (MOOC) u.Lab from MIT and the Presencing Institute with whom Ms. Hayashi has shaped and developed the Social Presencing Theater work.