HURRAH FOR THE MYSTERIOUS WONDER BALLOON!
(or:
THE MISSOULA OBLONGATA WORKSHOP IN COLLABORATIVE THEATRE MAKING)
The Missoula Oblongata has developed a specific style of workshop based on our own collaborative process and our experience as radical artists. The workshop brings students together in small teams to write and create short performances from the ground up-- from conception to writing to designing to building to performing. All workshops end with performances by the students-- whether the workshop was a semester long or an hour long.
First we use a variety of movement techniques to awaken and bring awareness to the body. Then we guide students through the very same writing/conceiving prompts that we use to write our own scripts and structure our collaboration. After this, students are given a wealth of physical resources (space, junk, art supplies, power and hand tools, sewing machines, desk lamps, electrical equipment, etc.) with which to craft a collaborative performance.
Over the course of the workshop we instruct students in any new skills they need/want to develop (sewing, drilling, wiring, cartwheels, juggling, etc.) in order to make their piece, while guiding them through the craft of making theatre in a moment-by-moment way. In order to balance the very practical, hands-on work which takes up most of the workshop time, we also include a lecture component which focuses on the more theoretical aspects of collaboration and DIY theatre-making.
Though it may sound rigid, this workshop is very flexible and can be structured to fit into an entire semester or a couple of hours. We most often teach it at colleges, though we've also managed to accommodate high school students, community groups, and ensembles already working together.
We absolutely love teaching this workshop, so if you are affiliated with a school or group who might be interested, please let us know!
