The Playground

The Playground is a relationship laboratory in which we test old assumptions and discover better ways of speaking, relating and connecting.

By relaxing, playing games, improvising and observing custom-designed scenarios performed by actors, you and your peers will discover that you already have everything you need to meet the challenge.

The Playground is a custom-designed experience for groups either in-person or online, featuring a mix of the four elements below:

  • Breath and body awareness

    I notice what I’m feeling through my body - do you? For instance, when I’m tense I feel it in my shoulders. These cues our body gives us are a first step towards emotional intelligence. Through guided breathing and stretching we make the vital body-mind connection. And as we relax together we bond as a group.

  • Playful Mindset

    I have basket full of games and exercises I’ve been using for years to develop of the playful mindset. Each game and exercise has a specific application to the client group being served. These games open us up to a world of possibility unconstrained by judgment, critical self-talk, and binary choices. If I can play with you, then I am safe with you.

  • Applied Improvisation

    With the playful mindset fully engaged, I invite the group to explore some simple improv setups. The invitation is real, and I never force anyone to do anything. Working on simple scenes in pairs, we discover we have untapped wells of courage, trust and empathy.

  • Performed Scenarios

    I design scenarios that represent the themes and challenges you want your group to explore. These are performed by our staff at the workshop. In the scenarios taboos are confronted and played with, community breakthroughs occur, and a collective vision of “what could be” is born out of playing with “what is.”

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A scenario performed

Here’s part of a scenario created expressly for the Community Associations Institute of Delaware Valley, exploring problematic encounters between property managers and residents. Our performed scenarios depict relationships that aren’t working. Then I lead a discussion with our client-audience about the issues raised, and invite them to tell the actors how to change their language and behavior to transform the scenario. We then observe a series of replays using client suggestions and watch the situation improve.

Some Definitions . . .

  • Play

    Play is any activity designed to elicit collective enjoyment. We play in our workshops to create safety with each other: “If I can play with you, then I am safe with you.” We play in our workshops to open up our feeling centers, with laughter as the first feeling. We play in our workshops to lay the foundation for a safe, fun and meaningful shared experience. Then we spend some time debriefing about our play, and exploring the foundational concept of the “playful mindset.”

  • Games

    We play by using a collection of non-competitive group games I have acquired through my years of studying theatre and improvisation. These frequently involve standing in a circle or moving through space, executing a series of instructions Ben gives the group. They also include experiences in pairs, like “Mirror” and “Yes, and . . .” In every case, I close with a guided discussion in which the games reveal themselves to be powerful tools for self-discovery.

  • Improvisation

    You already know how to improvise - you’ve been doing it your whole life. What we do is offer improvisation within certain parameters. Improvisation is the way we play creatively with human relationships. At our workshops, you will improvise briefly with others, and you will watch actors bring a scenario to life using structured improvisation. For the most part we do the role-playing, and you do the problem-solving.

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