GRIF Workshop: Putting Power Back in the Practice (with instructor Bobby Phillips)

A slow-starting, deep-diving improvisation workshop aimed at harnessing your ability to cultivate a flow state in yourself and the actors around you. We will begin lying down with a visionary journey into the subconscious. Then we will move our bodies and explore physical space, waking up our imaginations. Finally, we will bring intention to our scene work.

What to bring:
-Imaginative stamina
-A pillow or blanket if you will need one during lying meditation
-A written list of emotions which are difficult for you to express
-At least one written sentence that you are putting off saying to someone in your life

Instructor Philosophy:

Viola Spolin was not being hyperbolic when she said that her improvisation exercises could save the world. Their results were not measured in ticket sales but in the development of minds. I distribute workshops in that spirit and aim no lower. The goal of an individual session of practice is what Viola called, “The Explosion.” This is a moment of true inspiration, freedom, and flow. It can only be reached by setting ego and expectation aside. It is that which the mystic and the artist seek in common. The comedy club environment tends to be inoculated against it. My expertise is not in performing, but in cultivating an environment where that state can be reached by newcomers and veterans alike. It’s my hope that participants will learn this ability, and carry it into their other work. We can make ground for Viola. We can inspire creatives to pursue that magic beyond words which can transform worlds.

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Bobby Phillips cut his teeth performing and directing with Fictional Friends, a short form improv comedy showcase in a rowdy bar. After leading workshops in improvisation at an ayahuasca center in Ecuador, he became more interested in the healing modalities of the practice. He went on a journey to find the origins of modern improvisation, studying with David Webster of Whole World theater in Atlanta, and becoming an advocate for the original exercises of Viola Spolin. He has returned to Grand Rapids and hosts workshops regularly at The Division Avenue Arts Collective, and Planet Ant in Hamtramck.