 It’s often said, “We live life looking forward but we understand it looking back.”
That’s what we did last Sunday, members of my improv troupe Wing & A Prayer
Pittsburgh Players and me. Many of us have meet regularly, often weekly, since 2005
to rehearse upcoming presentations and performances and to share with one other
whatever’s going on in our lives. Stories from our lives are the material we play with
and connect and create with, usually in response to an overarching theme, often
done in collaboration with a Pittsburgh non-profit, assisting them in advancing their
noble purposes.
Rarely, if ever, have we had a business meeting. This one we called a “vision and
strategy” meeting to see if we could arrive together at a clear direction for our
organizational future. As a troupe we are part of the non-profit InterPlay Pittsburgh,
which is an affiliate of Body Wisdom, Inc. an organization in Oakland, CA that has
affiliates around the globe. Body Wisdom trains teachers and promotes InterPlay, an
art-based system used for education, performance, and personal and community
transformation. Locally, we have our own self-determination in how we use the
system and whom we share it with.
Our time together began by watching a couple of slide shows another member and I
put together, scenes from the 75 or so events we have done since 2005. It was great
fun reviewing and remembering where we’ve been and how we got there. As one of
the African American members taught me some years ago, this process is called
Sankofa, “to go back and fetch what is at risk of being left,” or what it is that we are
building on.
Having only allowed two hours for this meeting, we didn’t get as far down the road
towards what we would like our organizational future to look like, so there will be a
need for other meetings. But we know that business meetings aren’t where the
magic lives. What I want to realize and remember moving forward are all the gifts
people said they have received from using InterPlay for our working and playing
together.
-Great to get support during challenging times,
-Been a way to de-stress,
-Sharing these experiences with my husband was a great gift to our relationship
-Expanded me out of my rational mind,
-Becoming more spontaneous,
-An excuse to play
-I love surprising myself,
-It’s provided ways to get moving and craft the journey
-I’ve become more trusting of my creative self
-Feel more comfortable in a group now
-I’ve taken home some ways to make hard conversations easier
What are areas in your life that you would like to review in order to create a clearer path moving forward?
Sheila
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