11 June 2017

Let Go of Your Plan with Johanna de Rutyer | Monday June 19 2017 | 5.30pm

“Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.”

Structure and planning can provide useful frameworks to guide and contain action but sticking to our plans can also limit action. How often have you been in a meeting and the convenor is doggedly following a pre - arranged agenda that is not responding to the dynamics of the audience? Ever felt like a deer in the headlights, startled and frozen in front of an audience, instead of the competent person you usually present – particularly after an unexpected question or challenge?

The unplanned moment is full with creative possibility, spontaneity, excitement, playfulness, energy, focus, challenge – it is dynamic to say the least. A range of possibilities emerge and your ability to respond and then navigate within this dynamic involves taking a risk in not knowing, courage to be open and explore and practice. Some are more well versed and comfortable than others in this dynamic space. Johanna de Ruyter has been practicing the art of navigating the emerging and unstructured process for over 25 years. She is a long term ensemble member of Playback Theatre Sydney a theatre form that blends story sharing, Improvisation and Communication. Over her 30 years engagement in theatre making Improvisation has been at the centre of her creative process. She is experienced in navigating the balance between being in the planned and unplanned, structure and unstructured which ultimately takes us to a relationship between mind and body.

This will be an experiential and playful session so if possible wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Johanna will invite you meet to yourself and others in the present and emerging space of being in the unplanned.

Between stimulus and response there is a space and in that space lies our freedom and power to
respond – Janice L Marturano, Finding the space to Lead.


About Johanna de Ruyter
Johanna is passionate about the complementary relationship of communication and the performing arts. She has been working for over two decades as an actor and collaborator on various award-winning theater projects both nationally and internationally.

For Johanna the central core of theatre has always been about authentic communication – which is encompassed in the process of creating a show, in the performance itself and also in the specific style of theatre I practice, Playback Theatre. For over twenty years she has worked as an improviser, facilitator and trainer at Playback Theatre Sydney - a rich and dynamic communication forum that uses improvisation and personal storytelling to explore, expose and illuminate specific issues. Since 1981 Playback Theatre Sydney has been commissioned by Government, Corporate and Community organizations to perform roles of trainer, role play and performance.

In addition, she facilitates Leadership Presence training programs throughout the Asia Pacific region, with The Ariel Group, a leading US and more recently Australian based Executive Training Company. Johanna draws on her theatre and communication experience to design and deliver her own experientially based Training, Coaching and Presentations programs for a range of clients in the Community and Corporate sector.



Venue: [We will be at UTS]
University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Jones Street, Ultimo corner Thomas Street. Room 5.580 Level 5, Building 10, Take the lift to level 5, cross the atrium footbridge, walk straight ahead to room 580.

Time:
From 5:30pm to 7:30pm sharp | No RSVP - Just turn up | Donation $5
Enquiries | Eoin Higgins  eoin.p.higgins@gmail.com ; 0407 411 684


Call for Guest Facilitators:
If you have an idea or know someone who has an idea for a session at a Facilitators Network meeting in please contact Eoin Higgins 0407 411 684 eoin.p.higgins@gmail.com