“Arriving” with Others: A Contemplative Approach to Ensemble Creativity

The theatre ensemble can be a paradigm of interconnectivity, interpersonal communication, and collaborative creativity working at extraordinarily high levels of subtlety and complexity. This presentation reports on an ensemble theatre project in which cultural differences and a dysfunctional group dynamic were addressed through a contemplative process. A meditation-based technique of “arriving” was coupled with the guided experience of seeing and being seen by the other as a daily group practice. Participants will be introduced to both practices in an experiential session. The accompanying paper will draw on student responses as evidence in analysing the role of the contemplative in creating ensemble, and in establishing a framework for creative process. Ensemble here will function as both a particular artistic medium and as a paradigm for interdependent connectivity.