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The Benathon!
Bright Invention Executive Director Benjamin Lloyd
runs an Olympic-distance triathlon to raise money for
Bright Invention!
Saturday, July 25, 9 am - 2 pm!
1500 meter swim
40 kilometer bike ride
10 kilometer run
Since last year, Ben has been training to compete in triathlons as a tribute to his deceased friend Jim MacLaren. He ran his first Sprint-distance tri last fall, and this year is moving up to Olympic Distance (see the distances above)! Since most organized triathlons have been cancelled or postponed by the coronavirus, Ben is running this tri solo, using the Willow Grove YMCA as his base.
Like most nonprofits, Bright Invention finds itself facing some challenges this year. The board, staff and ensemble are united in doing what we can to continue our mission: Bright Invention uses improvisation to empower people and organizations to unlock their potential. Your support of The Benathon will . . .
Support the Bright Invention Ensemble by providing fees to them for leading free workshops online.
Expand our work with people with disabilities through our Ability In Action program, by allowing us offer scholarships to a more diverse population.
Invest in our Creative Corporate Training program as we acquire the technical support we need to offer our workshops online.
Check out our social media pages for real-time updates on how Ben is doing throughout the day!
With thanks to Peter Andrew Danzig and Theatrical Trainer!
Talking Improvisation
Ben Notes: what improv offers the differently abled
BRIGHT INVENTION TEACHER KIERSTEN ADAMS ADDRESS THE ACTING OUT! ENSEMBLE
It was March or April 2014. With the help of my brother I had just opened a small performing arts studio in my hometown of Elkins Park, PA. As I was standing on the sidewalk outside, I was approached by a woman and her teenage daughter. I noticed that her daughter hid behind her mom while her mom spoke to me. This caught my attention.
“This is so great!” her mom said of my little studio. “Will you be offering classes for young people with disabilities?” I told her that was something I was personally interested in but I didn’t want to misrepresent us. I explained that we - the ensemble and I - weren’t trained in working with that population. She introduced herself and her daughter to me. Her daughter is on the autism spectrum.
Two weeks later she emailed me and offered me this: she would pay to have me and as many of our ensemble as were interested trained by a woman who had been offering theater classes to kids with disabilities for years. I was moved and excited - and said yes! In the fall of 2014, we offered our first class for young people with disabilities and we named it Acting Out! This fall we celebrate five continuous years of offering this class.
TEACHERS KIERSTEN AND SHEA SONSKY TAPE DOWN THE FLOOR FOR THE FINAL SHARE WHILE FOUNDING MEMBERS ISABEL, CARLEY, ELIAS AND ERIC HELP.
Of all the various constituents Bright Invention serves and has served - from summer campers to corporate entities- our community of families in the disability community have been the most steadfast and loyal. Of that original group in 2014, four students have been in every class since, and we have begun to call them the “Acting Out! Ensemble”, and have begun thinking of ways to raise the bar in terms of their performance and visibility.
One of the things that sets our class apart from others like it is that we make no distinctions of either ability or disability. Many creativity classes are focused on particular disability or disability spectrum: autism, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, etc. We essentially throw our doors open and say, if you think this is the class for you you are welcome. This affirms our commitment to radical inclusivity, and it comes with some challenges. Our teachers need to create an eight-week experience that serves everyone in the class, some of whom read, some who don’t, some who can jump around, others can’t, some who are very verbal, others who are very quiet. We have experimented with many approaches, and at first were using a variety of scripted formats to create theater, everything from original plays written by teachers from student ideas, to short Shakespeare scenes. But the scripts were challenging and had the unfortunate effect of dividing our group in to two basic groups: those who could read and memorize, and those who couldn’t.
Around this time I was developing an approach to organizational development, team building and leadership training which has come to be called Creative Corporate Training. These workshops use a “scenario-based” approach in which we design tailor-made scenarios we perform for our clients, which enact themes or challenges they want to explore. Then through a feedback sequence, the client group watches a problematic scenario improve as our actors replay the scenario making adjustments based on client observations and ideas. We create these scenarios using “structured improvisation” in which we design a simple three-act story based on our client’s needs, and our actors rehearse and perform it like it’s a little play. Except it isn’t. Because there’s no script. You see where this is going?
Please help Bright Invention deliver creative dramatics and structured improv to communities in need!
A HAPPY COMMUNITY AFTER A SUCCESSFUL FINAL SHARE!
Since 2017, this three-act, structured improvisation technique has been at the center of our work with people with disabilities. With this technique, everyone in the class can participate to their full potential. Everyone in the class is co-creating a three-act play, with assigned roles, a repeatable and rehearsable structure, and no limit on anyone’s creativity and imagination. All of the benefits of creative dramatics are engaged in this process. Our students are gaining confidence, developing verbal skills, acquiring emotional intelligence, and learning basic narrative structure: beginning, middle, end. Because our students are theatre people, our classes also include a rehearsed and performed show tune, which is now woven into the three-act play they create. We are really lucky to have talented and committed teachers who know how to lead structured improv, and can also choreograph a kick-ass show stopper. And we are expanding. This year, we brought our technique to a new community to us: teenage girls recovering from trauma.
Over the years, through my deepening relationship to these families I have learned a lot about what matters to them. I can write all I want about (see paragraph above) but here’s what the families tell me. Having a safe and reliable communal experience, in which their loved ones are having a fun and creative experience together is what matters. Because for their loved ones in this class, there aren’t a lot of places that offer that safe, creative space. I keep trying to innovate and they tell me, sure, okay, but just keep doing this, because this is essential for us.
That shy girl I met behind her mom on the sidewalk in 2014 is Isabel, and she is a core member of the Acting Out! Ensemble. She has been in every class since. She has performed for us and for her school, where I saw her play a leading role in their production of Hairspray. Here is a short interview I did with her before the Acting Out! final share last weekend:
I can no longer think of her and her classmates as “disabled”. She and they are just this bunch of amazing young people we get to play with year after year, and stand amazed as they bring their gifts, creativity and love to each other, us and the world.
Happy Thanksgiving. There is much to be grateful for.
Help us help others tell their stories . . .
Ability in Action
As we come to the end of the year, we seek your help to ensure we can continue to help those on the margins unlock their potential through creativity. Please support Bright Invention as we bring our improv-inspired theatre classes and workshops to extraordinary people!
Help us help others tell their stories . . .
We all deserve creative expression . . .
Bright Invention uses improvisation to help individuals and groups unlock their potential. We seek to center the voices society has placed on the margins.
Ability in Action is our program area which serves people with disabilities, and others seeking creative expression in challenging or difficult circumstances.
Donate Now!
“I love Acting Out! because we get to express ourselves through creativity and theatre. Everyone is so welcoming and inclusive. And we get treated the same way any other acting teacher would - we do not get special treatment because of our disabilities. I think everyone should support Bright Invention because they make our community richer.” Elias Rosen, Acting Out student 2014 - present.
CAROUSEL CONNECTIONS: OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THIS WONDERFUL GROUP BRINGS OUR IMPROVISATION AND THEATRE CLASSES TO THEIR SUMMER CAMPERS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AND AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER.
HOPE IN ACTION: OUR EIGHT-WEEK CLASS SUPPORTS TEENS RECOVERING FROM TRAUMA, FACILITATING THEIR CREATION OF ORIGINAL PIECES OF THEATER THROUGH STRUCTURED IMPROVISATION.
ACTING OUT! NOW IN ITS FIFTH YEAR, OUR SEMESTER-LONG CLASS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ALWAYS FEATURES A SHOW TUNE WITH ORIGINAL CHOREOGRAPHY AND A SHORT THREE ACT ORIGINAL PLAY CREATED WITH STRUCTURED IMPROV.
Have a look at our extraordinary Acting Out! teachers Shea Sonsky and Kiersten Adams directing an Acting Out! rehearsal November 17th, 2019:
Our work leads to:
emotional intelligence
self confidence
collaborative skills
Your donation will support:
our skilled teaching artists
equitable access across income levels
program growth through low-cost partnerships
We hope you'll give a meaningful donation to support us as we continue to bring joy, and creative expression those who need it most!
Thank you!
Donate Now!
Ability in Action
PARTICIPANTS IN ACTING OUT!
Ability In Action is a comprehensive, immersive and experiential program for youth and young adults living with a disability. Ability In Action utilizes performance creativity and embodied activities to enhance social skills, verbal and physical expression, communication and self determination. Here’s what Bright Invention is up to this winter/spring in Ability in Action:
Acting Out! is open to all youth and young adults with ASD, Aspergers, or any Physical or Developmental Disability. This class introduces basics of acting and collaboration in a safe and structured environment. Students will engage in an opening ritual at the beginning of each class and will gradually be introduced to games and activities over the course of the class semester. The final class will feature a share for family and friends based on the comfort level of students. This class is open to youth between 10 and 20 years old (but we’re flexible!) and is currently held at the Cheltenham Center for the Arts. Class begins February 24 - click here!
Stepping Out! Let us come to you and co-create fun and meaningful workshops and classes for your amazing community! Participants engage in Storytelling, Drama, Movement and Improvisation activities which explore specific themes curated to each group we work with. One workshop may explore the challenges in day to day workplace interactions while other workshops may help participants talk about relationships. Each Ability in Action experience addresses the personalized goals and needs of the participants. If you are interested in bringing Ability In Action to your organization or community. Please reach out today!
PARTICIPANTS IN A STEPPING OUT! CLASS THIS PAST SUMMER AT COMMON SPACE.
This winter we are offering Real Life Drama as part of Stepping Out! In this class we will create scenes about Real Life - the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the sweet and sour! Using a fun technique called "structured improvisation" we will play games, do some exercises and act in scenes we invent together. At the end of the class we might even do a show for our friends and families! This class is held in Ardmore at Common Space. Class begins February 23rd - click here!
Ability In Action builds a safe and supportive (and fun!) social environment which encourages risk-taking, deeper relationships and personal growth through embodied techniques and ensemble building. We love to work on special projects with blended groups. Examples of our special projects include developing an original holiday musical based on the arrangements of Fred Waring, an original production for the gala fundraising event supporting the Philly Friendship Circle, and an original play written and performed by one of our Acting Out! graduates. Got an idea? We want to hear it!
PARTICIPANTS IN A STEPPING OUT! CLASS THIS PAST SUMMER AT COMMON SPACE.