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Pandemic Update
Hello friends!
The board, staff and ensemble of Bright Invention hope you’ve been safe during the COVID-19 crisis. Like you, we are sheltering, disinfecting, distancing, zooming, uncovering old hobbies, learning new skills and new ways to stay connected. We're also finding new ways to tell those around us we love them and to laugh together.
BOARD MEMBER APRIL COHEN
I want to take a moment to thank our board of directors who have been steadfast in their support of me and Bright Invention in these uncertain times; our staff including Finance Director Bob Stineman - juggling new numbers and making new projections in response to this “new normal”; Development Consultant Allison Pokras - donating her time to support our strategic initiatives and assisting in marketing content; Executive Assistant Francine Brocious - champion note-taker and social media engineer. Lastly, I wish to thank our ensemble, who have dived directly into the deep end with me as we co-create online content and offer new programs, working for the love of this organization, each other, and in the belief that we will again generate meaningful income for them in the future.
Since the quarantine began mid-March we have been moving a lot of our programming online. Here are some highlights!
We have been holding Zoom rehearsals with the ensemble each Monday night. The Inventors and I have come up with some great online formats for fun improv shows. And we are continuing to hold each other up with emotional and practical support. A few lucky ones remain at work, but most of the ensemble work in the performing arts “gig economy” and so have been especially vulnerable to the delayed unemployment benefits and loss of work.
We maintained our spring show schedule and are offering online improv shows we call Improvademic! These are fun, hour-long shows with some opportunity for audience play-ins, and also function as fundraisers for causes the ensemble cares about. At our April show we raised over $1,000 to feed frontline healthcare workers at Temple University Hospital, and supplied them with 100 meals from a local restaurant, the West Avenue Grille. For our May 2nd show, we are raising money for MANNA, which feeds those who are homebound by age, sickness or disability.
Our classes have been meeting once a week tuition-free with our actors with disabilities and our adult improv class. These are Zoom meetings with the instructors to play games, do some improv and check in with each other.
New online programs:
FINANCE DIRECTOR BOB STINEMAN
Our Creative Corporate Training program has created three new online offerings:
Games with Bright Invention! Do your online socials or Zoom happy hours need a boost?
Virtual Meeting Bootcamp. Basic training for effective online participation.
People Not Products. For managers who want to lead online teams with humanity and clarity.
You can learn more about these workshops here. We will be featured by L&D of Greater Philadelphia for their online happy hour May 13th!
We have launched our Improv Playgrounds - hour-long, gently facilitated improv classes with me plus a member of the ensemble. These too are free/pay what you can. These meet on Zoom Wednesday night at 7 pm and bring the kids to our Saturday morning playground at 10 am!
We will face many challenges in 2020. Like other nonprofits, we have applied for grants and loans (we are waiting on the much ballyhooed PPP loan). We understand and respect that many philanthropies formerly supporting arts and culture are now bending their efforts to essential services.
I continue to deepen my skills in developing online content by taking workshops through our affiliation with the Applied Improvisation Network, Yes And Brain, L&D Philly and other groups. However, our primary revenue generator, Creative Corporate Training, is a deeply “in-person” program, bringing groups of people indoors, to learn, laugh and explore complex interpersonal dynamics together in close quarters. It’s a pretty tough sell these days - a non-starter, really - made even harder by the contraction of our clients’ budgets. Luckily, one of our biggest clients Merck Pharmaceuticals is working with us to see how we can move the workshop we were designing for them into virtual space.
ZOOM ENSEMBLE REHEARSAL . . .
How will the summer and fall play out? There’s no way of knowing right now. When it’s safe, we will again offer our fun and meaningful in-person workshops, classes and shows. But here are a couple of things I’m sure of:
There will be a Bright Invention in 2021. Our nonprofit was designed to be economically nimble. We have few expenses. One of our mottos is “People, Not Products” a slogan which reminds us to bend all our efforts to supporting the people we serve and the people who work for us. So much of what we do - our shows, our playgrounds - we offer for the satisfaction of sharing our gifts with new friends. We ask our audiences to place their own value on what we create. So all of that will continue.
We will ask you for help. Getting to 2021 will be a group effort. Our ensemble, staff and board have already begun the work of creating innovative strategies for remaining a vital and attractive organization for entertainment, education and corporate training into 2021 and beyond. One of the benefits of meeting much of our budget through earned income is that when we do fundraise, we’re often doing so to benefit others (see our Improvademic shows above!) However - like everything else in these strange times - that has to change this year, in a “put your own facemask on first” kind of way. It’s not an ideal time to launch a campaign, but in order to respond to the challenges we’re facing we’re developing strategic fundraising for Bright Invention . . . and we will be inviting you to “play-in” be to be a part of it.
THE ENSEMBLE IN MARCH - PRE-SOCIAL DISTANCING . . .
It’s become a cliche, but it’s true: this crisis has exposed our strengths, and our weaknesses. As an arts nonprofit, we have accomplished the “big ask” funders make to arts nonprofits: diversify your funding streams and find a new ways to generate revenue. We innovated. We invented. We used our creative foundation - improvisation - to create a dynamic program in Creative Corporate Training that empowers organizations to navigate sticky professional, interpersonal situations and create more stable work cultures . . . and we get paid well to do it. And we use that income to subsidize our creative work and stabilize our work with the disability community.
On the downside, our dependence on a single program with specific application makes us vulnerable to a disruption in that marketplace. On the upside, we have discovered that we are ideally positioned to energetically serve our mission in this difficult time. We designed our creative work to serve diverse communities independent of financial constraints, and we are committed to ensuring that will continue.
We’re excited about our new programs and invite you to join in. Here are some links to to discover your potential with us!
Bright Invention uses improvisation to empower people and organizations to unlock their potential.
Many times during the past several weeks, I have been grateful for the essential skill improvisation has taught me: to say yes, this is happening; and to say and, let’s build a story about it together . . .
Stay safe,
Ben
Benjamin Lloyd, Executive Director, Bright Invention
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.