I've just had the most brilliant weekend. Improbable host an annual gathering called Devoted & Disgruntled, which uses Open Space Technology to facilitate discussion and collaboration.
It works like this:
A bunch of people get together in a big room. Anyone who has something they want to discuss with other people writes that something down on a piece of paper and announces it. They choose an area of the room and a session time for that discussion. If anyone else in the room wants to discuss that thing, they sign up for it.
There are many discussions in each session, so you can't join in for the whole of all of them, but you can buzz around like a bumble bee and cross-pollinate from one discussion to another, or flit like a butterfly and see a bigger picture.
That's it... although this technology does have four guiding principles and one law:
Whoever comes is the right people
Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
Whenever it starts is the right time
When it's over, it's over
The Law of Two Feet dictates that when you no longer feel the ability or the desire to stay and contribute, you move on, and no offense is taken.
It's absolute genius, and I spent a wonderful two and a half days discussing all kinds of aspects of theatre with all kinds of theatre people. I met directors, actors, acting tutors, critics, performance poets, aerial artists, designers, lighting designers, photographers, theatre managers, writers... all of us equal in the room, everyone able to speak and be heard, able to listen and consider.
If you're involved in theatre in any way, either in the UK or abroad, I strongly recommend that you get involved with Devoted and Disgruntled. They also have regular satellite events one evening every month in central London, and sometimes they have events in other parts of the UK, and even abroad.
Most importantly, they have an online social network that anyone can join, where you can read the document created by this weekend's event, and make your own contributions to the topics raised. Go to the D&D ning to sign up for free and join in.
Even if you think you're not the right person for something like that.
Especially if you think you're not the right person for something like that.
