“It was 1999 when I met Action Theater via Sten Rudstrom, at Moving on Center, a school for participatory arts and movement therapy. We were studying different improvisation and somatic techniques every week, and sometimes for me, just coming out of being a scientist my entire life, the point of some of the weeks was a little unclear. Action Theater and Sten where always holding me with clarity. I felt what I/we were doing, playing with the unknown. I knew we were looking at ourselves in action to discover our habitual patterns and be more available to presence. The experience touched me in such a profound way that almost 20 years later this are the questions I still hold personally and professionally. What is my blindspot? How can I see it looking at my actions? How can I be more present?”
— Performance Tactics and weekend workshops participant
“Die Workshops und besonders die zwei Wochen in Berlin, im Erleben Deiner Arbeit haben meine Haltung verändert. Ich habe mich dem Mut gegenüber gestellt. Wahrnehmen, Fühlen und Handeln sind differenzierter geworden. Dadurch entwickelt sich eine neue Qualität, die mich inspiriert. Besonders in der Arbeit mit Kindern wird es wirksam. Die Freude am Leben, die Kinder ausdrücken, auch wenn es den Rahmen scheinbar sprengt, habe ich gelernt wieder zu erinnern.Die unterschiedlichen Ebenen, die Gleichzeitigkeit der Ebenen sind alle da, dafür habe ich eine feinere Wahrnemung bekommen. Egal wie verknotet es scheint, es gibt Möglichkeiten, im Innehalten Lösung zu finden. Danke.
— Februar Training Teilnehmerin ( see English below)
The experience of your work — in workshops and especially the two weeks in Berlin — have changed my attitude [about life]. The work gave the courage to face it. [My] Perception, feeling and acting have become more differentiated. This creates a new quality in me that is inspiring. It is especially effective when working with children. I’ve learned to remember the joy of living that children express, even though if it seems to go beyond the frame. The different levels [of life], the simultaneity of the levels are all there, but I’ve gotten a finer perception. No matter how tangled it seems, there are ways to find a solution. Thank you.
— February Training participant
“I’m writing to thank you for a stimulating and liberating workshop. I could list the many aspects which are reverberating around in me, but I think the one which says most is the fact that I am still writing and adding to the notes I made during the three days. The workshop opened me up to lots of ideas and possibilities of relating to and structuring the challenge of solo improvisation.
I’ve been involved for over thirty years with body, breath, movement, performance and improvisation in various forms. As time goes by it gets harder to find people from whom I can learn – simply because of what I’ve learned along the way: It builds up. So it’s great to be on that threshold again to which the workshop took me. Your tasks challenged me and your words supported and stimulated my own creative processes.
I hope we can meet again soon in that Empty Space to explore the delights and terrors of The Material.”
— Alone, Allein, Alien — Solo Performance participant
“In general, how I encountered Action Theater™ occurs to me as a practice of meditation in action as I was challenged to stay openly present in a constant process of noticing.
Seemingly simple tasks kept me busy on so many levels simultaneously. Bodily sensations, emotions and the phenomena of feelings and sense-making battling for my attention as the judgmental voice in my head labeled them. But no matter the mental chatter I realized that there’s a richness of expression through fully saturating myself with what is. By saying yes. And by working with it and through it.
Thank you for creating an amenable space for exploration, your genuine guidance and these words that still resonate within me. Looking forward to practicing more of that!”
— Be Here Now! participant
I hope this letter finds you well! I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for the wonderful Action Theater workshop in Estonia a few weeks ago. Your dedication, expertise, and passion for the practice truly shone through, and I’m incredibly grateful to have gotten the opportunity to learn from your approach. A lot was able to “click” for me in utilizing text and movement in improvisation during your workshop week, and I really look forward to putting the tools you gave us to use in my own practice.
— Advanced Action Theater participant