Creativity and the Self

Presented by Joe Mancini, Jr., Ph.D., Creator of RoundTable Theatre, and Liz Berney, Ph.D

In this workshop, Joe and Liz will guide participants in an exploration of their perception of who they are now as well who they can be. Based on improvisation and the philosophy of Fred Newman and Lois Holzman, facilitated exercises will open participants to different physical, vocal and emotional centers in this exploration. These new emotional centers enable participants to manifest and create new “characters” within themselves. Through an experiential improvisational theater process and mini-lectures, participants will creatively explore these characters to expand into new life choices and directions for the future. Paradoxically, through the exploration of the characters who they are not, participants will learn more about who they might be. Workshop goals:

• learn how to enrich your repertoire of life choices
• discover new aspects of yourself you otherwise would not know
• revise one or more choices you have already made
• develop flexibility and adaptability in meeting and partnering with new perceptions of your self

Joe Mancini, Jr., Ph.D., M.S.O.D., M.S.W., C.Ht., was a university professor in literature and is now a workshop leader, business consultant, Gestalt Therapist, Hypnotherapist and Creator of RoundTable Theatre (RTT), an improvisational modality designed to help people envision new possibilities in though, emotion, spirit and behavior. As a leader or co-leader of over 170 workshops for personal and professional growth, Joe has focused on topics including, but not limited to, the various forms of the archetypal masculine and feminine energies, creative thinking, dealing with loss and transitions of various kinds, mentoring, communication skills, relationship issues, group dynamics, the power of the NOW, and the uses of fairy tales for personal and professional enhancement. His audiences have included men and women, teenagers on up to seniors, and business professionals and mental health professionals.

Liz Berney, Ph.D., is a business consultant and co-facilitator of RoundTable Theatre. She has created and led workshops in the areas of interpersonal communication, change management, conflict resolution, team and group dynamics and the Myers Briggs Type Indicator for executives, managers and staff in both the public and private sectors. She was trained at the National Training Labs in Gestalt, T-group and Tavistock groupwork, as well as in large, structured groupwork using Marvin Weisbord's Future Search methodology. As co-facilitator of RTT, she taps also her passion and background in dance and choreography. She helps RoundTable participants experience the "emotional intelligence" of the body and thus become more embodied and aware of their bodies' expressiveness and intelligence. She has studied the Alexander technique, Movement, and acting at the Studio Theater Acting Conservatory in Washington, D.C.

Contact Joe and Liz at www.roundtabletheatre.com ~ 301-424-5207 or 301-424-5390

For more improvisation, think about attending the Applied Improvisation Conference in NYC this fall.

Perception image by ThinkQuest Education Foundation: www.thinkquest.org Comedy/Tragedy image by Twiggs Organization: www.twiggs.org