THE SAFE SPACE
This month I’ve been contemplating the issue and importance of creating a Safe Space, as well as whether the term itself is indeed fit for purpose.
What constitutes a ‘safe space’ for one person - free from potentially triggering issues, may well hinder others by creating an environment where self-censorship impedes the creative process.
I’ve observed first-hand the skill of experienced facilitators, creating a space where all those attending feel valued and respected – and I’ve also seen (and experienced) first-hand, the skill of being able to hold that space, be undermined and undervalued.
So rather than try and explore the topic myself here, I’ve decided to host an event where professional facilitators and theatre-makers can come together to disseminate the ideas of:
What exactly is a ‘safe space’?
How do you create it and maintain it?
Should it really be called a ‘safe space’?
How do you manage a safe space without promoting an environment of creative self-censorship?
In this workshop we’ll explore these questions in a practical and fun way, delving into what makes a ‘safe space’, how to achieve it and maintain it, explore strategies for when the safe space is challenged, and whether the term is fit for purpose in the current landscape of drama facilitation and theatre-making.
Happy Accidents
Within this Safe Space pondering, I’ve also been faced with questions around failure, mistakes and success.
The creative process demands mistakes. It demands we try things out and fail (I’ve always thought science and the arts are so closely related in this way). In my workshops and rehearsals, I call the mistakes ‘happy accidents’ – and actively encourage them, yet we are struggling in a world where mistakes are considered ‘bad’ and where there must be a ‘right’ answer … this is particularly true in the education system.
I think now more than ever, when drama is so undervalued - when the need to ‘get things right’ and pass and succeed – when mistakes are considered ‘wrong’ and to be avoided … that the need for a ‘safe space’ to be created where people are actively encouraged to ‘get it wrong’ and make mistakes and enjoy that process – to actually revel in it - is vital!
The times where things go wrong are often the times when creatively we are the most open to then springboard into something else – the corporate sector calls it ‘thinking outside the box’ and pay extortionate amounts of money for ‘facilitators’ to do just that.
Success too needs re-defining. What does it mean? How can you achieve it. It is (again), highly personal to the individuals involved and the aims of the workshop (in my experience, just having someone make a suggestion in the room is success). Pushing people out of their comfort zone (literally encouraging them to be uncomfortable) and having them succeed in trying something new, is success. For me, ensuring I facilitate a sense of achievement from those taking part, regardless of what that is - and even if on the outside it looks like the whole workshop has been about failure and mistakes – is at the heart of my work.
And it is my skill and experience as a facilitator that allows me to hold that safely. Bottom line: If it goes wrong it’s MY fault - if it goes well YOU’RE a genius!
Here’s a radical idea (which I just keep saying over and over again), what if we built creative play and encouraged ‘happy accidents’ and the ‘embracing of mistakes’ into our education system? What if the money that was spent on corporate facilitation and consultation was re-distributed to grassroots arts organisations and education … hmmm … maybe, just maybe, we’d have a society of joyously creative, highly original-thinking people!
Books I'm reading this month:
Applied Theatre: International Case Studies and Challenges for Practice
Edited by Monica Prendergast and Juliana Saxton
The Drama Workshop Leader
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