Theatre exists to show us perspectives other than our own, and to make us feel less alone. It serves to create empathy, to deepen our connections to one another, and to ourselves. It promotes discourse and growth within and among our communities.
This is also true of Restorative Justice. These traditions are already aligned. It only makes sense to bring them together.
We can all think of a time when having an effective system for communicating our needs would have saved us some pain. So no more suffering for art. Enough of "the show must go on" - even at the expense of our mental heath and emotional well-being.
It’s time to embrace practices that prioritize people.
My workshop will show you how Circle Practice can help create company unity, meet peoples’ needs, prevent harm from happening, and address it when it does.
For more information, or to bring a Restorative Practices workshop to your organization, contact me HERE.
NEW CIRCLE starting October 2nd! Join me for Hats! A Community Circle for the Creative Hyphenate. Register HERE!
This is also true of Restorative Justice. These traditions are already aligned. It only makes sense to bring them together.
We can all think of a time when having an effective system for communicating our needs would have saved us some pain. So no more suffering for art. Enough of "the show must go on" - even at the expense of our mental heath and emotional well-being.
It’s time to embrace practices that prioritize people.
My workshop will show you how Circle Practice can help create company unity, meet peoples’ needs, prevent harm from happening, and address it when it does.
For more information, or to bring a Restorative Practices workshop to your organization, contact me HERE.
NEW CIRCLE starting October 2nd! Join me for Hats! A Community Circle for the Creative Hyphenate. Register HERE!
Checking In
As an actor, I was taught to “leave it at the door.” But is that really useful? Is it maybe even harmful? In this workshop, you’ll learn how to create supportive, efficient, and productive check-in circles that invite people to show up with their whole selves. We’ll talk about I-statements and people-first language, choosing specific, generative prompts, and how taking a few minutes at the beginning and end of meetings and rehearsals can serve to keep people safe both emotionally and physically.
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Building Community
Community-building circles build stronger connections to one another, and deeper connections to our work. I'll show you how to create a circle using prompts that speak directly to the project you're working on, how to establish guidelines for respectful communication, and how to incorporate a talking piece. And we’ll consider how this practice prevents harm by providing everyone in the room a way to share their unique perspectives from their own lived experience.
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Addressing Harm
Accountability Circles address harm caused by one individual to another, or conflict created by institutional policy or behaviors.
By centering the needs of those who have been hurt most while making a path toward meaningful, actionable repair, these circles provide a process by which everyone impacted can begin to heal and, if possible, move forward together. In my workshop, we’ll role-play a Community Accountability circle, also knows as a Healing Circle, as characters from Romeo And Juliet. |
J.Stephen Brantley is an actor, playwright, and restorative justice practitioner with a certificate in facilitation from the University Of San Diego. He serves on the Restorative Culture Team for the Los Angeles chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice and co-facilitates Justice LA's virtual action space.
