Shantigar Foundation
in Western Massachusetts
Arts
Meditation
Nature
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Jean-Claude van Itallie, Founder
1936 - 2021
Creative
Freedom
Photo by Connie Childs
Getting Out of Your Head—
Creative Freedom Through
the Wisdom of the Body
with Michael Schreiber
Friday, October 14 – Sunday, October 16
• If you’d like to feel more embodied in your creative process;
• If over-thinking or feeling scattered slows you down with a creative project, and
• If you want to explore the connections between theatre and meditation –
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This workshop is for you! No qualifications to attend. Come with a playful spirit and an open mind. During this weekend, we will explore practices that build upon performance workshops created by Shantigar’s late founder, Jean-Claude van Itallie.
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We will draw upon 3 benevolent forces:
Technique—
Using simple meditative theatre techniques and slow, spontaneous movement, we will bring our awareness to the body. You will learn and begin to internalize this basic practice and express yourself from that deeper place.
Support—
Central to our experience is being witnessed, the presence and acknowledgment of an audience. Specific feedback will guide our practice.
Environment—
You will be immersed in the hills and fields of Shantigar in western Massachusetts. For more than 50 years, Jean-Claude welcomed actors, writers, visual artists, teachers, spiritual practitioners, and healers to this spectacular old farm, to reflect and create from a more profound place.
Together, we will experiment with practical applications, gain support from each other, and be nourished by Shantigar, surrounded by trees in vivid autumn colors.
All are welcome—Actors and non-actors. Space is limited to 12 students.
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SCHEDULE (subject to change)
Friday
2:00 - 5:00 Check-in and get settled, tea and snacks available
5:00 - 6:00: Dinner
6:30 - 9:00: Introduction and Discovery
We will introduce ourselves, share our creative processes and begin our practice of the
foundational techniques. Setting intentions individually and collectively, we will set the stage.
Saturday
7:30 - 8:00 (Optional) Gentle morning movement and meditation
8:00 - 9:30 Breakfast
9:30 -12:30 Practice
Informed by our Discovery on Friday night, we will begin the practices that support
performance, writing, and creative exploration. Whenever possible, we will work outside.
12:30 - 3:00 Lunch and personal time
3:00 - 6:00 Practice—We will advance and build upon our morning work.
6:00 - 7:00 Dinner
7:30 - 9:00 Gathering
We will share short excerpts from current works-in-progress (optional), perform songs or
poems or whatever the day’s work suggests.
Sunday
7:30 - 8:00 (Optional) Gentle morning movement and meditation
8:00 - 9:30 Breakfast
9:30 - 12:30 Practice and Next Steps
Advancing our work from Saturday, we will conclude the workshop and set intentions for
our work at home.
NOTE
On Sunday afternoon, following the workshop, we invite you to join an Afternoon Walk from 2:00-4:30 PM, hosted by the Franklin Land Trust and the Shantigar Foundation. We will follow a trail running along the crest of Warner Hill—a moderate round-trip hike of about 5 miles, with just two steep inclines on the meadow portion.
This public access trail is made possible by a remarkable community effort to preserve and protect more than 800 acres in Rowe and Charlemont. More info here.
Lodging
Onsite lodging available for a fee. Tenting on Shantigar land is free.
Details on lodgings here.
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Reserve your place by contacting Peter Columbus at Shantigar:
email@shantigar.org or call (413) 339-4332.
Let Peter know your room preference when booking. Thanks to a generous Shantigar donor, partial workshop scholarships are available if you need financial support. If so, please let Peter know what you can offer.
We ask that you be vaccinated though masks are optional, per CDC recommendations. Please take a PCR or antigen Covid test before your arrival on Friday. If you are concerned about being together without masking, we suggest that you wait until another session of this workshop as we want you to be relaxed and fully present for the experience.
Michael Schreiber brings theatre techniques and meditative practices to his work with a wide range of clients, including artists, entrepreneurs, and women in technology seeking career advancement, among others. Trained as an actor and director, Michael leads Home Theatre, an online Shantigar workshop which started as a collaboration with Jean-Claude van Itallie in 2020. Michael has served as Shantigar’s Program Director, co-leader of Meditation Challenges, and Director of the Young Artists Residency Program. He is a member of the Shantigar Board of Advisors.