emergent play

emergent play

𖦹 𖦹 𖦹

emergent play is a growing practice inspired by the mutual aid principles
in adrienne maree brown’s
emergent strategy

⋅˚₊‧ ଳ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

by weaving together a wide array of theatre techniques and community organizing tools, emergent play uses
play to grow our capacity to embody
collective liberation

𖦹 𖦹 𖦹

“All that you touch
You Change
All that you Change
Changes you
The only lasting truth
is Change
God
is Change”

― Octavia Butler
Parable of the Sower

･: origins :･

emergent play has always existed.

⋅˚₊‧ ଳ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

the universe as we know it is held together by heat, movement, spontaneity—
by the interplay between subatomic particles,
the motion of natural bodies as they spiral towards one one another
and away into Void.

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matter dancing, colliding, merging, unraveling—
natural bodies that shape and mirror each other,
from the formation of chemical compounds
to the vast migrations of organic life.

⋅˚₊‧ ଳ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

emergent play is how we adapt,
how we connect,
how we learn to shape change.

⋅˚₊‧ ଳ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

emergent play animates the flame of rebellion
that dances in the human heart.

･: principles of emergent play :･

play is our formative language.

play is universal.

play is co-created.

play is fractal.

play is transformative.

“Art is not neutral.

It either upholds or disrupts the status quo, advancing or regressing justice.

We are living now inside the imagination of people who thought economic disparity and environmental destruction were acceptable costs for their power.

It is our right and responsibility to write ourselves into the future.”

― adrienne maree brown
Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds

･: emergent play space :･

Emergent Play Space was conceived in a friend’s art studio, born from a shared love for the writings of adrienne maree brown and a longing to explore play beyond the confines of hierarchy. From the start, we asked: what happens when play is freed from institutions and academia, and returned to its roots as something we all carry within us?

Play is older than hierarchy. It does not belong to any one person, group, or organization.

Emergent Play Space seeks to de-institutionalize play, and to remind people of their inherent ability to create, imagine, and connect without permission or prescription. Instead of offering fixed structures, we create conditions where play can emerge organically, shaped by the people present and the threads that connect us.

At its heart, Emergent Play Space is about empowerment: empowering communities to play on their own terms. We invite healers, artists, and activists to gather together——bridging practices, dissolving oppressive systems, and cultivating our inner psychartists.

Step into the experiment. Let yourself be moved by the pattern that is already moving through you.

our offerings

Workshops & Education

  • emergent play workshops for communities of all ages

  • community-centered conferences and skill-sharing events

  • courses, training, and education in areas related to: drama therapy, theatre, and grassroots organizing

Therapeutic Performance

  • directorial support for theatre artists seeking to create autobiographical and/or community theatre

  • therapist consultation and sensitivity reading for film and theatre scripts

  • trauma-focused support for performers and creatives

Community Organizing

  • community play events specifically geared towards burnt-out activists and organizers

  • play-based conflict mediation for nonprofits and social justice organizations

  • social justice-based theatre pedagogy and street theatre

Coaching & Consulting

  • embodied coaching sessions for individuals seeking to access greater play, creativity, and rebelliousness

  • consultation for therapists, mental health workers, and other service providers seeking to bring play into their professional practices