CITY VOICES
CITY VOICES is live theatrical improvisation on social themes, facilitated by psychologist Elena Margo.
We met in a theater space, where participants of different ages and professions came from various Russian cities. As the conversation unfolded, they stepped onto the stage to give voice to their views, feelings and experiences. The performance had no script, and nobody had to “act”: participants voiced what they found inside themselves. The facilitator’s task was to help the discussion flow, noticing both the heated moments of polarization and the points of mutual understanding.
We met in a theater space, where participants of different ages and professions came from various Russian cities. As the conversation unfolded, they stepped onto the stage to give voice to their views, feelings and experiences. The performance had no script, and nobody had to “act”: participants voiced what they found inside themselves. The facilitator’s task was to help the discussion flow, noticing both the heated moments of polarization and the points of mutual understanding.
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We wanted to create a space for public dialogue. The project can also be seen as an awareness practice. Both psychology and theater have tools for living through different voices — powerful archetypal ones as well as quiet and taboo ones. They allow people to speak conflicting points of view in a safe atmosphere and open the way to a fuller felt sense of life’s diversity.
The project is based on Worldwork, a psychological method of working with groups. Yet it is truly interdisciplinary, bringing several contemporary art forms into dialogue: immersive theater (where the audience is invited to take part in, or is drawn into, the theatrical process), happenings, improvisation, documentary film and the talk show.
We are grateful to everyone who came to take part, to everyone for whom it felt interesting and important, and to those who are still to come. Many participants acted as informal facilitators, and we are glad for their responsiveness and their help in the conversation that took place.
*The topics discussed may be emotionally difficult. In each session the group reaches a resolution, and we hope the group’s experience may bring some relief to viewers as well. But if you are currently physically or emotionally at the center of difficult events, it may be better to postpone watching this project. Please take care of yourself!
Elena Margo is a psychologist, a certified Process Work practitioner (diploma from the Process Work Institute in Portland), and co-creator and facilitator of theater projects.
We have done our best to translate the whole conversation. If the subtitles move too fast, you can choose a slower playback speed in the video settings.
The project is based on Worldwork, a psychological method of working with groups. Yet it is truly interdisciplinary, bringing several contemporary art forms into dialogue: immersive theater (where the audience is invited to take part in, or is drawn into, the theatrical process), happenings, improvisation, documentary film and the talk show.
We are grateful to everyone who came to take part, to everyone for whom it felt interesting and important, and to those who are still to come. Many participants acted as informal facilitators, and we are glad for their responsiveness and their help in the conversation that took place.
*The topics discussed may be emotionally difficult. In each session the group reaches a resolution, and we hope the group’s experience may bring some relief to viewers as well. But if you are currently physically or emotionally at the center of difficult events, it may be better to postpone watching this project. Please take care of yourself!
Elena Margo is a psychologist, a certified Process Work practitioner (diploma from the Process Work Institute in Portland), and co-creator and facilitator of theater projects.
We have done our best to translate the whole conversation. If the subtitles move too fast, you can choose a slower playback speed in the video settings.
Episode 1
Does anybody need me and my feelings? Duration - 35 min. Moscow, November 2021.
Episode 2
The Inner Oppressor Duration - 50 min. Moscow, November 2021.
Episode 3
Powerlessness in the face of powerDuration - 56 min. Moscow, November 2021.
Episode 4
How to be the change that is missing in the world? Duration - 40 minutes. Moscow, January 2022.
Episode 5
The experiences, that make me vulnerable stand apart from other experiencesDuration - 47 min. Moscow, January 2022.
Process-oriented conflict facilitation is used in both small and large groups. The facilitator helps the group become aware of the diversity of voices and experiences present in it and reach consensus.
Worldwork is the term often used for process-oriented work with conflict. One of its features is that it brings in the emotional atmosphere and “ghost roles” — unpopular, taboo voices. Every role is explored not only through arguments but also through feelings. We experience life from different sides, and this experience expands our minds and hearts, helping us understand the world and find our place in it.
The approach was developed by Arnold Mindell. Originally a physicist and Jungian analyst, Mindell has researched and written extensively about how awareness creates reality and how we perceive it on different levels. His ideas and methods draw on discoveries in quantum physics, chaos theory and the symbolic thinking of Jungian psychology, and are also rooted in ancient spiritual traditions such as Taoism and in the worldviews of Indigenous peoples around the world.
Worldwork is the term often used for process-oriented work with conflict. One of its features is that it brings in the emotional atmosphere and “ghost roles” — unpopular, taboo voices. Every role is explored not only through arguments but also through feelings. We experience life from different sides, and this experience expands our minds and hearts, helping us understand the world and find our place in it.
The approach was developed by Arnold Mindell. Originally a physicist and Jungian analyst, Mindell has researched and written extensively about how awareness creates reality and how we perceive it on different levels. His ideas and methods draw on discoveries in quantum physics, chaos theory and the symbolic thinking of Jungian psychology, and are also rooted in ancient spiritual traditions such as Taoism and in the worldviews of Indigenous peoples around the world.
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