How to support your partner

This workshop is taken from the work of Monika Ozdarska, a truly inspiring teacher I had the fortune to learn from at ITHACA festival in Greece last week. 

In her workshop, 'be a favourite scene partner', Monika Ozdarska told the story of someone on her plane who was in distress, and how she overheard the air stewardesses asking 'what do you need, how can I help you?'

As a green improviser, during shows we can often step into the stage in panic, and try desperately to float by sloshing around and forgetting that connecting and supporting our scene partner is not just what keeps us from drowning, but the act which enables us to forget all our insecurities and everything outside that moment, and really start to swim and dive into rich parallel universes full of wonder, presence, connection and joyous discovery.

We met in the park and played exercises from Monika for listening, yes-anding and manifesting the gifts of your partner using the body, how to support your partner by asking curious, specific and loving questions, and finally how to manifest a scene starting with emotion.

A huge thank you to Monika Ozdarska for her fun and transformational exercises and loving approach to improv, to Masha Savankova for the beautiful photos, to  Improvised Theater in English Sofia , Improvisational Theater Jam of Sofia in English for sponsoring this workshop!