Streams of Origin for Social Presencing Theater and Its Contribution to Social Transformation

ABSTRACT Social Presencing Theater is an art-based methodology that supports social and institutional change processes. This paper considers some of the influences that have shaped Social Presencing Theater, offers a glimpse at how the practices reflect the core framework, and a few ways that this work contributes to awareness-based systems change. As the future becomes more uncertain, both socio-economically and environmentally, being well grounded in personal and social embodied presence and knowing is key to collective sense-making and skillful action. Over these past twenty years, we have found that introducing Social Presencing Theater practices of stillness and movement into leadership, facilitation, coaching, and teaching increases trust in sense experience knowing, fosters connections, and brings the creative process into everyday work and personal life. The practices, embedded in presencing work, support the natural synchronization of inner knowing and aspiration with outer systemic transformation. This paper contributes to the research on how art practices can support teams, organizations, classrooms, and communities to affect quicker and deeper shared understanding and to engage in more significant and beneficial change work. It is an invitation for others to join that conversation.