The first-ever workshop to disrupt anti-Black racism using improv is on Oct. 19 at The Grove Studio in Hintonburg.
Velvet Wells, a creative producer, musician, comedian and all-around helpful person, leads the workshop. Called Use Improve to Disrupt! Anti-Black Racism, they say that this workshop is designed for community members who have experienced anti-Blackness in public settings.
“This is an inaugural workshop series co-created by The Grove and myself to really do some of the work that has been a gap in previous workshop offerings,” says Wells.
Along with two grants from both the City of Ottawa’s SEED Award and Awesome Ottawa, the workshop is being held at The Grove Studio, run by two local queer women of colour—Adrienne Row-Smith and Hingman Leung.
Wells also says that this workshop series is meant to respond directly to community members with lived and personal experiences of anti-Black racism.
“For the most part, a lot of anti-racism, or anti-Black racism workshops have been focused on the white community as opposed to how members of the global majority can work for themselves and with themselves, do some of that work,” says Wells.
Wells has an extensive background in performing arts in Ottawa and was quick to make the connection between the quick-thinking skills of improv and the often paralyzing effects anti-Black racism can have on an individual.
“One of the catalysts of this particular workshop was that some people were feeling like they were frozen in moments of conflict and they were looking for ways to help themselves to move into bystander intervention and other acts of combating and disrupting issues,” says Wells.
Poster for Use Improve to Disrupt! Anti-Black Racism. Photo provided.
Just because this workshop uses improv doesn’t mean it’s only for people interested in theatre.
“Improv is used as an application within training at work and corporate environments,” they say. “It is not based on performance—this is definitely not a comedic workshop.”
Wells says that while there can sometimes be humour in the unexpected, the goal of this workshop is not to tap into your inner comedian. However, for those who might be nervous about attending a workshop with an improv background, Wells says improv is a more realistic way of combating anti-Black racism.
“The idea with using improv as opposed to theatre, as opposed to classroom exercises, is that it is much closer to how we engage in our everyday life,” they say. “And the way that I run my workshops and the way that The Grove runs their space is that we are very community-minded.”
“We are patient with ourselves and with each other,” says Wells. “We try to be as accessible as possible. And so, I acknowledge that while I am an extrovert, we’re approaching something that is uncomfortable, that is about discomfort, and that’s what we’re trying to disrupt for ourselves.”
Wells also adds that based on the success of this workshop, they are looking to run it again in the future—so be on the lookout for future updates.
Use Improv to Disrupt! Anti-Black Racism will be held at The Grove Studio on Oct. 19 from 1pm-4pm. The workshop is free and open to people who have lived experience/living experience with racial exclusion and discrimination for those 18 years old and up. To sign up for the workshop, you can fill out this form.
.gif)
