Improving the way the teachers and administrators of Pangasinan Universal Institute interact with each other through improv.
Last September 14, I had the chance to assist 6PM Improv in conducting a team building event for the staff of Pangasinan Universal Institute in Dagupan City.
I left the house at around 1AM after my work shift and proceeded to Dagupan Bus in Cubao. It was hard getting a ride because the bus was sporadic and it quickly filled up with passengers when it did arrive. I transferred to Solid North right across EDSA and was able to ride the 2AM bus to Dagupan. The ride, however, was uncomfortable. I also almost didn’t make it to the event in time. The bus driver took his sweet time picking up and dropping off passengers along the route. Plus the fact that three funeral services that morning along the route added to the traffic. I finally got to the venue at Los Pedritos after getting a tricycle ride from SM Dagupan.
I met up with Toto, Kat, Kats, and Tams (all four from 6PM/Fourplay), and Allyn (TWI’s Almost Friends) at the venue. There were about 40 participants from PUI from both the teaching and administration departments.
Toto opened the event by discussing the building blocks of Yes, And in improv – letting go, noticing more, and using everything. He discussed how the three are important to effective communication.
Everyone was asked to stand up for the icebreaker activities after the short discussion. The staff had fun as they had a first taste of improv.
The participants were then asked to get back together to discuss. It was a privilege that I was given one group to facilitate. At least, I was able to learn something there, too. The participants shared their thoughts and openly expressed their happiness.
AFTER LUNCH
They were then shown samples of simple improv games that they would be performing later in the afternoon. The participants were divided into four groups and given one hour to practice the games headed by a facilitator.
Everyone did their best while having fun. Below are clips of their respective performances.
TEAM TOTO
Toto’s team performed “Monster” and “Eh Ikaw, Ano?”
TEAM TAMS/MAHAROT
Tams’s Team Maharot played “Poetry Tag” and “One Word Story”.
TEAM KAT
Kat’s team performed “Freeze Tag” and “3-Headed Expert”.
TEAM KATS
Team Kats played “Spelling Bee” and “ABC Soap”.
The groups got back together to process the performances right after.
CLOSING
The event ended with an open mic group discussion. The teachers and administrators shared how different an experience the team building was. They thanked our group for sharing the joy of improv with them.
Capping the whole day, 6PM performed for everyone.
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