Conducting: Ways to Handle Likely Challenges

Share experiences with others and learn how to navigate challenging conducting situations.
About this Event

6 Thursdays, 11:30am- 1pm ET
Sept. 19- Oct. 24, 2024
Open to anyone who is currently conducting Playback performances and/or rehearsals, Useful for all skill levels, whether beginning, intermediate or advanced.

$75-300 sliding scale.
No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.
100% of these class funds go to support PNA's operating costs.

This series will give you a chance to be with fellow conductors to share experiences and ideas, to do role plays with coaching, and to explore ways to handle conducting situations that many people find challenging, For example:

How to pause unfocused tellers, keep rapport and support them to go to someplace meaningful
How to acknowledge when a teller or audience member says something hurtful to others (e.g., micro-aggressions)
How to address raw emotions in the audience (e.g., after a traumatic event) and offer empathetic comfort
How to frame challenging but important topics before and during a performance.

Whether you're a highly experienced conductor or fairly new, you can benefit from practicing these skills. When handled well, sometimes challenging situations lead to the most satisfying experiences for all involved.

Facilitator: Christopher Ellinger

Two of my favorite activities are conducting Playback shows and teaching other Playback conductors. I have performed in over 700 shows with the Boston-based company True Story Theater, mostly as a conductor, covering a wide range of social impact topics (for instance, on diversity, equity and inclusion issues in partnership with our town, and on the climate crisis in partnership with local environmental groups. (See this page for more). I have led or co-led workshops and exchanges with about 30 different new and experienced Playback companies in the US, Canada and other countries around the world.