Want to Book a Workshop? #

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Email me: nichole.lynn.bennett@gmail.com

I offer a variety of theatre-based workshops for STEM folx. See below for rates and descriptions of both my improv and Theatre of the Oppressed workshops. We can address a variety of objectives in these workshops, including:

Accessing Creativity and Getting Out of Your Head
Our Struggles with Social Justice
Collaboration and “Yes And”
Connection, Listening, and Empathy
Engaging with Your Audience
Being in the Moment and Playing Off-the-Cuff
Turning Facts into Storytelling
Risk-taking and Learning from Failure
Giving and Taking Feedback
Dialogue across Difference

Basic Workshops Rates: #

$1500 per session for up to 3 hours. Lower rates are available for booking multiple sessions.

For groups of more than 15-20 participants, if additional instructors are needed, add $500 to the rate per additional instructor.

These rates are negotiable, and I'm happy to figure out a way to work within your budget.

Small organizations, especially nonprofits, can expect certain discounts and installment payment options. Please contact me to discuss your specific situation and needs. Nonprofit civic organizations (like libraries) can also expect discounts, especially for multiple workshops over multiple dates. I am happy to offer solidarity economy pricing where we have a conversation to find out what is a meaningful contribution for my work that fits with your means and needs. I am also happy to offer trade/barter for skills and services.

Workshop Descriptions: #

STEMprov: Improv for Science & Tech #

(1.5-3 hours, single or multiple sessions)
Improv requires you to understand group dynamics, tell stories, and say yes in the face of the unknown. In many ways, improv draws upon the very same skills we cultivate as scientists. This beginner-friendly improv workshop will use the tools of improvisational theater to help you become a better collaborator, increase your storytelling skills, and become more relaxed with all of the unknowns that come with your path in science.
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STEMprov: Improv for Inclusion and Belonging in STEM #

(1.5-3 hours, single or multiple sessions)
Science and science communication are not currently places of belonging for everyone. Overemphasis on objectivity and rationality may even perpetuate this. That is, we might not be able to “science” our way out of oppressive systems. But art-based methods have the potential to disrupt and make visible injustice and cultivate a radical space for reclaiming, repairing, and reimagining science communication as a space of belonging. Join us for a happy hour with ATX Science Communicators as we explore how one art form, improv theatre, offers healing potential for science communication spaces. This beginner-friendly workshop applies tools of improv to cultivating inclusive science communication in the lower-stakes world of imaginative play with a focus on three themes: (1) facilitating difficult conversations, (2) creating cultures of “yes and”, and (3) embracing variation and diversity.
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Science Communication Career Paths #

(1.5-3 hours, single session)
Communication is both interwoven into the life of a researcher and has become an entire career path of its own. In this workshop, we will explore the variety of career paths emerging in public engagement and develop skills for effective communication of research. We’ll use exercises from improv theater that enable us to understand group dynamics, tell stories, and say yes in the face of the unknown–many of the very same skills we cultivate as graduate researchers. No experience or “talent” is necessary for this beginner-friendly workshop. Just come open to gaining skills to become a better collaborator, increase your storytelling skills, and become more relaxed with the unknown.
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Research Storytelling #

(1.5-3 hours, single or multiple sessions)
Whether writing a research grant or inspiring young people to become future researchers, we are telling a story. We are storytelling animals, and the more skilled and confident we are in telling stories about our research, the more successful we will be in our field. But a narrative is more than a list of facts, it’s about emotionally engaging your audience. In this workshop, we will investigate how stories are structured and practice transforming our facts and figures into powerful stories. After attending this workshop, you will be more skillful and confident in storytelling about your research.
Fill out this form to book a workshop.

(ranging from single 3-hour to multiple full-day sessions)
Science is not currently a place of belonging for everyone, and overemphasis on objectivity and rationality may perpetuate this. That is, we might not be able to “science” our way out of oppressive systems. But art-based methods have the potential to disrupt and make visible injustice and cultivate a radical space for reclaiming, repairing, and reimagining science communication as an inclusive space. In this workshop, we will explore how Theatre of the Oppressed may offer healing potential for science communication spaces. Theatre of the Oppressed is a form of interactive theatre used in activism. It was developed by Augusto Boal and influenced by Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. This beginner-friendly workshop invites participants to collectively process our struggles with social justice emotionally, intellectually, and artistically through Image Theatre (a technique of Theatre of the Oppressed). Using the aesthetic, scholarly, and lived experience expertise of these participants, we will explore and make visible our current struggles in social justice in science communication spaces. By making and activating these images, we hope to create a platform for emergent insights into how to move from our current struggles to our collectively-imagined ideals.
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Facilitator Bio #

Nic Bennett researches belonging in science communication at The University of Texas as a doctoral candidate of the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations. They engage arts- and science-based research and practice to critique, disrupt, and reimagine science communication spaces. Alongside scientists and science communication trainers, they hope to expand the circle of human concern in science communication and STEM.

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