Performance Lab Series January 2026

The redesigned Performance Lab is a full day of professional development, offering artists the opportunity to deepen their practice through two distinct, artist-led classes taught by some of the most exciting professional artists working in the city today. This new structure supports focused learning, embodied exploration, and meaningful exchange across disciplines.

The day is structured as two workshop blocks, with a shared lunch break in between. Participants will take part in both classes, allowing ideas to build, shift, and expand over the course of the day, while also creating space for rest, reflection, and connection.

Led by: Richard Lee

We are all subject to gravity, we all have a body that takes up space, and we all experience the passing of time. Weight, Space, and Time are universals! But the individual ways we experience these things can of course, be pretty darn varied. When making artwork that supports disabled and non-disabled folks moving together cohesively, what strategies will help us recognize and embrace these variations?
We’ve got a couple of ideas. Along with movement explorations looking at weight, space, and time, we’ll also play with how we use language and imagery to inspire movement generation across varied bodies and abilities, articulating the intention of a movement, and ways of developing unison and partnered movement.
We will dance, we will talk, and we will brainstorm with our bodies strategies for devising movement for dance and theatre.

Led by: Carly Neis, Miranda Allen and Richard Lee.

A hands-on workshop for disabled and non-disabled movers exploring the logistics, mechanics, and unique features of various mobility aids in shared space and inter-abled collaborative movement

This workshop aims to give participants a better understanding of how to collaborate with artists who navigate space in diverse ways.It will enable both disabled and non-disabled movers to explore the mechanics and movement opportunities of a variety of mobility aids.

It is NOT designed to communicate the experience of using or requiring a mobility aid in day-to-day life - it’s not a workshop about the experience of being disabled. It IS about the logistics, mechanics, and unique features of mobility aids in a creative movement context.

How much footprint or turning radius do different aids require? What body parts are made more or less available while using different aids? How do we share space? How do we translate the essence of a movement across bodies that may execute it differently?

How do we consider things like level shifts, lateral movement, and tempo?

Let’s find out!

A selection of mobility aids will be provided and you’re invited to bring any aids you own.

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Lab Session 1: Diverse Travels Over Common Ground

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Lunch Break & Informal Mixer (Meal optional)

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Lab Session 2: Translating Movement Across Diverse Bodies

Carly Neis (she/they)
Carly Neis is an actor, award-winning playwright, and lover of musical theatre with Cerebral Palsy. When she’s not performing, she works as a disability/access consultant, using her lived experience to curate accessible experiences and spaces for everyone.

Richard Lee (he/him)
Richard Lee is a performer and educator in theatre and contemporary dance. He recently completed his MFA in Movement Direction and Teaching, focusing on inclusive teaching strategies for contact improvisation in actor training.

Miranda Allen (she/her)
Miranda Allen’s diverse performance practice included street theatre, variety/cabaret, escapology, circus, and acting. Then she developed a chronic illness. Now she’s exploring new practices in her new body.

Pay What You Will

Suggested Donation of $40

What Do You Need To Join?

Online

• A notebook
• Comfortable clothing to move in
• A good attitude
• A desire to participate
  

Accessibility

In Person

• ASL Interpretation will be available in person

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Azimuth Theatre's Performance Lab