playback ost: to converge, or not to converge?

[Chris Weaver]

Dear OSLIST,

I am seeking design advice, once again!

Yesterday I held an excellent pre-meeting with three members of the local
Playback Theatre company in anticipation of our OST meeting next weekend.
We spent most of our time creating the company's "story line," a technique I
learned from Birgitt.  The remarkable six-year history of this theatre
company unfurled itself in multi-dimensional glory.  These people have done
phenomenal inner and outer work in this community.

As often is the case, we're deeper in the grief cycle than I expected.  In
fact, we're working with the theme, "Letting go of our first phase,
beginning our new."

This Saturday night we will begin with a storytelling session.  In contrast
to Playback forms, I will be holding the space for stories to be told
individually from  personal experience.  I believe that this is what needs
to be shared at this time.

The OST is scheduled for a 9 to 5:30 day on Sunday.  So here's my question.
Should we do our OST with three 90-minute sessions and a standard closing
circle?  Or should we do 75-minute sessions, and have a little more than two
hours at the end for a closing circle/convergence?

I have just visited the Meta Network and re-read the "Converging Convergence
Approaches" thread.  There is an outstanding discussion there by Chris
Corrigan, Jeff, Larry, and Laurel about converging a one-day event, which
helps me a lot.  My sense is that it is wise for the facilitator to be
flexible and responsive to the group's energy as the closing circle draws
near.  Larry describes a "twice-around" closing circle, where the second
round invites people to express commitments for future actions.  I am also
fascinated with Jeff's offering about inviting people to write individual
commitments, and then to group these and open the space for short action
planning meetings.  With a group of 13, we might have time for this...?

So I post my query to the list in case there is fresh thinking/experience
about converging a one-day event.

Many thanks,
Chris

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