Presenter: Edith Fumarola
Title: How to stop performing and start connecting: Lessons from the Improv Stage for Everyday Life
Abstract: We are all performing, far more often than we realise. In conversation, in groups, in unfamiliar spaces, and even in our own minds, we can become preoccupied with how we are coming across rather than truly paying attention. In this session, Edith Fumarola explores what improvisation and performance training can teach us about real connection. Through the lens of stagecraft, listening, presence, and confidence, she unpacks how self-consciousness, overthinking, and quiet judgment can get in the way of both authenticity and connection. This is a lively and thoughtful session about learning to get out of your own head, respond more fully to the moment, and create space for both yourself and others to shine.
Date:
This Creative Arts Workshop will run on Monday 6th July from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm and include a tea / coffee break.
About the expert
Edith Fumarola
Edith Fumarola is a General Manager, systems thinker, and creative leader based in Auckland, where she runs an improv theatre with a strong public and community focus. She oversees operations, leads a small team, and secures funding, while remaining deeply embedded in the creative work itself as a performer, teacher, and developer of new productions. With a background in Human Genetics, Edith brings a unique, systems-oriented lens to leadership—focusing on root causes, sustainable structures, and the complex dynamics that shape both organisations and human behaviour.
As a speaker, Edith draws on her experience in improvisation and performance to explore how we show up in everyday life. Her sessions blend stagecraft with practical insight, unpacking how self-consciousness, overthinking, and quiet judgment can limit genuine connection. Known for her thoughtful, engaging style, she offers audiences clear, actionable ways to become more present, respond in the moment, and create space for more authentic and meaningful interactions.
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