SWIMP26: Jeff Michalski - The Ensemble Engine: Crafting Longform in Real-Time

The Ensemble Engine: Crafting Longform in Real-Time This intensive workshop makes the longform structure your ensemble's most powerful, natural tool. This workshop moves beyond rigid forms to focus on the core engine of longform: the ensemble itself. We will explore how shared awareness, pattern recognition,and collective editing create structure organically in real time.  Drawing on foundational scenework as your guide and see structure as a flexible map, not a formula. The goal is to stop thinking about the form and start playing within it with confidence, intelligence, and joy. With over 50 years of experience in improvisation, Jeff Michalski guides participants through the essential building blocks of long-form play. You’ll explore how to generate and use inspiration, connect scenes organically, balance shorter and longer scenes, and recognize and support the emerging theme of a performance — all while staying embodied and playful rather than stuck in yourhead. Join the workshop and learn to synthesize structure and spontaneity for cohesive, playful sets.