Suggested reading: Paul Couillard, "Site Responsive," Canadian Theatre Review 126 (Spring 2006). ed. Andrew Houston & Laura Nanni. 32-37.

Session 1: Introductions; discussion of the term site-responsive with examples; unpacking notions of "site" and "responsiveness"

HOMEWORK: Perform an action (or excerpt from a performance) that you've done before in a context that was focused on the activity itself (rather than its localized context) in a public, outdoor setting. Make a document of the action (e.g. photo, video/audio recording, written reflection), maximum 2 minutes, for discussion at the next session.

Session 2: Revisiting the notions of site and responsiveness through group reflections on the homework action (some things to consider: What location did you choose, and why? What happened when the action was taken into this new context? Did you have to adapt the action to the location, and if so, how? Did the action change? Did the action reveal anything about the location where it took place? Did anything unexpected happen? Did you find yourself wanting to do anything differently?); discussion around approaching and researching a site.

HOMEWORK: Identify a public, outdoor site where you might want to do a performance. Spend as much time as you can at the location, observing what happens there, how it changes at different times of day, how people move through the space, how it feels to be there, what draws you to the site, etc. Make a detailed list of what you know and what you don't know about the site, what you noticed from spending time there, and anything you think you know about why and how you want to perform there.

Session 3: Revisiting the notions of site and responsiveness in relation to a specific locations through group reflections on the homework exercise; discussion around respecting a site, approaching performance as a conversation with the site, other ways of researching a site, integrating localized elements into a performance, logistics, anticipating and dealing with the unexpected, time in relation to site

HOMEWORK: Design and undertake a site-responsive action at the site you researched in the previous exercise. Make a document of the action (e.g. photo, video/audio recording, written reflection), maximum 2 minutes, for discussion at the next session.

Session 4: Group reflections on the homework assignment. What happened? How did you enfold the site into the unfolding of the action? How did thinking about ideas of site and responsiveness affect your approach to performing? What did you learn from and about the site? What is unique about this site? Are there other aspects of the site you could have approached responsively? What strategies or techniques could you use from this performance when thinking about or approaching another site?