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A group showing a group sculpture during Social Presencing Theater Stuck Exercise

Social Presencing Theater

A movement-based practice that supports systems change, team wellbeing and personal transformation by helping us see and shift the patterns keeping our systems stuck.

We live in a world of deepening divides

The challenges we face today — in our communities, organisations, and within ourselves — are symptoms of three fundamental disconnections that Theory U calls the great divides of our time.

The Ecological Divide

 

We have become disconnected from the living systems we are part of. The consequences show up in how we treat our environment, our communities, and the world we are leaving behind.

The Social Divide

 

The gap between self and other continues to widen. Across organisations and communities, we see rising polarisation, fractured trust, and an erosion of our capacity to act together toward shared goals.

The Spiritual Divide

 

Perhaps most quietly, many of us have become disconnected from our own deepest source of purpose and meaning. We go through the motions, yet feel increasingly estranged from why we do what we do.

2026-04-18 (SMU ACOD) Group Stuck 6.JPG

Social Presencing Theater

Sensing what thinking alone cannot reach

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The three divides don't just live "out there." They live in our bodies, our relationships, and our systems.

 

​​Rather than thinking our way through complexity, Social Presencing Theater invites us to slow down and sense into it — using awareness of posture, movement, and spatial relationships to surface the underlying dynamics in our systems.

 

​Through this practice, we access a deeper kind of knowing — one that opens us to fresh perspectives and new possibilities for how we move forward.

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Developed by choreographer Arawana Hayashi and MIT Senior Lecturer Otto Scharmer, Social Presencing Theater is rooted in Theory U — a framework for awareness-based systems change.

 

The practice does not require prior movement or theatre experience.

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Applied to systems change, Social Presencing Theater helps organisations and communities make visible the patterns, tensions, and possibilities that conventional analysis often misses — creating the conditions for more intentional, collective action.

 

At the personal level, it supports individuals in reconnecting with their own sense of purpose, presence, and direction.​

What is possible with Social Presencing Theater 

Hwee Bin facilitating a Social Presencing Theater workshop

How Social Presencing Theater shows up in our work

Social Presencing Theater is a practice that can be woven into the work we do together, depending on what your system needs.

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  • Systems Change Facilitation 
    When working with organisations and multi-stakeholder communities navigating complex challenges, Social Presencing Theater helps surface the patterns, tensions, and possibilities that conventional dialogue often cannot reach. It creates the conditions for deeper collective sensing — and more intentional action.

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  • Team Effectiveness Consulting

    For teams navigating misalignment, low morale, or difficult transitions, Social Presencing Theater offers a powerful way to make visible what is happening beneath the surface — shifting stuck dynamics and opening new ways of working together, bringing about team growth and wellbeing.

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  • Purpose Coaching 
    For leaders and individuals seeking greater clarity and direction, Social Presencing Theater practices support a reconnection with one's own sense of purpose, presence, and inner knowing — grounding the coaching process in embodied experience rather than analysis alone.​​

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What participants experience

Hwee Bin facilitating a Social Presencing Theater workshop

Ready to see what's possible?

Sometimes the most important shift begins with a single conversation.

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If you're curious about how Social Presencing Theater might support your leaders, team, or community — or if you're simply drawn to explore the practice for yourself — I'd love to hear from you.

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