About This Event
Out of Hand Impact Lab
Learn to make theater with your community, not just for it.
Six months · Virtual · December 2026 – June 2027 · $750 per person
[Register Now]· Early bird pricing: $650 through November 10, 2026. Regular price $750.
Registration closes Tuesday, November 24, 2026
Out of Hand Theater’s award-winning civic theater model has moved audiences to action, built connections between neighbors and strangers, and helped us quadruple our revenue while deepening our community impact. In the Impact Lab, we teach you how it works, step by step.
You won’t just learn the model. You’ll put it to work.
Over six months, you’ll plan and host your own civic theater event in your community, with guidance from our team and a cohort of peers. Then you’ll share what you created at our closing showcase. Along the way, you’ll gain practical strategies for turning empathy into action on the issues that matter most where you live.
Who it’s for
Leaders of theater companies, actors and artists, nonprofit leaders, and activists who want to create events with their communities.
What you’ll leave with
- Your own civic theater event, planned and hosted in your community
- A clear approach to coalition building and collaboration between artists and community partners
- Skills for leading listening sessions that center diversity and equity
- A network of creative leaders doing this work alongside you
- The opportunity to apply to license Out of Hand programs, including Out of Hand Dinners and Shows in Homes*
Who leads it
The Lab is led by a team of community leaders and artists working at the intersection of creativity and change.
How the Lab works
All sessions are virtual and meet about once a month. The Lab opens with an orientation, and the six sessions and the closing showcase are required. Each session pairs a hands-on production skill with a practice for building community engagement and equity.
Orientation
Thursday, December 8, 2026 · 2-4 p.m.
Meet your cohort and get ready for the Lab.
Session 1: Civic Theater Framework & Appreciative Inquiry
Thursday, December 10, 2026 · Noon–4 p.m.
Explore civic theater: examples, principles, and steps.
Optional Evening Salon: Uncentering Whiteness
Monday, January 11, 2027 · 6–8 p.m.
Learn to spot dominant narratives, share authorship, and shift authority to the community.
Session 2: Selecting Issues & Partners · Embracing Diversity
Thursday, January 28, 2027 · Noon–4 p.m.
Choose a community issue and secure civic partners.
Session 3: Working with Artists · Understanding Equity
Thursday, February 25, 2027 · Noon–4 p.m.
Select artists, set parameters and schedules, and lead listening sessions.
Session 4: Event Design · Practicing Equity
Thursday, March 25, 2027 · Noon–4 p.m.
Identify audiences, formats, and components for your dinner with your partners.
Session 5: Hosts, Venues & Schedules · Nonviolent Social Change
Wednesday, April 21, 2027 · Noon–4 p.m.
Choose venues and dates, recruit hosts, and set up registration.
Session 6: Event & Evaluation Guides · Facilitating Conversations
Thursday, May 20, 2027 · Noon–4 p.m.
Build welcomes, conversation guides, and evaluation plans.
Closing Showcase (required)
Monday, June 14, 2027 · 6–8 p.m.
Share your Out of Hand Dinners event with the cohort.
[Register Now]· Early bird pricing: $650 through November 10, 2026. Regular price $750.
Bringing a team? Register 3 team members to receive our group rate. If you have more than 3 team members wanting to join, contact us at thelab@outofhandtheater.com.
*Lab participants host one civic theater event as part of the program. To use Out of Hand DinnersTM or Shows in HomesTM, a license is required. Licensing involves an application and approval, plus one-on-one consulting, which carries additional fees.
About This Event
Out of Hand Impact Lab
Learn to make theater with your community, not just for it.
Six months · Virtual · December 2026 – June 2027 · $750 per person
[Register Now]· Early bird pricing: $650 through November 10, 2026. Regular price $750.
Registration closes Tuesday, November 24, 2026
Out of Hand Theater’s award-winning civic theater model has moved audiences to action, built connections between neighbors and strangers, and helped us quadruple our revenue while deepening our community impact. In the Impact Lab, we teach you how it works, step by step.
You won’t just learn the model. You’ll put it to work.
Over six months, you’ll plan and host your own civic theater event in your community, with guidance from our team and a cohort of peers. Then you’ll share what you created at our closing showcase. Along the way, you’ll gain practical strategies for turning empathy into action on the issues that matter most where you live.
Who it’s for
Leaders of theater companies, actors and artists, nonprofit leaders, and activists who want to create events with their communities.
What you’ll leave with
- Your own civic theater event, planned and hosted in your community
- A clear approach to coalition building and collaboration between artists and community partners
- Skills for leading listening sessions that center diversity and equity
- A network of creative leaders doing this work alongside you
- The opportunity to apply to license Out of Hand programs, including Out of Hand Dinners and Shows in Homes*
Who leads it
The Lab is led by a team of community leaders and artists working at the intersection of creativity and change.
How the Lab works
All sessions are virtual and meet about once a month. The Lab opens with an orientation, and the six sessions and the closing showcase are required. Each session pairs a hands-on production skill with a practice for building community engagement and equity.
Orientation
Thursday, December 8, 2026 · 2-4 p.m.
Meet your cohort and get ready for the Lab.
Session 1: Civic Theater Framework & Appreciative Inquiry
Thursday, December 10, 2026 · Noon–4 p.m.
Explore civic theater: examples, principles, and steps.
Optional Evening Salon: Uncentering Whiteness
Monday, January 11, 2027 · 6–8 p.m.
Learn to spot dominant narratives, share authorship, and shift authority to the community.
Session 2: Selecting Issues & Partners · Embracing Diversity
Thursday, January 28, 2027 · Noon–4 p.m.
Choose a community issue and secure civic partners.
Session 3: Working with Artists · Understanding Equity
Thursday, February 25, 2027 · Noon–4 p.m.
Select artists, set parameters and schedules, and lead listening sessions.
Session 4: Event Design · Practicing Equity
Thursday, March 25, 2027 · Noon–4 p.m.
Identify audiences, formats, and components for your dinner with your partners.
Session 5: Hosts, Venues & Schedules · Nonviolent Social Change
Wednesday, April 21, 2027 · Noon–4 p.m.
Choose venues and dates, recruit hosts, and set up registration.
Session 6: Event & Evaluation Guides · Facilitating Conversations
Thursday, May 20, 2027 · Noon–4 p.m.
Build welcomes, conversation guides, and evaluation plans.
Closing Showcase (required)
Monday, June 14, 2027 · 6–8 p.m.
Share your Out of Hand Dinners event with the cohort.
[Register Now]· Early bird pricing: $650 through November 10, 2026. Regular price $750.
Bringing a team? Register 3 team members to receive our group rate. If you have more than 3 team members wanting to join, contact us at thelab@outofhandtheater.com.
*Lab participants host one civic theater event as part of the program. To use Out of Hand DinnersTM or Shows in HomesTM, a license is required. Licensing involves an application and approval, plus one-on-one consulting, which carries additional fees.