Margi Brown Ash, Education

Margi believes in the importance of life-long learning. She regularly attends and presents  a wide range of workshops, forums and conferences  to continually evolve and broaden her understanding of coaching, performance and therapy.

2012

  • PhD Candidate, Griffith University
  • Taos Associate, Taos Institute, USA
  • Presenting conference paper  at Taos Conference. Merida, Mexico

2011

  • Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed. Chicago: presented a performed reading of HOME, her autoethnographic study of home as creative practice.
  • Gabrielle Roth Intensive: Sausalito, California: working with Gabrielle Roth’s 5 Rhythms.
  • Embodied Gestalt, Esalen, California: working with leading practitioners in embodied gestalt.
  • Australia Theatre Forum, Brisbane Powerhouse
  • Play with Purpose: Relational and Performative Practices.  Seminar at Sea, Gulf of Mexico (more information on Taos Institute site (http://www.taosinstitute.net/play-with-purpose): presenting performance Home, an exploration of becoming; co-presented workshop with Saliha Bava and Sylvia London
  • Performance Practicum with Helen Sharp, John Howard and Margaret Cameron: focusing on own performance work, voice work: Footscray, Melbourne
  • Process Project: a years intensive working/researching/reflecting on work practices in other fields apart from the arts, as a way of expanding our own arts practice. Funded by Arts Qld and Australia Council, Margi worked with Brian Lucas and Nikki Heywood over a period of seven weekends.
  • On-line 5 week intensive focusing on Creativity, with Eastside Institute, New York City On-line 7 week intensive on human potential: continuing working with  Dr. Jean Houston

2010

  • ADSA Conference, Canberra, N.S.W: presenting "Stripping Bare the Ensemble"
  • ASPAH Conference, Melbourne, Victoria: presenting paper on ImpulseTraining as preventative
  • Cultural Studies Australia, Byron Bay, N.S.W: co-presented workshop on PhD Ecologies
  • ISI: International Summer Institute, Mexico: intensive on collaborative practice
  • Workshop with Ken and Mary Gergen: Relational Practices, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
  • Study tour of Ancient Egypt, with Jean Houston, Egypt
  • Purnati Arts Centre: Bali. Healing and Theatre: facilitator and participant
  • Awarded Master Arts (Research) Creative Industries, 2010:  Topic A Mouthful of Pins: using therapeutic frameworks in the rehearsal room.

On-line course with East Institute, New York City, focusing on Social Therapy
On-line course with QUT:  Practice led Research

2001-2009

  • Australian Theatre Forum, Melbourne
  • Mask Workshop Intensive, Purnati Arts Center with Per Brahe, Aole Miller, K. Kantor, Bali
  • National Family Therapy Conference (performer) with Kathryn Geldard and Kay Philp, University of Queensland
  • Theatre Intensive, Purnati Arts Center with Per Brahe, Aole Miller and K.Kantor, Bali
  • Being Fearless Conference, Omega Institute  (New York City)
  • Creative Development workshop intensive with Nigel Kellaway, Metro Arts (Brisbane)
  • Mime workshop intensive, Leisa Sheldon, (Brisbane)
  • Mask workshop intensive, Aole Miller, Brisbane
  • Narrative Therapy and Trauma workshop with Michael White, Brisbane
  • Advanced Practices in Narrative Therapy, Michael White, Adelaide
  • Theatre of the Oppressed workshop with Brent Blair, Brisbane
  • Mind Body Centering workshop with Peggy Hackney, Sydney
  • Generative Writing workshop with Jenny Kemp, Sydney
  • Practical Aesthetics Workshop with Andrea Moore, Brisbane
  • Playworks Conference, Sydney, presenting Leah Mercer’s Melancholia
  • Body/Mind Intensive with Soto, Brisbane
  • Social Artistry Intensive, Fraser Island, Australia (Jean Houston)
  • Workshop Intensive: Experimentation, Denmark (Deborah Hay)
  • Social Artistry Intensive: Systems; Oregon, U.S.A. (Jean Houston)

Awarded Masters of Counselling (Experiential Therapies, Narrative Therapy, Family Therapy), QUT

  • Process Orientated Therapy Workshop, Robertson
  • Process Oriented Therapy Workshop, Gold Coast
  • Queensland Writers Centre Retreat with Kate Grenville, O’Reillys Guesthouse, Queensland
  •  Creating Solo Work with Margaret Cameron, Magdalena, Brisbane
  • Understanding Self Harm Workshop, Brisbane
  • Suzuki Actor Training Frank Theatre (Brisbane and Croatia)
  • Improvisation Workshop Intensives with Al Wunder

Graduate: Graduate Diploma Experiential Creative Arts Therapy, MIECAT;
Graduate: Graduate  Diploma Adolescent Health Welfare(1st Class Hons) University of Melbourne

1984-2000

  • Drug Arm Volunteer Training (Outreach Training), (Brisbane)
  • Karuna Hospice Volunteer Training working with the terminally ill, (Brisbane)
  • Teaching Self Esteem: Training with N.S.W. Dept. of Health (Sydney)
  • Teaching Self Esteem with the Deaf Community: TAFE (Sydney)

1973-83

Margi’s foundational acting training included ten years in Sydney and NYC:

New York Training:

  • American School of Polish Mime: Stefan Niedziakowski (N.Y.C.)
  • Stella Adler Acting Conservatory: Acting (N.Y.C)
  • The Actors Studio: Acting Classes (N.Y.C)
  • Martha Graham School of Dance (N.Y.C)
  • Casual Acting Classes, Uta Hagen (N.Y.C)
  • Directing workshop: Ivgeny Lanskoy, N.Y.C

Sydney Training:

  • Gerrard Sibbritt: Choreography and Dance (Sydney)
  • Hayes Gordon: Acting (Ensemble Theatre, (Sydney)
  • Keith Bain: Movement (Sydney)
  • Daniel James: Voice (Sydney)
  • Directing workshop series: Ivgeny Lanskoy, Sydney
  • Performance Art Series of Workshops with A. Howell, Sydney College of the Arts

Graduate B.A.Dip.Ed (English Literature) Macquarie University (Sydney)