Professional Development - Rātā Studios

Turning Up – Professional Development Programme

This fun, interactive programme offers a reflective, imaginative, and playful approach to empowering participants to notice how they are turning up to conversations within a team dynamic. Using imagery and improvisation workshops, we seek to develop awareness, play, courage, and creative response in the individual and, in turn, the wider team. We equip the participants with tools to tackle challenges or patterns with a fresh and creative perspective.

We’d love to learn about your team and tailor our programme to work towards a more aware, collaborative, responsive, and productive group dynamic.

Pricing Information

Half Day Workshop

This four hour workshop is suited for 10-15 participants.

$2500 + GST

$120 per extra person up to 20 Pax.

We highly recommend this programme to be delivered in a space that’s outside of your workplace. Additional venue hire costs may apply.

Full Day Workshop

This eight hour workshop is suited for 10-15 participants.

$4500 + GST

$200 per extra person up to 20 Pax.

We highly recommend this programme to be delivered in a space that’s outside of your workplace. Additional venue hire costs may apply.

"Thanks for a fantastic session. I have pondered much over the implications for myself and hope to revisit it. I actually felt that it was the most personally confronting sessions that made me consider how I communicate to others and how I can perhaps change the way I operate when free from the perceptions of self that swarm."

– College Teacher

"Brilliant Session. All my staff need to hear this."

– School Principal

"This was the most interesting Career workshops I’ve ever been to. The Big I is our instinctive way we respond creatively to things and our little i is all the labels and conditioning we accumulate over our lives that can flavour the way we react to things. I feel so much more curious to how I show up and communicate now. My mind is buzzing! And I had fun!"

– Career Workshop Participant

"I just thought to let you know the video on big I and little i was truly what I needed at this point of time. It certainly lifted up my spirits and gave a boost to my thought process and made me realise, I do have the confidence to respond to challenges without then carrying the burden of what others would say or think. This will stay with me"

– Professional Development Programme Participant

"More staff development like this please!"

– Workshop Participant

"Thanks for an awesome session. I chose this specific session to put myself out of my comfort zone. I had no idea what to expect and thoroughly enjoyed it. On reflection it made me more aware of the positive role I can play with my colleagues. Basically it has made me understand me better so all I can say is, thanks."

– Professional Development Programme Participant

Workshop Leaders

Susan Fogarty

With over 30 years of experience in improvisation, Susan Fogarty is a founding member of Australasia’s longest running comedy show Scared Scriptless along with the corporate arm, The Court Jesters.

Susan has worked as a professional in communications in both the private, public and not for profit sectors in New Zealand and Australia.

By combining these skills, she runs dynamic, enjoyable, and effective communication workshops using improvisation for organisations such as the New Zealand Defence Force, ACC, and Accenture, along with various private and public companies.

Tess Jamieson-Karaha

Tess trained as an Actor at Toi Whakaari: NZ drama school and has over 15 years experience in the Performing Arts industry. Alongside being the Director of Rātā Studios, her love for igniting people’s confidence, creativity, and collaboration skills deepened when she trained in the UK’s iheart – innate health education and resilience training program – in 2020. Since then, she has co-created the “Turning Up” programme with Therese Boyle and their non-profit organisation Rediscovering Wellbeing. She has delivered the programme with great success to staff bodies, leaders, creatives and students. With Susan and Tess’s combined skills, the Rātā Studios Turning Up program is set to ignite, inspire, and challenge participants in a fun, reflective, and long lasting way.