Play Date Series for Adults Comes to Santa Barbara

This fall, adults in Santa Barbara will have the opportunity to step into a world of imagination, connection, and fun. De Guevara Art Studios is hosting a Play Date series, which organizers describe as a “joy-fueled workshop where grown-ups get to press pause on the grind of adulting and say yes to laughter, movement, and creative exploration.” 

Spanning across three days, each three-hour workshop features a rotating lineup of expert facilitators that will lead guests through “a variety of playful games and activities designed to wake up your body, loosen your mind, and spark genuine connection.”

With the tagline of “What if play wasn’t something you outgrew?”, this event is designed to “reintroduce play as a vital part of being human.” No performance experience is required, just an open mind, a spirit of curiosity, and the courage to “look a little silly in the best possible way.”

One of the facilitators, Joe Velasco, is a beloved local storyteller and the co-founder of BOXTALES. “[Velasco] brings 35 years of professional theater experience and a deep love of intuitive creativity,” according to a press release.  “From his work with El Teatro Campesino to his signature warmth and wit, [Velasco] creates a space where grown-ups can rediscover the magic of make-believe.”

Another facilitator in the series is Mariangelica Duque, who is also a positive psychology coach with a background in the arts and healing. Before shifting her interest to the intersection of creativity, psychology, and well-being, she had a successful career as a screenwriter and actress in Colombia. She has a master’s and is currently pursuing her second. “A previously National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, she draws on over two decades of experience in acting, clowning, and storytelling to lead engaging, playful, and evidence-based workshops. Her work blends emotional depth with joyful expression, rooted in the belief that play isn’t a distraction from growth, but a powerful path to it.”

Duque shared that “play brings people together, makes them community, and helps them process their differences and commonalities. Play has a beginning and an end. It is a temporary world within the ordinary world, in which we can all experience fun and freedom without any certain request or expectation.”

Adrienne De Guevara, the third facilitator, is an interdisciplinary artist who has explored a diverse range of theatrical genres over the last 30 years. A co-founder of Crux Productions in 1990s Brooklyn, she also “lit up Manhattan nightclubs as half of the Avant-Vaudeville duo Mister Sister, and later fronted the Vermont-based electronic-kirtan band Shakti Pops. Her creative path has included writing, directing, and countless hours behind the scenes as a lighting technician. A 2023 California Central Coast Creative Corps Fellow, she now co-creates at MISC Workshop in Santa Barbara. [De Guevara] delights instigating fun and stimulating inventiveness in others.”

As for how the Play Date series came about, De Guevara shared in an interview that she began developing SomaGlyphs, a deck of calligraphic prompt cards designed to inspire movement and creativity. Meeting Velasco and Duque guided De Guevara to see a shared vision and desire to work together to fulfill a growing community need.

De Guevara shared what she hopes to achieve through this series, saying “My hope is that Play Date will be an opening for participants to access their innate joy in a community setting. With our current political and climate issues, the need for joyful community interaction feels significant.”

When asked about why adults need more intentional spaces for play, De Guevara said, “21st human connection has become increasingly complex with the overlay of digital media on everything we do. Time for play, away from screens, allows space for our innate capacity for spontaneity and joy. It can brighten human connection through thoughtful low-stakes actions and break up the repetitive nature of adulting. It is a permission structure for exploring our playfulness in an uninhibited side inside a safe environment.”

The Play Date series will take place September 6, September 20, and October 4 at Dance Hub, 22 E. Victoria St., in downtown Santa Barbara. Right now, the sessions are $50 each, or you can purchase all three for $135. After August 30, each workshop will be $60. To register, click here.