GII Symposium 2026

Risking failure is a necessary part of the creative process as we grow, innovate, and learn. But we are also conditioned to fear the consequences of failure. As students, teachers and creative changemakers alike look to their uncertain futures – an uncertainty amplified by the spread of global violence, climate change, systemic discrimination, and technological zealotry – how can we reframe failure as fuel for our creative innovation?

When a character ‘fails’ in a table-top role-playing game (TTRPG), the story instantly becomes more interesting, the character becomes more complex, and everybody leans in, wondering: What’s going to happen next? Is there a way to use elements of TTRPGs in how we teach, build our creative professions, and cultivate our lives, that could foster an attitude of playful curiosity – or even eagerness – toward failure? What happens to our ability to tolerate and build on failure when it’s reframed in this way?

In the first half of this workshop, come watch and be part of a demonstration merging table-top roleplaying mechanics with an improvised scene, exploring what happens when the characters fail. Then, we’ll dig into these ideas through group and partnered discussions. You’ll walk away with ways you can practically apply these ideas to your own life and work.