Stories shape how we understand the world — and how we imagine what comes next. But what if we could design stories intentionally, as prototypes for futures?

The Narrative Design Lab is a participatory workshop where participants will experiment with story structures, speculative frameworks, and narrative tools to uncover new ways of imagining cultural futures. Particiants will have a chance to explore hands-on activities that remix familiar stories, surface hidden assumptions, and invite speculative thinking about what futures could look like.

No prior design or theater experience is needed — just curiosity and a willingness to play. Participants will leave with practical tools for using storytelling as a design method, and inspiration for connecting narrative to broader questions of justice, belonging, and cultural change.

💫Related Events

The workshop follows Story in Motion: Performance as Prototype (Oct 18 & 19) and is part of Imagining Otherwise: Storytelling & Narrative Future(s) (Oct 18-20), a three-day miniseries combining table reads, workshops, and dialogues that explore how performance and design spark futures thinking. Learn more atbit.ly/asf2025