The Andrew Conti Workshop is a performance art workshop. It is named after a bay area musician and artist who had his own struggles with addiction and mental health issues, but found solace and joy through creativity, and was able to find his path to sobriety and happiness. It was after his tragic accidental death in 2023 that his mother Kathryn Keats, who is a performance artist herself, and Dr. Senadhi Parakrama came together to develop the Andrew Conti performance art workshop.

The purpose of the workshop is to help participants process experiences that may be too complex or painful to express through words alone, and to give voice to stories that are often hidden by shame, fear, or isolation. Participants develop original monologues and performance pieces based on significant moments in their lives, using the creative process as a vehicle for reflection, healing, and connection.

The inaugural workshop culminated in the production of ‘Roofing,’ a screenplay Andrew was developing shortly before his passing. The story explores themes of confinement, longing, community, and the search for freedom. To honor Andrew’s vision, Kathryn and Senadhi adapted the screenplay for the stage, weaving together the personal experiences of workshop participants with the themes of the original work.

Each season, the workshop presents a new story that serves as a creative container for the personal narratives of that year’s cast. Through this process, individual experiences become part of a larger collective work, fostering connection, understanding, and the transformative power of storytelling.