Systemic Play

• Systemic Play

  Our own method. One question goes on stage and the people around it play it out.

• Mars

  A tear in reality where what cannot happen on Earth becomes possible. Also the name of the event: a Mars lasts four hours.

• Stage

  The marked space where the play happens. No audience. Nobody watches, everyone plays.

• The Circle

  How people sit around the stage, connected to it and to each other.

• Self-expression

  We have players, not actors. Everyone expresses a role in their own way, and every expression is legitimate as long as it is true.

• Play

  The unit of the method: the tension in a question, an Image, Characters and the Client's role. Minutes, not hours.

• Perspective

  The output. Not a solution: a new way of seeing the question, and one next move.

Systemic Play

The method of Stage on Mars, a method of our own. One question goes on stage and the people around it play it out, with the greatest possible freedom of expression. Systemic Constellations look back: they explore the roots of a system, what happened and where it is disconnected, in order to understand, release and heal. Systemic Play moves forward: it starts with one question and plays out what could happen next, exploring possibilities, alternative realities and potential directions. Constellations need a full view of the system. Systemic Play needs one essential question.

Vision

We believe in a world where every human has unlimited potential. On Mars, that world already exists. Here, reality is not something fixed, but something you can play with. Through Systemic Play, we turn it into a space where you can try what wouldn't be possible elsewhere. In play, you see more, feel more, and allow more. And that's where new paths forward begin to emerge. What happens in play, you take back into reality.

Values

Freedom and responsibility hold our space in balance. Freedom means the ability to create and experiment without limits, with courage, playfulness and authenticity. Responsibility means that whatever each of us brings into the field shapes the outcome for everyone. In collective imagination the power of the individual multiplies, because every contribution influences the direction of the play, the depth of the experience and what we carry back to Earth.

The Rule

What happens and what does not happen, we create together. Everyone is the author of their own experience and the co-author of everyone else's. Choosing to ask a question or stay silent, stepping into the play or simply holding it with your gaze, exiting or overlooking. In collective imagination every voice carries weight and every step changes the shape of the play.

How we talk about Stage on Mars

We speak simply and professionally. We share the language of experiential change and collective imagination. This is a group experiment that shifts team dynamics, reveals new possibilities and helps people make better decisions. We say experiential people development and experiential decision-making, because that is exactly what we do. We create a space where something new, meaningful and atypical can happen, and it still makes sense.

Overview

Stage on Mars rests on three fundamental pillars: people, space and method. The first pillar is the people who create the Mars. Their energy, questions, insights and unique circumstances make every Mars unprecedented. The second pillar is the space, the stage on Mars, a conceptual tear in reality where it is possible to experiment, create plays and search for new answers. The third pillar is the method of Systemic Play, which gives raw human creativity a clear framework.

The Stage

The stage functions as a conceptual tear in reality where ordinary rules cease to apply. People can be anyone, ask any question and create new possibilities together. It has a ritual dimension: each time we consciously mark it out and connect it with the people who enter it. And it is a dimension of exposure: it invites every participant to their own breakthroughs. On stage, in the light, in play.

The Stage on Mars team

• Playmaker

  The key element of every play on Mars. A member of the Stage on Mars team who has mastered the method in full depth and practice. Their role is to lead participants through the whole Mars, from initial attunement through the creation of the space to the integration of the experience. The Playmaker explains the rules, holds boundaries and ensures a safe and creative frame. They know how to read the field, sense tensions in the system and direct attention to where a new image might appear. They are not a moderator, coach or therapist. They are an explorer of space and process. Every Mars has one Playmaker.

• Navigator (Assistant)

  Supports the Playmaker throughout the whole Mars. Responsible for the technical, organizational and logistical flow. They prepare the space, track time, manage materials and ensure everything runs according to plan. When needed they communicate with participants and step in during technical or dynamic shifts.

• Cast of Mars

  Selected members of the Stage on Mars community brought in as needed for individual plays. Their role is to enrich the Mars as active players: stepping into roles, embodying perspectives, creating scenes and helping to unfold the system. They do not lead the process but through their presence, perception and creativity they add depth. They are a support to the space, a sensitive mirror and a catalyst for change.

The roles on stage

• Client

  Anyone who asks a question. By doing so they become the centre of the play and everyone else works for their experience. Their role is to bring a question, choose a Director and together with them create the basic structure of the play. After the play the Client has the right to share their perspective first. Their courage to ask a question opens the way for everyone.

• Director

  Any participant who takes on the task of designing and leading the play that grows from the Client's question. Responsible for setting the play in motion: the beginning and end, the selection of players and the definition of the Client's role. The Director creates the frame in which the play unfolds and watches over its development so that it leads to a meaningful experience.

• Players

  Everyone who joins the play once the Client has chosen the Director. Being a player means accepting the offered role and expressing it in your own way. A player does not perform a role according to a script but brings themselves, their own view and perception into it. They are part of the system being explored and through their presence they help the Client see what they cannot see alone.

• Captain

  Leads a Mars when it involves the collective search of a team, company or community. They set the main intent of the whole Mars: a meta-question to which the other participants add their own questions. Everyone works toward the shared goal. The Captain may welcome participants, name important moments and make decisions that move the Mars forward.

Four hours

A classic Mars lasts four hours: an intro, two play blocks with a break between them, and the Letter from Mars at the end. A play lasts minutes, not hours, so one Mars holds several questions and several plays. For companies we sell play hours and build the Mars to the client's question, from a single play to a series over months. After every business play the client receives a one-pager: the question, the play, the perspectives, and the next move.

From arrival to the letter

• Arrival

  The stage is clean and marked, chairs stand around it, the questions are on the screen or on paper. The Playmaker and the Navigator welcome everyone. Phones and laptops go away. The Navigator rings the Bell and everyone takes a seat in the circle, directly around the stage.

• Intro

  The Playmaker stands on stage and passes the Stick. Each person says their name and may share a feeling or an expectation. The Stick returns to the Playmaker, who explains the method, the rules and the time frame, and invites the first question.

• Questions

  A participant steps on stage and speaks their question into the space. They may add a sentence of context, but they end with the question. From that moment they are the Client.

• Two chairs

  The Client sits down with the Stick. Next to them is an empty chair. Directors come one by one, sit down and offer a play. Up to five.

• Choice

  The Client picks one Director and hands over the Stick. No explanation needed.

• Casting

  Director and Client name the characters and choose who plays them. The Client gets a role: observer, part of the action, or the one who moves things. Everyone leaves the stage.

• Bell, play, bell

  The Director rings the Bell. Players enter and express their roles in their own way. The Director may add or pull players. Bell again. Applause. Everyone steps out of their role.

• Perspectives

  Client first, then the Director, then anyone. Views, not advice. The Playmaker closes with one question to the Client: what is your next move?

• Next question

  Rule of Courage, Rule of Play or Rule of the Captain decides who asks next. Between the two play blocks, a break, ideally outside in fresh air.

• Outro and the letter

  After the last play the Playmaker closes the block with the Bell and passes the Stick once more for closing words. Then everyone writes a Letter from Mars to someone on Earth, takes another one at random and opens it only at home.

The meaning of the question

It does not matter what the question is. What matters is that the participant asks it. It is the first step into the play, active participation, a conscious yes. The question opens the space and defines what is important to the person at that moment.

How to submit a question

• Digital

  Through a specially prepared landing page where the participant registers and their question is displayed anonymously on the site.

• Physical

  Submitted on-site if the Mars is designed that way.

• The Question Triangle

  A standalone exercise where we lead participants through the process of asking questions from three angles and then collect them for use in the play.

The Question Triangle (Hra na Otazky)

An experiential way of working with a client's question, inspiring them to turn it around from three possible angles. Experience shows that the best plays come from personal questions. We use the Question Triangle for this exercise.

• Question about It

  The external element: a project, a market, a product, a situation outside of yourself.

• Question about Us

  The collective element: a team, a relationship, a dynamic between people.

• Question about Me

  The individual element: a personal challenge, a feeling, an internal conflict.

Asking the question

The participant asks their question by stepping onto the stage and speaking it into the space. They may briefly add context, but their expression should always close with a clearly formulated question. By doing this they become the Client and everyone else begins working for their experience.

Meaning and quality

The meaning and quality of the question belong exclusively to the Client. The Client is not required to explain, justify or answer follow-up questions about it. They have the right to rephrase their question. Their only task is to clearly speak it at the end, whatever it may be.

Question selection mechanisms

At every Mars we usually have more questions than we can process. There are three basic approaches to sorting them.

• Rule of Courage

  The person who asks the first question earns the right to choose the next one, and after each play the Client chooses which question goes next.

• Rule of Play

  The Playmaker turns the sorting of questions into a play that takes context into account and through which the questions naturally sort and prioritize themselves.

• Rule of the Captain

  The Captain steps into the selection of questions based on what is important for the direction of the Mars and the overall intent.

Production of the question

We support the centrality of questions through production: by displaying them and working with them in the space. All questions are published on the landing page and projected during the Mars, creating a visual menu to choose from. When more clarity is needed, the questions are printed and each participant receives them on paper.

Two chairs

There are two chairs on stage. The Client who asked their question sits on one. Next to them is an empty chair: a potential Director sits on it with their proposal and offers it to the Client. The Client holds the Stick throughout.

How a play is created

A play is built in one order. First the tension in the question: the two things pulling against each other. Then the Image: a simple situation or scene in which the action will unfold. Then the Characters: who the players will embody. This is the heart of the play. Last, the Client's role: observer, part of the action, or the one who moves things. Keep Directors toward simplicity and structure. Two forces and the Client between them beat eight characters every time.

Play proposals and choosing a Director

Each Client may receive a maximum of five proposals. The Client decides the final number and does not have to wait for all five. Directors stand in a line behind the Client, each approaching and speaking up from behind. The Client may briefly ask them to repeat their proposal before making the final choice. In the end they must choose one Director and hand them the Stick.

Casting players

At this point we have the Client and the Director. Together they assemble the play. The Director briefly repeats the idea and may ask the Playmaker for support. Then comes the nomination of characters. The ideal scenario is when the Director names the characters and calls the Client to choose who fills them. If the Client consciously does not want to decide, the Director makes the selection. All chosen players stand on stage until the entire cast is assembled. At the end everyone repeats their role, the Director recaps the action, and together with the Navigator they go over the options for music and lighting. Before the play begins, everyone leaves the stage.

Starting the play

The Director starts the play with the Bell and sends players onto the stage to express their characters. Players may but do not have to follow the Director's brief literally. The moment they step on stage they embody their roles in their own way.

Self-expression

A foundational word on Mars. We have players, not actors. We do not perform. We express roles according to our own feeling, intuition and connection. We play for ourselves and for the play itself.

During the play

During the play the Director may add players or pull them out. Players must respond to this direction. Any other instructions they may improve on or ignore entirely. The Director may ask players what they need and interactively add characters. The same applies to the audiovisual production, which follows the play and responds to its development.

Ending the play

The Director ends the play according to their own perception and feeling. They end it with the Bell. The play closes with applause and a conscious detachment of the players from the stage and from their roles.

Sample play

Image: a forest full of trees. Characters: every player is a tree carrying one word for the Client. Client's role: you walk among the trees, which cannot speak. One by one you send them away from the stage until only one remains. That last one finally tells you its word.

Exchange of perspectives

After every play there is an exchange of perspectives on stage. Anyone may step onto the stage and say what they saw, felt and caught in the play. It is a space for sharing viewpoints that help expand the meaning and enrich the experience of the Client and the whole group.

Order

The right to share first belongs to the Client, followed by the Director, and then anyone who wants to speak. If things become chaotic or unclear the Playmaker steps in and moderates the sharing.

Form of expression

This format is designed to create a space for creative and cultivated discussion in the style of a Greek forum. Participants speak to the whole, to the theme, and share personal viewpoints and perspectives. They do not share life advice or suggestions for improvement. The goal is to offer a viewpoint, not a solution. Whoever is sharing holds the Stick.

Perspective, not interpretation

Speak about what you saw and what you felt, never about who the Client is. 'Standing there, I felt heavy' is a perspective. 'You are afraid of letting go' is an interpretation. Interpretations stay off the stage. The Playmaker stops them the first time, kindly, so that nobody has to do it the second time.

The next move

Before the Stick returns, the Playmaker asks the Client one question: 'What is your next move?' One sentence or silence. Both count. The sharing ends with the Client, not with the group.

Playing toward an answer

Perspective is the default output of a Mars. An answer is a configuration, not an exception. When the Client or the Captain needs to leave with a decision, the Playmaker sets the Mars up for it from the start. What matters is that even the answer comes through the play, not after it. Its form can be just as surprising as the journey.

The one-pager

After every business play the client receives one page: the question as it was asked, the play as it was played, the perspectives that came up, and the next move the Client named. Nothing is added afterwards. It is the Mars on paper, so the team can return to it.

Letter from Mars

At almost every Mars we use the Letter from Mars as a closing perspective. We invite participants to write a letter, a thought, a viewpoint or a message they would like to send to someone on Earth. They place the letter in an envelope and it may remain anonymous. Each participant takes one letter at random when they leave. It is opened only at home or after leaving the space. It is a quiet moment of sharing that continues even after the play has ended.

Filter 1: Where is the tension?

Every question has hidden tension inside it, something pulling in two directions. The Director looks for this tension and builds the play around it. Example: the question 'Should I change my career?' The tension is between safety and the unknown. The play does not need eight characters. It needs two forces and the Client between them.

• Prompt

  'What are the two worlds the Client is standing between?' If the Director cannot name them, the play will be flat.

Filter 2: What should the Client not know in advance?

A good play contains a moment of surprise, something the Client did not expect. If the Client can predict the entire course, they will not gain a new perspective.

• Prompt

  'Is there anything in my proposal that might surprise the Client?' If not, add one unpredictable element: a character the Client does not expect, a dynamic that reverses, or a rule that changes during the play.

• Example

  For a question about team leadership the Director adds the character 'the one who left', a person no longer on the team but still shaping its dynamic. The Client did not expect them but recognises them immediately.

Filter 3: What should the Client experience, not understand?

This is the most important filter. It separates Systemic Play from brainstorming.

• Bad proposal

  'Your people will stand here and tell you what they think about your question.' That is a discussion, not a play.

• Good proposal

  'Your people will stand here, each holding one thing you do not want to let go of. You have to take it from them or let them walk away.' That is an experience.

• Prompt

  'When the play ends, what will the Client feel?' If the answer is 'they will have more information,' the proposal is not good enough. If the answer is 'they will stand differently toward their question,' it works.

Quick test before a proposal

• 1

  The tension in the question is between _______ and _______.

• 2

  The Client will not expect _______.

• 3

  After the play the Client will feel _______.

Overview

The Stage on Mars method is experiential. It honours the point of choice, meaning participants can choose what they want at every moment. In its basic form it is a space where everyone plays with everyone and each person searches for their own answers. When a more focused intent is needed, we configure the Mars accordingly.

Questions

• Default

  All participants bring questions.

• Single

  Only one person asks, for example the Captain, and the others serve as Directors or players.

• Shared

  The question is global for the entire group.

Directors

• Default

  Anyone can become a Director.

• Assigned

  One specific person or a set number of Directors assigned in advance.

• Alternative

  No Director. A different mechanic is used: cards, AI-generated inputs, or pre-prepared scenarios.

Perspectives

• Default

  All participants share perspectives.

• Expert

  A person with expertise in the topic is invited to provide perspective.

• Silence

  Nobody shares perspectives. Silence, integration, reflection without words.

• Answer

  The play is set up from the start to end with a decision. The answer comes through the play, not after it.

A. The play has no tension

If the play has been running for more than three minutes without movement, energy or change, the Playmaker first diagnoses the cause. Is the problem in the image, in the players, or in the Client?

• Narrowing

  The Playmaker asks the Director to reduce the number of players to two. Fewer people means greater exposure and greater tension.

• Provocation

  The Playmaker invites one player to do something the others do not expect. Not a specific action but an impulse: 'Do something you would never normally do.'

• Stopping

  The Playmaker stops the play, turns to the Client and asks: 'What is missing here?' The Client names the missing element and it is added. The play continues.

B. A participant breaks down emotionally

The Playmaker first distinguishes whether this is processing (healthy, functional, part of the process) or decompensation (loss of contact, overwhelm, inability to communicate).

• If processing

  Do not touch, do not hug, do not comment. The Playmaker stays close and holds the space with silence. Once it passes they offer a word: 'Do you want to say something, or is the silence alright?'

• If decompensation

  The Playmaker gently leads the participant off the stage. Physically: they stand, they walk out together. The Navigator takes over the group. The Playmaker with the participant outside: 'You are here. Breathe. You do not have to do anything.' Return only if the participant wants to. No persuasion.

C. The Director freezes

• Cannot think of a proposal

  The Playmaker asks: 'When you heard the question, what was the first thing you saw?' The answer is the play. Even if it is simple. Especially if it is simple.

• Proposed but cannot start

  The Playmaker offers: 'Tell the players where to stand. Leave the rest to them.'

• Lost control during the play

  The Playmaker steps in beside the Director and quietly asks: 'Do you want to end it, or do you want to change something?' They give back the choice, not a solution.

D. The group loses energy

The Playmaker diagnoses whether this is fatigue (physiological) or resistance (psychological).

• If fatigue

  Break. No discussion. The body takes priority.

• If resistance

  The Playmaker names it out loud: 'I sense the energy has dropped. What is going on?' They do not wait for an answer, they are only opening the space. If nobody responds, they change the format: pass the Stick with a single question, 'What would you need right now?' If that does not work either, the Playmaker shortens the programme. Fewer plays with greater depth is better than more plays without energy.

E. The play turns into conflict

The Playmaker distinguishes whether this is conflict within the play (part of the system, functional) or personal conflict (two people working out their own issues).

• If within the play

  Leave it. This is systemic work. Tension is information. The Playmaker watches whether the conflict is serving the Client.

• If personal

  The Playmaker stops the play: 'I am pausing for a moment. This is important, but it is not this play. Let us return to the Client's question.' After the play they offer space to process, but off stage.

Two axes

• Vertical: Depth

  At the top is Surface: the play is fun, creative, players are enjoying themselves, but nothing is being revealed. At the bottom is System: the play is showing something that was hidden. Relationships, forces, dynamics the Client could not see.

• Horizontal: Source

  On the left is Head: the players are playing what they think they should play. Constructing, inventing, planning. On the right is Body: the players are playing what they feel. Not planning. Reacting. Moving on impulse.

Four quadrants

• Surface + Head = Performance

  The players are showing off. It looks good but it is empty. An audience would applaud, but the Client feels nothing new. Move: the Playmaker slows things down. 'Stop. Close your eyes. What do you feel right now?' A reset from head to body.

• Surface + Body = Catharsis

  Emotional, powerful, but undirected. The players are feeling deeply, but the play is not pointing toward the Client's question. Move: the Playmaker returns attention to the Client. 'Client, what of what you are seeing belongs to your question?'

• System + Head = Analysis

  The play is showing dynamics, but intellectually. The players are explaining instead of experiencing. Move: the Playmaker removes words. 'Now without speech. Just movement.' Or: 'Express it in one gesture.'

• System + Body = Systemic Play

  This is the goal. The play reveals hidden dynamics and the players are experiencing them in the body, not the head. The Client sees something new and feels it at the same time. The stage is quiet, but not empty. Something has shifted. Move: do nothing. Hold the space. This is the moment Mars exists for.

One diagnostic criterion

Is the play surprising the Client, or confirming what they already know? If confirming, the play is on the surface. An element needs to be added that disrupts the pattern. If surprising, the play is approaching the system. Let it work.

Practical use

During the play the Playmaker asks themselves two questions every two to three minutes: 1) Where are we on the compass? (Identifies the quadrant.) 2) Is that where I want to be? (Decides whether to intervene.) If the answer to the second question is no, they have a specific move for that quadrant.

Preparing the stage

The stage is prepared and clean. Chairs are arranged around it. Questions are available on paper or displayed in the space. Brand elements, logo, neons and stickers, are set up according to the type of Mars.

Size, shape & marking

• Size

  Recommended minimum is 5 by 4 metres, or a diameter of 5 metres for a circle, for groups of up to 20 people.

• Shape

  The circle is the most ritual, though square or rectangular works well. What matters is that the space allows movement, contact and a clear boundary.

• Marking

  Standard format is a stage outlined with orange gaffer tape. Another option is an orange LED strip for a strong visual frame. The stage should be clearly marked and the lines ideally closed.

• Physical presence

  It is significantly easier for participants to relate to the stage when it is physically present and ideally raised at least 30 centimetres above the ground. This signals the transition to another plane and helps people intuitively feel they are entering a different world.

Supporting elements

• Projection

  Stage format projectors for the opening intro and for displaying participants' questions.

• Lighting

  White and coloured, depending on the needs and atmosphere of each play.

• Sound

  Soundscape using music from Spotify or live music when available.

• The Circle

  People must be directly connected to the stage, with no comfortable distance of a spectator. For circular stages, work in a circle directly around the space. For rectangular stages, seat people in a semicircle.

• The Stick and the Bell

  The Stick is a talking stick: whoever holds it may speak. The Playmaker uses it when explaining, the Client when asking, the Director when directing. The Bell signals start and end of plays and breaks.