Counterplay26: Be More Margot
This post is part of series reflecting on my experiences attending Counterplay conference 2026. Check out the other posts here.
As I write this, I am sat on a train to Copenhagen airport, thinking about Margot.
Margot was a character that I was asked to play during one of the workshops at CounterPlay. I was in was given an image of a character and asked to improvise them. My image was one of the female characters from Gary Larson's The Far Side comics, who I interpreted as an older Brooklyn woman with a gravelly Brooklyn accent (New York-ish being the only American accent I could sustain) that we called Margaret - Margot for short. We acted out some short scenes, discussed forum theatre as play, etc. etc. After the workshop ended, I was having so much fun as Margot that I decided to keep her going, dipping in and out of character throughout the remainder of the conference.
The original Margot (courtesy of Gary Larson) buried in a plant pot
In - and out - of character
I think if you asked my partner or my friends whether this was unusual behaviour for me, they would probably say it's not a huge surprise. I like playing with voices, accents; I'm a playful person who likes using my imagination and telling stories (that's animators for you). But I also tend to hold myself back, can be quite reserved during social play activities, and despite being relatively extroverted don't feel entirely comfortable with people I don't know (that's animators for you). Loud, in-your-face play - especially performance play - often makes me feel uncomfortable, for a number of reasons that were made painfully visible during Hollie Stoppit's confronting, challenging, amazing improvised lecture on play personas and self-critique (more on that elsewhere). So it was quite a big deal for me to be having so much fun that I continued the character out of the room. Through Margot, I had found a way, and a place, to play in a space that I felt a little uncomfortable in.
But what really struck me was how my fellow attendees were willing to play along. People referred to Margot by her name, asked about her life, helped her up the stairs, offered suggestions. I began to embody the character more - literally, as I caught myself at times walking slowly with a stoop ('gawd, my back') or taking the stairs one at a time ('the knees, I wish I'd looked after my knees') when no-one was even watching. The more people played along, the more I felt myself let go of feeling weird, or embarrassed, or awkward, or that I was doing something odd; the more, or perhaps deeper, I let myself play. In a situation where I had permission to play (i.e. the conference), it was people playing along that really encouraged me to play. I really felt the space was being held for me.
This wasn't always true, of course. There was a big difference between this experience, and some of the interactions I had; for example, when someone repeatedly asked for Margot to sing, despite being repeatedly told "no thank you". I'm not judging that moment, that person; when we're excited and playing together, sometimes it's easy to forget or to miss signals. But it highlighted to me the difference between being fully present with someone, and doing so in a way where you want to "impact the outcome" (Plett, 2015). When people were fully invested, without judgement, about playing with Margot, I felt more able to be a more playful version of myself.
Be More Margot
On the final day, reflecting on the conference as a group we were asked to think about how we might take our experiences and our playfulness out into the wider world1, and all I could think was "Be More Margot". I didn't mean that I wanted to be Margot more (I don't think my back could take it), and I didn't mean adopt more of Margot's characteristics (I don't think my relationship could take it). I think what I meant was that I want to be more of the person that was brave enough to do something silly and run with it. Not only be more playful, but more openly, unashamedly playful; more playful in ways I didn't know I could be, and more willing to experiment and explore my own playfulness. We talk a lot about holding space for others, and holding it lightly. Playing with Margot made me think about the ways I create and hold space for myself to play.
But it also reminded me of the importance of being genuine when we invite others to be their playful selves. Things might not work, they might be weird, or they might not be "for you", but that's not the point. When we create and hold space for others, we need to do so openly and honestly.
'Be More Margot' summarises the most tangible thing that I took away with me; a reminder to give myself permission to be playful, and of the importance of supporting others to do the same.
As a bit of a P.S: on the flight back, the names of the cabin crew were Sarah, Jennifer, Scott, and - I kid you not - Margot. It's a sign. I'm getting a Be More Margot tattoo.
Footnotes
References
PLETT, H. 2015. What it means to “hold space” for people, plus eight tips on how to do it well. *Heather Plett *[Online]. Available from: https://heatherplett.com/2015/03/hold-space/ [Accessed 12th May 2026].