improv workshops
theory
Improvisers actively listen to each other, intentionally support each other's contribution and ideas, and co-create together. They practice building and maintaining trust, knowing that together they will have each other's backs.
In a time when dialogue can often breakdown and be conquered by division, when debate can devolve into dissecting someone's opinions and perspective, where advocacy can bend towards shaming someone for not doing more - what could we become if we applied the wisdom of improv?
What could we become if we found ways to infuse our community with the collaboration that co-creates in the face of the unknown, makes meaning together, and collaborates to bring forth the unimaginable?
Am I in your way?
It occurred to me I could crush her tiny body with one book...
.waiting for (god)ot.
Imagining More (MWF)
Sometimes true mutuality requires us not to make room for other postures, but to physically take the posture of another, so that we can indicate our vulnerability and our welcome to them.
Disjointed (Wisdom for the Way)
Through processes of struggle and change, I have found myself unrecognizable, having to get reacquainted with who I am now in this season, in this new skin, within my whole story. I have found myself in the process of both discovering my True self and also collaborating and improvising within community and alongside God, incorporating who I was with who I’m becoming as I live and create a new story.
Improvisationally Ever After
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was led to believe that her voice wasn’t important.
We were always improvising
'I didn’t expect this' and 'Now what' are precisely the spaces where improv arrives again and again. As improvisers, we’re never expecting this; we arrive to the unexpected. We willingly take it on, delight in it, craft with it. What is mishap to the grief-stricken is the method of the improviser.
Unmasking
"your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find
all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."
- Rumi
but merely to seek and find
all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."
- Rumi
Look at Me
Look at me.
No glance. She’s notoriously defiant. I wait.
Look at me.
She continues ignoring me, eyes fixated on the world around her.
Scout, look at me.
She gazes up and begins to lick my nose.
No glance. She’s notoriously defiant. I wait.
Look at me.
She continues ignoring me, eyes fixated on the world around her.
Scout, look at me.
She gazes up and begins to lick my nose.
Plotlines and Pilgrimage
Improv teaches that it’s not necessarily where we end up that matters the most, but that how we go will determine where we arrive, and who we become.
Yes, and flood waters
We bring our ideas, our creativity, and our skill of working together; we create in the midst of absence and space. As it does in the Okavango, life floods abundantly onto the improv stage.
Soulmates and Scene Partners
‘Do you want a puppy?’
A dreaded, hipster couple had found two abandoned puppies wandering the streets; the man held a sleeping, snuggly, tiny beige and chestnut bundle.
‘No, I can’t,’ entering the bathroom.
But when I emerged, without hesitation I scooped Riley up in my arms and walked back to the hookah bar to rejoin my group.
‘YES.’
A dreaded, hipster couple had found two abandoned puppies wandering the streets; the man held a sleeping, snuggly, tiny beige and chestnut bundle.
‘No, I can’t,’ entering the bathroom.
But when I emerged, without hesitation I scooped Riley up in my arms and walked back to the hookah bar to rejoin my group.
‘YES.’
Without A Shield
They open up, they drop their shields, they know that no matter the tears, flaws, or struggle moments, their vulnerability is a beautiful and human thing.
Supporting the Scene
Whether we are tapping out, walking on, or simply creating the scene, ‘yes, and’ wisdom encourages us to use our gifts, strengths, and ideas for the sake of ‘serving the scene’, rather than merely serving ourselves.
Follow Your Feet
Our teachers encourage us: follow your feet. They seem to have a wisdom of their own; we lurch forward as if about to fall off a ledge. Coming up to our toes and then back down to our heels, something within us had an idea...
The Importance of And
I believe ‘yes, and’ is the best act of support and revolution I have ever encountered.
The Culture of No
Such a terribly unpleasant word to any improviser.
Even worse, when the no isn’t said, but it is felt.
Even worse, when the no isn’t said, but it is felt.
You Are Welcome Here
It’s my first Student Lottery. The lights come up after our suggestion of Popsicle; I hesitate. My mind is a complete blank for any initiation ideas. I freeze. I have nothing to offer.
Practicing Yes (MWF)
Know this: that initial yes is not actually to the idea, it is to the person offering their voice.
The Discipline of Play
"Our ability to embrace laughter and joy, especially in community, is key to our well-being."
Empathy (MWF)
Empathy at its heart is the root of every move towards justice. If I let your experience and story impact me, I’m opening myself to be changed, moved, affected, and challenged.
Create and Release
"If I can release some space in my day plan to embrace some interruptions, I become a calmer, more present, and kinder human."
Creating the Container (MWF)
We are creating a container where people can grow, where bravery can be possible and practiced.
Small Steps
"Life is usually built in the small steps, the day to day journey towards an unpredictable destination."
Load More
let's co-create your own event
In workshop and retreat, the tools of improv are being brought into organizations, faith communities, groups going through transition and needing to rebuild cooperation. We'll provide an experience that builds trust, nurtures active listening, practices collaboration, and effectively supports each other in co-creative work.
How could these tools help your community? Let's talk.