Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Therapist
Join me and meet a man who is lovingly known as the Godfather of improv. During his thirty-nine-year engagement in Improvisation Robert Lowe has been a player, an Improv dancer, a teacher, a director, a producer, and a pioneer in the uses of Improvisation for purposes other than performance. He has taught Improvisation, and stand-up comedy, in addition to personal advocacy. Continue reading “Robert Lowe Atlanta’s Godfather of Improv”
Kay Ross was born in Scotland, grew up in Australia, and has lived in Hong Kong for 25 years. She has been acting since she was a teenager, did stand-up comedy for a while, has been performing with short-form improv team People’s Liberation Improv in Hong Kong for 11 years, is a member of the Applied Improvisation Network, and leads Applied Improvisation workshops in Hong Kong and around Asia for companies, universities and community organizations.
Continue reading “Kay Ross Imagining Possibilities through Improvisation”
There is so much we can learn from the great Improv Coach David Razowsky who draws improv wisdom from his extensive experience with Chicago’s Second City, performing with the likes of Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris, and Rachel Dratch. David developed a simple approach to improvising: Your present awareness is the only thing you need to create compelling, smart, truthful, and surprising scenes. Period. No games, no preconceived premises, no ideas, no ego. All that matters is now.
Meet Jill Bernard, a beloved improviser and teacher. Jill talks to us about her journey in improv theatre, and her joyful approach to improv and life.
Meet the fabulous Wendy Rush, improviser, popular radio DJ and mom along with the delightful Tom McCourt. Together they have developed a program for the Las Vegas Juvenile Offender Court to use improvisational theatre skills to help these teens and their families.
Meet the delightful Stephanie Anderson, a muli-talented and beloved improv teacher in Chicago who brings joy and laughter wherever she goes! Stephanie teaches at Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development, designing interactive enrichment curriculum and facilitates storytelling and improv workshops for MBA students at the University of Chicago.
About Stephanie
Stephanie Anderson is an Innovative Learning Consultant who has worked with individuals and interdisciplinary teams in a variety of industries. She attended The George Washington University in Washington, DC, where she earned dual degrees in Psychology & Philosophy. . Ms. Anderson is a Chicago-based writer/actor/improviser and teaches improvisation as a faculty member at The Second City Training Center. Her passion for performance combined with her love of facilitation has led her around the country sharing the benefits of applied improv/ storytelling/ performance skill-based workshops for clients working in education, healthcare, and corporate settings. Check out her improv and sketch duo with Alex Bellisle at Girlish.
Michael Golding has been improvising for over 40 years. Michael is a writer, director and improv teacher who studied with the “father of Improv” David Shepherd and pioneered many innovative improv programs. Michael participated in the evolution of the Improv Olympics & Canadian Improv Games and is the Artistic Director of the Comic Strip Improv Group in N.Y. & created the Insight Theatre Company for Planned Parenthood, Ottawa. In addition to being a performer and coach, Michael is an accomplished writer and his book Listen Harder is a wonderful collection of essays on his journey in improv and working with at-risk youth in various settings.
Continue reading “Michael Golding – 2nd Generation Improv Pioneer”
Meet Ted DesMaisons, a beloved improv and mindfulness teacher who is internationally recognized for his work. His students describe him as someone who “teaches with clarity, creativity, and effective ritual”. After completing graduate his MBA at Stanford Business he attended Harvard Divinity School. Ted has studied and performed improvisation across North America, including with Patricia Ryan Madsen at Stanford, BATS Improv in San Francisco and Loose Moose Theater in Calgary, Alberta. All that experience supports a simple truth: Ted’s passion for teaching and learning leads him to share that passion with others like you.
You don’t have to want to be a performer on stage to learn improv games! We can play them just for the fun of it. There is growing research on the therapeutic benefits of Improvisational Theatre Games for people with PD. The Neurology Department of Northwestern University has partnered with Second City since 2015 researching the benefits of teaching improv to people with PD and their caregivers. Their research showed that improvisational theatre games help to cultivate focus, improve communication, and promote well- being. Continue reading “Play Isn’t Just for Kids-Improv for people with Parkinson’s Disease”
Meet Fantastic Funny Femmes, a wonderful group of Canadian improvisers – Brie Watson, Candace Meeks and Alicia Douglas. They are dedicated performers and improv teachers who teach improv for anxiety issues and mindfulness. They also teach improv to help women, women-identifying/trans, and non-binary persons feel empowered. We discuss the issues that woman improvisers continue to face in improv classes and teams, often feeling alienated and isolated.We got a chance to meet at the “Yes, and Mental Health Conference” and watching them play was a fantastically fun experience.