Improvisation is an ideal way to practice the art of Crisis Management
Transformation: The Value of Emergency in Play or Creating Healthy Crisis “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” ~Albert Einstein How do you begin to effect transformation? What sparks change? Answer – crisis. What happens during a crisis is critical for change. …reform is usually possible only once a sense of crisis takes hold. Good leaders.. read more →
Play is Essential to Life & Work
I got this link from a colleague, Rob Adler. Again, here is someone else who sees what we need as a society and how important play is. This argues for the same paradigm shift Improv Odyssey advocates. There are people out there who can lead you back to that essential ingredient that not only relieves.. read more →
The Magic Bond of Playing
After 35 years of playing Spolin Games with various groups, I’ve noticed an interesting thing. I am struck by the fact that these groups as a result of playing together for an extended period, keep in touch with each other and often come together to play as opportunity permits. My first observation of this phenomenon.. read more →
Finding Happiness in Life & Work
Playing games teaches a basic morality. This morality comes from the fact that in order to have fun playing the game, one must follow the rules. It is the rules of the game that allows us to get the fun out of playing. Games present challenges and meeting those challenges constitutes fun. Subverting those challenges.. read more →
Improv – The Long and the Short of It
Short Form and Long Form are the same The distinction between short form and long form is a development that stems from the going awry or misunderstanding the focus of a game. These terms get bandied about as if they are two separate disciplines. They are not. Spolin used these games as exercises to help.. read more →
Show! Don’t Tell!
When you don’t see where you are, all you can do is talk about it. You get a suggestion for a scene: Who — A husband and wife. Where — at Disneyland. What — waiting to get on a ride. Most players will begin the scene with dialogue something like this. Husband: Well, well, dear.. read more →
The Seduction of the Teacher
The Trap “Students who regard an instructor highly will tend to adopt that instructor’s attitudes, orientations, and values. This is a seductive phenomenon because it can lead to the ego-enhancement of instructors who have not reached full psychological maturity. This ‘ego-stroking’ can then motivate instructor behaviors which do not have the personal development of participants.. read more →
Beginner’s Mind
Beginner’s Mind “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few…” Zen master Shunryu Suzuki Beginner’s mind is experiencing a thing for the first time. “Firsts” are always memorable. Improvisation is a constant search for ‘first times’. I once did a wonderful improv scene in Viola’s class using the.. read more →
Does Teaching mean you have to be Mean?
Michael wrote as a comment to me regarding another post: Is it my imagination or did a lot of the famous improv teachers yell at their students? Sounds like Viola did. People said Del Close was often a huge dick to his students. Keith Johnstone was famous for calling a student’s work horrible and telling.. read more →
The Power of Play and the Need for Playing
Play creates happy emotional condition of the organism-as-a-whole. Play involves social values, as does no other behavior. The spirit of play develops social adaptability, ethics, mental and emotional control, and imagination. These are the more complex adjustments a child learns through play. In play, there are adjustments to new situations constantly. Play experience can prepare.. read more →