Improv Skills for Real Life
50
I will share three essential "rules" of improv comedy.
1. Say "Yes, and...."
2. Make your partner look good
3. Give a gift
and explain how these rules can be applied off-stage, in a variety of real-life social situations. I see this course/lesson/experience that I'm offering as being particularly beneficial to someone with limited or informal experience with improv but a strong desire to learn more about it as a means towards self-understanding and self-improvement. I share ideas about how improv can be used as a skill to improve learning, decision making, and collaboration with others. Having an eye towards the metaphorical will be useful for these discussions. Books that I recommend as a precursor or supplement are:
Impro (http://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-Johnstone/dp/0)
&
Improv Wisdom (http://www.amazon.com/Improv-Wisdom-Dont-Prepare-Just/dp2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1¡-1&keywords=improv+wisdom)
Training & Qualifications
I studied improv at UC Berkeley where I took classes, performed, and taught my own class focused on the "Psychology of Acting" (using several improv games as a way to facilitate learning). I also wrote a sociological analysis of improv comedy as a "consensus decision making tool."
I have taken classes at BATS theater, Leela, Improv Dojo, End Games, and Un-Scripted Theater. I am currently in a 12-week class focused on Improv for Group Therapy.
Availability & Preferences
My availability is Saturday or Sunday. I'd prefer Sunday mid-day to afternoon in Berkeley. My inclination is to meet at a park or some other public space nearby.