Lisa and Ted continue their conversation with teacher and mentor, Patricia Ryan Madson, drama teacher and author of the acclaimed Improv Wisdom. In this segment, Patricia explained how she first learned to say “Yes, and” from impro master Ketih Johnstone (1:09) and how one can approach improv games from multiple angles (5:06). The three [more…]
Monster Baby #15 A Conversation with Patricia Ryan Madson (Part 1)
Lisa and Ted welcome their teacher and mentor, Patricia Ryan Madson, drama teacher and author of the acclaimed Improv Wisdom, for a two-part Monster Baby conversation. They explore how mindfulness and improv first joined together in Patricia’s work (3:21) and how the Stanford Improvisors first came into being, both as a learning/performance group and [more…]
Improv Wisdom Musings, Vol. 3: Make Bold Offers!
This post marks the third in a series of three-person explorations into the life wisdom found through improvisational theatre. You can find the first two here: Let Yourself Be Changed and Make Emotional Noises. As has been mentioned earlier, three experienced teachers–Patricia Ryan Madson, founder of the Stanford Improvisors (SImps) and author of Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just [more…]
Improv Wisdom Musings, Vol. 2: Make Emotional Noises
This post marks the second in a series of three-person explorations into the life wisdom found through improvisational theatre. Three experienced teachers–Patricia Ryan Madson, founder of the Stanford Improvisors (SImps) and author of Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up; Lisa Rowland, improvisor extraordinaire and San Francisco 2012 Actor of the Year; and Ted DesMaisons, learning consultant and curator of this [more…]
Improv Wisdom Musings, Vol. 1: Let Yourself Be Changed
This post marks the first in a series of three-person explorations into the life wisdom found through improvisational theatre. Three experienced teachers–Patricia Ryan Madson, founder of the Stanford Improvisors (SImps) and author of Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up; Lisa Rowland, improvisor extraordinaire and San Francisco 2012 Actor of the Year; and Ted DesMaisons, learning consultant and curator of this [more…]
The Transformative Failure Bow (Part 1 of 2)
The Failure Bow has a long and treasured history in the world of improvisational theater. Recent research demonstrates that there’s a life-changing reason why. This two-part post will show you how the technique can interrupt feelings of shame and self-defeat; deliver greater confidence, clarity, and calm—and activate waves of resilient joy. The Failure Bow (also [more…]

