Lisa and Ted return from their most recent retreat to share a few meta-level insights. After a storytelling warm-up game (1:27) and a check-in about Ted’s trip to Europe (7:51), the duo introduce the perspective of the Observer in meditation and improv (19:25). They consider fellow improvisor Ben Johnson’s approach (25:23) and recognize that sometimes [more…]
Monster Baby #11: Passing the Bechdel Test: On Gender in Improv and Facing Old Demons
With Ted finally back from a month in Europe, he and Lisa explore the ramifications of her recently directed run of “Bechdel Test” improv shows.* After a playful warm-up game of Finish the Word (3:23), Lisa and Ted recount their performer and audience perspectives on the show’s portrayal of stories about women (16:12). Eventally, they [more…]
Barrett the Barber, or the Value of Clearing Stuff Out
Confusion can be funny. And even more so when it amplifies an insight. At a recent mindfulness teacher training in York, England, my colleague Gillian and I were sharing in pairs after having just come out of 12 hours of silence. Gill’s a lovely woman, a bright-eyed Mom with another boy-to-be kicking in her belly. [more…]
Thanks, Harry Potter College (or 10 Reasons to be Thankful for the 2016 Applied Improvisation Network Conference)
Turns out, Hogwarts does have magic to share. Though I didn’t speak with any ghostly portraits or pick up any dark arts spells in my time at Keble College, an Oxford University branch used as a model for the famed wizarding school, I did have a blast at the 2016 Applied Improvisation Network Conference. For [more…]
Monster Baby #10: Chaos Theory
Finally back from a month-long hiatus, Lisa and Ted get into their different preferences around chaos and order. They open with a ribald riff on unicorns and rainbow prisms (really, see 2:34) and then explain what happened with the delay between podcast episodes (5:45). Together, Ted and Lisa try to determine what makes for a healthy [more…]
Monster Baby #9: The Monster Baby Retreat–An Interview
Toward the end of their recently concluded Mindful Play, Playful Mind retreat, Ted and Lisa sit down for an interview with David Treadwell, a writer from Brunswick, Maine. Ted and Lisa get into why they offer such retreats (2:46), what the weekend usually covers (6:03), and how improv skills can lead to a better life (9:03). [more…]
Monster Baby #8: How About Healing?
Responding to their first ever Monster Baby listener letter, Ted and Lisa explore the healing powers of mindfulness and improvisation. They warm up with a rousing game of 3 Things! (1:38) and then start digging into their topic (6:25), noting that healing can be like rinsing the bad or filling in the good (11:45). They [more…]
Monster Baby #7: Playing with Rules
Emboldened to try an outdoor “studio”, Ted and Lisa dive into a conversation about rules and who they’re meant for (7:02), whether there are rules in mindfulness (13:06), and how rules provide structure for games, play, and community (20:29). Lisa explains improv’s “CROW” principle and introduces the Awkwardness Clause (26:59) and together with Ted wonders what [more…]
Monster Baby #6: The Power of Positivity
Inspired by a new workshop they led in western Massachusetts, Ted and Lisa explore why we should talk about positivity (1:25) in improv and mindfulness, how one of Lisa’s improv groups has learned to make positive starts (16:05), and how beginning from gratitude lays the groundwork for transformation. (22:50). They also wonder about the perils [more…]
Monster Baby #5: Aspiration and Acceptance
In Episode #5, Ted and Lisa play with the tension between accepting what is and aspiring to excellence, starting with a game of Clover (3:19) and exploring whether mindfulness and improv are easy or hard—and how “hard” often leads to feelings of “not good enough” (7:02). They discuss the importance of a strong biochemical foundation [more…]
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