My friend and colleague Cort Worthington and I were delighted to offer this inaugural Improvisation and Spirituality workshop at the Green Gulch Zen Center in Marin County, just north of San Francisco. We came with some provocative questions and exercises to get us rolling and the group dove in with full commitment to find all sorts of insights and inspirations. We hope this will serve as the first of many such gatherings to explore this fertile ground. Check out the “flyer” we used below and let us know if you’d like information about our next one (probably next year at some point)!
Warmly,
Ted
Improvisation & Spirituality
A personal and collaborative inquiry
Green Gulch Zen Center, Sausalito, CA * Sun-Wed, July 7th-10th, 2013
Enrollment limited to approx. 14 participants
Many seasoned improvisors recognize the depth of meaning and insight available through this art form. When we apply improv principles to our everyday lives, we find greater vitality, resilience, and joy. We learn to pay careful attention, to embrace possibility, and to play well with others. These positive outcomes are strikingly similar to those found on many spiritual paths.
This experiential workshop will explore the numerous synergies between improvisational theater and the spiritual life. We will use improv games and scenework as tools for personal reflection. We will enter contemplative practice as a vehicle for deeper improv. Together, we’ll ask big questions—and find intriguing answers. Participants can expect significant space for self-inquiry as well as ample opportunity for productive groupwork.
Prerequisites
Participants should be well-versed in improv principles and willing to practice them “on stage” in front of others. No particular religious or spiritual path is required, but those with an inquiring heart will gain the most from the workshop.
Location and Accommodations
This retreat takes place at historic Green Gulch Zen Center just north of San Francisco. The Center’s rolling hills, organic gardens, and meditative spaces will make an idyllic setting for our time together. Muir Beach lies a short walk away. With both private and communal space available, we will share three organic, primarily vegetarian meals each day. Guests will stay in simple, clean rooms, two to a room. For more information about the setting, please visit the Center’s web site: http://www.sfzc.org/ggf/.
– EVALUATION QUOTES FROM FUTURE PARTICIPANTS –
- “What a delicious opportunity to draw from the depth of these two wells!”
- “The food, the place, the leaders, my fellow participants: everything came together to make one magical whole.”
- “To my whole life, I now say ‘Yes, And!’ Thank you, thank you.”
- “A perfect combo of me-time and we-time. Just what I needed.”
About the Instructors
Since completing his graduate work at Stanford (MBA) and Harvard (Masters of Theology), Ted DesMaisons has taught religious studies and philosophy at Northfield Mount Hermon in western Massachusetts, including the senior elective “Identity and Transformation: Models of Spiritual Adulthood.” He has studied improvisation with Patricia Ryan, Bay Area Theater Sports (BATS) and Loose Moose, and has trained extensively with the Center for Courage and Renewal. Combining humor with gravitas and intention with inspiration, Ted helps create safe spaces for exploring what really matters. He writes regularly about improv and contemplation on his ANIMA blog (www.animalearning.com/blog).
Cort Worthington is a full-time lecturer in leadership at the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business. His current research focuses on improvisation and human development. Trained to improvise at BATS in San Francisco, Cort has spent the past 15 years exploring the connections between improvisation, leadership, and personal growth. Founder or co-founder of numerous businesses, his first experience with improvisation was leading elite crews fighting wilderness forest fires as a parachuting U.S. Forest Service Smokejumper. Cort holds an MA in Communication from Stanford, and MBA degrees from Columbia and UC Berkeley.
Founder of the Stanford Improvisors (SIMPS) and author of the artfully sage Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up, special guest instructor Patricia Ryan Madson has followed a life path that has led her to landscapes, art forms, and deeper inquiries of all sorts. She has mentored multiple generations of compassionate players, many of whom continue to spread the good news of improv in her familiar, generous style. She has graciously agreed to join us for an evening’s session to share some of her insights and to help us generate our own.
Cost
$750 per person. Includes all program fees, three nights lodging, and three meals per day. Full payment due upon acceptance. Payment refundable (minus $25 processing charge) if the workshop is full and you or we are able to find a replacement. $50 discount for any referrals.
Application/Contact Us
To ensure an ideal balance and diversity in our circle, we ask anyone interested in registering for this retreat to respond to a few reflective questions first. To receive an application, or if you have any questions about the workshop, please contact either facilitator. We’d be delighted to talk with you!
Ted DesMaisons: teddyd@stanfordalumni.org
Cort Worthington: cort@stanfordalumni.org
If you would like to save or print a copy of this workshop information in PDF form, please click here:
Inspiring! Reading your blog helps me to think and be creative. thanks
I don’t see the event listed on the zen center calendar. Is it full?
Thank you:)
Hi there, Maria, and thanks for your question. There is still space available–the Zen Center won’t have it on their calendar because we’re not one of their official programs (we’re renting the space). That said, I’ll check about getting on their calendar.
In the meantime, I’ll send you a questionnaire if you’d like. Your website looks fascinating–I’d love to hear more about your interest!
Ted