Improv as Life

12. May 2010 by justdanika.

I read Improv Wisdom last summer by Patricia Madson. It was a revolutionary way to approach life that was so relevant during my hectic summer in my sling that was full of anger and complications. It has been a source of inspiration for me on many occasions and my sister also has found it as a resource during her current pregnancy and life to keep her calm and centered.

I decided to just show up to a class one of my fellow Stanford Improvisers teaches on Monday because he had asked us to at some point and I felt like I wanted to. Not only did I get to play with a young group of excited improvisers, I also got to play with Patricia Madson herself. She was the guest teacher for the day doing a class on shared control.

It was a treat to play with her, see her excitement at creating and telling stories with the group, enjoy her passion as a teacher and her smile every time anything different came up.

I now have another source of inspiration when sharing improv with people. I absolutely love my teacher Dan Klein and have learned so much from his guidance on how to do improv. He has a natural ability to understand peoples actions and creates a safe space to be different. Patricia is wonderfully compassionate and caring as an improv teacher. She is different as she coaches improv as a way of life, not a theater experience. Both are creative and help craft the way we think (or don’t think) about what we should say next.

I find myself feeling lucky to have met these great improvisers and people on my journey here at Stanford. If any of you are ever so lucky…please take a class and embrace the improv as a way of life.

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