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Beyond Sudoku; using Improv to improv your mind

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  I began coaching Improv, not to train people to join an Improv Comedy Troupe, but to show people how the rules of Improv improve one's life. I focused more on applied Improvisation, the practice of taking the principles, tools, and mindsets of improvisational theater and applying them to non-theatrical fields like business, church, and interpersonal relationships. While traditional improv theater is a product meant to entertain an audience, applied improvisation is a process used to build core human skills like collaboration, rapid problem-solving, and emotional intelligence. I held weekly classes on improv for people of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of improv training. I also led church board retreats and a clergy cohort aimed at helping clergy be more adaptable and agile. We did all that in a fun and playful way, using the rules of improv all the while developing connections and building our tool kit. Many Fortune 500 companies use improv training for their employees. It ...
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Rose Island Playhouse

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Last night I went to an Improv Jam at The Rose Island Playhouse in Charlestown, IN. Chris Meier hosts the jam there on occasion. I first heard about it months ago when I went to see one of the playhouse's theatrical productions. There is no set schedule for the jams, it appears they happen when Chris is available.  The Jam itself was great. There was no admission fee but there was a donation barrel. Chris provided drinks and snacks. There were six of us who signed up to be part of the jam and there were about 12-15 family and friends in the audience. We did some standard warm-ups, thank God we didn't Zip, Zap, Zop, and then we got going on improv games. Chris did a great job of running the games and keeping the energy flowing.  I've been doing some form of Improv on and off for bout 25 years. I started in Denver and continued when I came to Southern Indiana. I've taught improv workshops and I've used Applied Improvisation in my work as a church and clergy coach. But...
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Slow Down

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  A common misconception about Improv is that it has to be done at lightning speed. I even had one improv coach tell me that you absolutely must respond with the first thing that comes into your mind as quickly as possible. The problem is, that the first thing that may pop up may not help the flow of the scene. Hence the improv game of "make another choice."  The fast-paced style of improv is seen more in the Improv Olympics style of comedy that is based on games. Although fast responses can be funny, the real basis of improv is paying attention, responding honestly, and establishing a relationship between the characters. That means it's OK to slow down and let the scene develop organically. I actually prefer the long-form of improv which is more like a skit or short play. In long-form, relationships between the characters takes precedent over speed.  Slowing down and listening to each other can make a scene better. Applied Improvisation is about taking what you learn in ...
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Make Another Choice : some thoughts on the 7th Sunday of Easter

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  What happens when things don't work out as planned? I mean, if you lived much of a life at all you should be used to it by now. We've all heard that line from the Robert Burns poem,  "The best-laid schemes of mice and men, go often awry". Or how about the old Yiddish proverb, "Man plans, and God laughs."  My Tiny Buddha thought for today says its all about continuing to show up. The word in organizational theory right now is pivot. Several years ago I blogged about The Agile Church  by Dwight  Zscheile. Show up, be adaptable, learn to , dare I say it, improvise. During Improv, when a teammate makes a choice that throws the scene in an entirely new direction, you can't ignore it, deny it happened, or fight it. You have to "Yes, and!" You have to learn to accept and then build on what you've been dealt. It requires you to "make another choice." When I teach Improv I always incorporate the Make Another Choice Game. This entails me ...
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Improvisational Christianity

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 The Christian Church has been improvising since it's beginning. There was no plan. Jesus didn't leave a 12-point manifesto for establishing a church. In fact, he didn't come to establish a church at all. He came to show God's love and to point out how the Israelites got off track. He didn't bring an organization, but a way of life. People who say they don't like organized religion should love Jesus. He improvised as we went along. For example, his parables. He taught basic truths, not from a curriculum, but from engaging with the world around him. A good improviser does the same thing. There is no script, just a basic idea that riff on the material at hand. Jesus is talking to an agricultural community about the Kingdom of God, so he looks around and sees vineyards and wheat fields.  You know, he says, the kingdom of God is like a man who planted seeds. Or it's like a vine surrounded by weeds. He was improvising.  For this Sunday's lesson, the Sixth Sun...
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Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life.

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  I've read that the greatest emotional need for human beings is to truly know and be known by an other person. That is the basis for love, isn't it? Full disclosure and acceptance by the other. I love you because of who you are, not in spite of it.  As humans we are in constant search for our person, our knight in shining armor or the princess in the ivory tower. We want to belong, we are in constant look-out for our tribe. It begins in earnest once we enter school. Sometimes we pick our tribe and sometimes others pick it for us. The jocks, the nerds, the losers, the mean girls, the bullies. It's why we join athletic teams, the marching band, the chess club or the drama club. It's why we join fraternities and sororities. And for some it's why they join gangs, for a sense of identity and camaraderie.  I found my first tribe in high school. It was the drama club, Thespian Troupe #1. It wasn't until many years later I discovered another one of my tribes, the Queer...
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When life doesn't go as planned

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I hate the phrase, "Maybe it was for the best." It's always seems like a cop-out at best, or bad theology at worst. I've heard this, or very similar messages, given to people experiencing loss or grief due to tragic accidents, the death of children, broken relationships, or whatever painful loss we experience. Loss is real and grief is natural We want understanding when all we can do is accept.  As it happens, this was the message on my tiny buddha calendar three days before we held the final service for the parish in which I had been serving. A faithful congregation of 119 years closed. Sadness, disappointment, loss, yes all of those. But it was clear that it was time. We can't change it, but as this buddha thought teaches, "if I resist the urge to judge a situation, I can find something good within it." Things don't always happen for the best, but if I act on the resurrected Christ, I can find something good. I can't change the situation, but I...
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