Life and faith are improvisational theater, and finding meaning is a work in progress. From first breath to the first day of school, from first dates to last rites, most of us struggle with the overwhelming desire to find meaning. How do we love well, stay authentic, build community, enjoy life, and live justly all at the same time? No one knows. God may have a plan, but God never gave us the script. This book will teach strategies to escape the oppressive voice of self-doubt, foster compassionate creativity, transform Christian faith into a meaningful life practice, and organize communities of faith based on the the principles of improvisational theater. Each chapter will focus on a skill or practice of improv, made relevant through autobiographical stories of and grounded in the Christian tradition. The end of each chapter will include brain exercises the average reader can do to strengthen the creative neural pathways required to master the improv skill for living.

Improv at Work: What the Business World Can Learn from Improvisational Comedy Improv at Work is an inspirational guide, designed to transform the stressed and struggling workplace into one of creativity, empowerment, and fun, similar to the environment surrounding improvisational comedy (aka, improv). Professionals with only a few years of work experience to the most competent leaders will draw inspiration from this book to optimize workplace communication, collaboration, and innovation. In today’s workplace, technology shortcuts and overscheduled calendars are hindering our ability to grow the crucial interpersonal skills necessary for high-performing and thriving businesses. If we want to realize the full potential of what’s possible in the workplace, we must avoid neglecting our own interpersonal skill development. This is where improv fits into the picture. Improv at Work will: Here’s what the workplace had to say about experiencing workshops based on Improv at Work: “Fantastic session — relevant, engaging, and fun!” “I think the muscles you helped us train are critical for success… The agenda, activities, and examples were well designed and executed.” “I found multiple ways to learn more about my colleagues and clients and have fun at the same time. I also found the Improv workshop to be an excellent way to be more…

This hybrid engineering manual and improv manual gives practical tips on how to boost design skills and design thinking with improv exercises. It pushes designers to trust their teams, take initiative, focus on the customer, and better transform abstract ideas into reality. Engineers, artists, makers, software developers, and entrepreneurs will find the most benefit from this guide, especially if they work in teams and strive to innovate. Teachers and trainers can also use this guide to supplement their lessons in design. First the guide details a number of selected engineering methods and skills that are both key to the design process and related to improv principles. These methods and skills all relate to the themes of teamwork, creativity and ideation, handling failure, empathy, and design representation. Then the guide details how to play over twenty-five fun and challenging games from the improv and art worlds that have direct applications to design skills. The connection between each game and a design skill is explicitly explained. Questions are also provided to give readers a chance to self-reflect on how a game might apply to them. The author draws on his own experience in engineering education and improv to compile this handy design…

Because a football match always has two halves. Status Ediciones is happy to announce that the second part of the book Impro: Dynamics of the Unexpected, by Feña Ortalli is ready! The book features even more similarities between football and impro, personal anecdotes and technical points of view from the author. Web

This text explores the principles that govern the operation of the theatrical improvisation technique, beginning by framing it within the specialties of acting. The purpose of this book is to make accessible to anyone who wants to become familiar with the technique, some of the bases to start improvising. Masterfully written by Pilar Villanueva (ENAT / INBA and Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, UNAM), who has dedicated her life, among other things, to the in-depth study of theatrical improvisation, dramatic theory and research on styles in acting and improvisation. PILAR VILLANUEVAActress. She doesn’t know how to do much else. However, she has taught for twenty years because she is absolutely passionate about studying and it is well known that students are great teachers. She does improvisation theater for a long time. She has even directed some shows. Thus she has been able to get to know other countries, doing Impro in very diverse formats and giving workshops. In “Sola” her one-woman show, she improvises in the manner of classic theater and film authors. She is also a developing homemaker. Her and her faithful admirer of her son.

Teaching Social Skills Through Sketch Comedy and Improv Games: A Social Theatre™ Approach for Kids and Teens including those with ASD, ADHD, and Anxiety. Introducing a Social Theatre™, this book provides guidance on how to deliver fun and transformative activities to develop social skills in teenagers and children. Drawing on ideas from Social Thinking®, CBT, mindfulness and assertiveness training this book develops games, skits and short plays which can be adapted to suit children and teenagers including those who are gifted, typical, and those with mild to moderate cognitive abilities. These activities will help participants become more assertive and flexible as well as improving confidence, focus and self-esteem. Social Theatre™ can be used in small groups, in class or throughout the school, as well as in group therapy sessions. It provides a new and inclusive way to teach social skills and collaborative learning and is especially useful for those with anxiety, ADHD and ASD.

The Improv Mindset: How to Make Improvisation Your Superpower for Success We improvise every day, but how many times do we get stuck in our heads overthinking?Now you can learn how to leverage the skills of improv for your life. Improv isn’t just for actors, comedians, and writers, but is one of today’s most powerful tools for success in business, social situations, public speaking, communication, becoming a more fearless person, and just plain having more fun in life. Being able to think quickly on your feet, be in the moment, and to roll with any sudden changes makes any person more confident. This book will break down these techniques with exercises you can practice both at home and put to use in real-life settings. You’ll learn: You don’t have to be born witty to apply these methods, you just have to be taught them and that’s what this book will do.

A smart, witty and accessible guide to the rewarding and joyful practice of improvisation. An asset to students and teachers of improvisation in schools, drama schools, higher education and theatre groups, both professional and amateur. It will also be of benefit to organisations and individual readers who want to discover how improv stimulates creativity and confidence in all areas of life. The Improv Book opens up this exciting discipline to a wider audience.

Encourages reluctant participants to engage, collaborate, and develop not just skills for drama but skills for life. Following the ninety games and exercises aimed at developing core skills, the book offers scenarios for a series of improvisational challenges that test participants’ abilities in mediation, communication, negotiation, assertiveness, and managing emotions.

Applied Improvisation has become an important and growing field of exploration, research, and human cooperation. The book goes far beyond an introduction to alternative applications of Improvisational Comedy. It also delves into underlying theories that are usable in all human endeavors, from personal enrichment to every aspect of organizational development and cooperation. It includes working ideas, theory, structures, methodology, stories, notes, references, and practices, as well as exercises that can be used in any setting where learning and change are desired. This revised edition is also about tapping sources of creativity, in your gatherings and in your life. The material is intended to be used by individuals, within families, community development organizations, in government, in the military, in not-for-profit systems, religious gatherings, among business owners, executives, and companies, by corporate career-track leaders, trainers, educators, teachers, motivational presenters, and all others who understand how important it is to communicate effectively and easily, and to work cooperatively as we trudge our way through this ever increasingly complex, urgent, delicate, and small world. Revised edition: 2017