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WSP 280 — The Improv Gymnasium

Quarter: Spring
Day(s): Saturday
Time: 10:00 am—4:00 pm
Date(s)
Date(s): Apr 23
Duration: 1 day
Drop By
Drop Deadline: Apr 16
Unit(s): 0 Units
Fees
Tuition: $180
Format
Format: On-campus course
Limit: Limit 24
Status: Open
Are you an improv enthusiast? Have you studied beginning improv but haven’t found a regular way to practice these life-affirming principles? Join us in a workshop devoted to performing improv games and scenes. We will spend the whole day on our feet telling stories, solving problems, and performing for each other. We will be given challenges that invite us to create stories, solve puzzles, and invent characters. After a spirited warm-up we will divide into teams and alternate being performer and audience. The emphasis will be on being a great team member and supporting one another. Come with nothing prepared but ready to say “yes” on stage. This day is designed for those who have already taken a beginning class in improv either at Stanford, BATS Improv in San Francisco, or elsewhere.

Due to its short format, this workshop may not be taken for Credit or a Letter Grade.

Patricia Ryan Madson, Senior Lecturer, Emerita, Department of Theater and Performance Studies, Stanford

Patricia Ryan Madson founded the Stanford Improvisors (SImps) in 1991, and has taught improvisation for Stanford Continuing Studies since 1994. She is the author of Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up. In 1998, she received the Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award for Distinctive Contributions to Undergraduate Education.

Textbooks for this course:

(Recommended) William Hall (Editor) , The Playbook: Improv Games for Performers (ISBN B00TPDG76O)
(Recommended) Patricia Ryan Madson, Improv Wisdom: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up (ISBN 978-1400081882)
DOWNLOAD THE PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS » (subject to change)