Applied Improvisation: Leading, Collaborating, and Creating Beyond the Theatre

This collection of Applied Improvisation stories and strategies draws back the curtain on an exciting, innovative, growing field of practice and research that is changing the way people lead, create, and collaborate. Applied Improvisation is the umbrella term widely used to denote the application of improvised theatre’s theories, tenets, games, techniques, and exercises beyond conventional theatre spaces, to foster the growth and/or development of flexible structures, new mindsets, and a range of inter and intra-personal skills required in today’s volatile and uncertain world. This edited collection offers one of the first surveys of the range of practice, featuring 12 in-depth case studies by leading Applied Improvisation practitioners and a foreword by Phelim McDermott and Lee Simpson.The contributors in this anthology are professional Applied Improvisation facilitators working in sectors as diverse as business, social science, theatre, education, law, and government. All have experienced the power of improvisation, have a driving need to share those experiences, and are united in the belief that improvisation can positively transform just about all human activity. Each contributor describes their practice, integrates feedback from clients, and includes a workbook component outlining some of the exercises used in their case study to give facilitators and students a model for their own application. This book will serve as a valuable resource for both experienced and new Applied Improvisation facilitators seeking to develop leaders and to build resilient communities, innovative teams, and vibrant organizations. For theatre practitioners, educators, and students, it opens up a new realm of practice and work.

Theresa Robbins Dudeck is a theatre scholar-practitioner with expertise in improvisation and applied improvisation. She works globally, in both professional and academic settings, applying the power of impro to pedagogy, leadership, teamwork, collaborative creation, and social change. She was a recent US Fulbright Scholar in Brazil and is considered one of the foremost teachers of Keith Johnstone's Impro System. Theresa is co-director/executive producer of the YouTube docuseries “On Keith: Artists Speak on Johnstone & Impro” and co-founder of the Global Improvisation Initiative, an international symposium focused on theatrical improvisation. She earned a PhD in Theatre Arts from University of Oregon.

Caitlin McClure has been researching, studying, performing, directing, and teaching improv and applied improv since 1995. Her formative years were spent at BATS Improv in San Francisco and studying with Keith Johnstone. At Caitlin McClure & Company, she works primarily in the corporate sector as a coach, designer, and facilitator, helping leaders around the world to live and work according to the tenets of the improv. Her MA is in Adult Learning and Leadership from Columbia University.