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Clifford Henderson on Improv as a Tool for Growth
Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage.” In this episode of Woman Worriers, host Elizabeth Cush interviews her sister, Clifford Henderson, about the parallels between improvisational theater and therapy.
“So much of what we’re doing is just teaching people to be in the moment and not try so hard, just be there.”
Show Notes:
Years ago, a desire to be seen and heard drew Clifford Henderson to improvisational theater. Today she and her partner perform and teach improv classes and workshops through their Fun Institute in Santa Cruz, Calif. If you associate improve with Second City or Whose Line Is It Anyway?, listen in on this conversation between Woman Worriers podcast host Elizabeth Cush, LCPC, of Progression Counseling in Annapolis, Md., and Henderson, who also happens to be a successful novelist and Cush’s sister. They’ll talk about what improv is, the kinds of exercises that improv students do, and how learning to stay present and in the moment on stage can provide fun and creative opportunities for personal growth.
Listen and learn:
What improv is and how it can be both an art form and a community builder
What we need to understand about stories—our own and other peoples’
How improv isn’t always about being funny
Who takes improv classes and what their goals are
What people typically fear the most when they start doing improv—and how classes help them address that fear
How doing improv can help teach you how to become more aware
Why laughter plays an important role in improv, especially when you’re getting started
An improv exercise that can help you get out of your head and listen more closely to others
An improv exercise that can help you balance your awareness before yourself and your partner
How improv training is like “sneaky therapy”
How understanding the human pecking order can help you move more effectively through life
How improv provides safe opportunities to explore different parts of yourself
How improve can teach you to deal with situations that make you uncomfortable
Why medical schools, businesses and others are bringing improv into their organizations and the ways it can benefit participants
Learn More:
> About The Fun Institute
> Clifford Henderson’s books
> Clifford Henderson on Facebook
> Clifford Henderson on Twitter
> Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre by Keith Johnstone
> Woman Worriers on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook & Twitter
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