Feeling Other People’s Feelings

Feeling Other People’s Feelings

The first time I cried on stage was in college. It was a big deal for me. I was in an Acting Shakespeare class and was performing a monologue from Cymbeline.  The character I’d chosen was Imogen, daughter of Cymbeline, the king. In the monologue, she is responding to...

Walking Into the Future—Backwards!

There is a moment in an improv scene, or I should say many moments in an improv scene, when you and your scene partner are standing on the breathtaking precipice of the unknown. It’s a wonderful, terrifying feeling. It can happen like this. Top of the scene: the two...

Cutting Tomatoes at Esalen Institute

One of my oldest friends recently told me a story about herself that involved a place I love. The friend has asked that I give her a pseudonym, so I’ll call her Wise Old Owl. The place is Esalen Institute. If you’ve never heard of Esalen, it’s time you did. Carved...

Point of Recognition

Teaching the Fun Institute’s drop-in improv class last Saturday, I found myself coaching improvisors to take their time during that very important part of the scene when a character first sees another character on stage. It generally happens shortly after she/he...