Harmony Improv Wisdom: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up

Un libro magnífico para aprender a vivir el presente, que al fin y al cabo eso es lo que intenta transmitir la improvisación teatral.

Excellent little book with fun ideas for impro.

Really got into this book. Between this, and listening to improv comedy I feel like I've relaxed a lot more in social situations. I would sometimes freak myself out and "prepare" conversations before going out with new people, or even close friends. This book gave some solid advice on just entering situations calmly and with a smile."Yes and" y'all!

It's a wonderfull book.Dont' prepare,just show upWritten by Patricia MasdonAvailable in many languages.Read it and be proud

While the reviews for this book mention Patricia Ryan Madson's involvement with improvisational theatre, I was more familiar with her work as a teacher of Constructive Living - a Western adaptation of Japanese psychotherapies by clinician David K. Reynolds. Reynolds' aim is to help his students learn to live a fully present, action-oriented life in a world where problems are just as inevitable as successes and suffering just as much a part of life as joy. "Improv Wisdom" is actually closer in vein to a Constructive Living text than a book geared for improvisational theatre: the focus is not just on theatre, but on making the most of life no matter what one's circumstances. In Madson's words, this is "Saying Yes!" to life. Even just the IDEA that our lives are fully improvised - that we're making it up as we go along - can be a truly life-changing concept for many of us who have been brainwashed into micromanaging and planning every detail of every moment of our careers, family life and even our leisure time.Reynolds' classic Constructive Living (Kolowalu Books) is still in print. It is a concise, elegant little book that has provided me much help that I highly recommend. Madson's work, however, takes a creative and fascinating departure. Being a clinician, Reynolds' approach was aimed at outgrowing one's emotional obstacles, and while this emphasis certainly appears in "Improv Wisdom" (see in particular, Chapters 5, called "Be Average", and 12, called "Take Care of Each Other"), Madson's incorporation of Keith Johnstone's work on reawakening to spontaneity results in an approach that truly inspires an appreciation for every second of life.Like Reynolds' book, "Improv Wisdom" is realistic, engaging and extremely energizing to read. As a whole, Madson has a more joyful, exciting tone that is a welcome counterpoint to Reynold's hard-edged pragmatism. The two books complement each other well. Some of the chapters are particularly refreshing: Chapter 1 ("Say Yes") thoroughly has the potential to open one's life up in surprising ways; Chapter 6 ("Pay Attention") wakes one up out of the trance of autopilot and self-absorption; Chapter 10 ("Make Mistakes, Please") is a welcome antidote to the art of not only making mistakes, but learning to use them in creative ways.There is a lot of important insight in this book that will improve one's relationship with life itself. It would make a wonderful graduation present as well as a great read before a trip. I read it before a yearly camping outing along the Potomac River. It completely subverted my tendency to obsessively plan activities for every minute of the day and allowed me to be present and spontaneous in ways that I hadn't been since I was a child. My friends appreciated the change as well, as I was also more open and present for them than before. Highly recommended on its own, or as a compliment to Reynold's "Constructive Living."