Our Culture of Improv
What do we all need?
To belong.
To be safe.
To be valued.
To feel free to be yourself.
To create without fear of judgement.
To be surrounded by people who support you.
To laugh uncontrollably at things that are genuinely funny.
To do all this with no special equipment or training.
I just spent a weekend at Stanford when all the above were in play. The occasion was the 32nd year Reunion of the Stanford Improvisors (Simps), a group I started in 1991 that thrives into today. The most recent count shows 376 members.
Thanks to the heroic work of three former Simps, Jessia Hoffman, Will Setrakian and Megan Calfas former group members from all over the country left their kids and day jobs to show up at the Elliot Program Center on campus. This simple, empty space with only metal chairs and folding tables became a sanctuary for connection and joyous reunion.
On Thursday night we were feted with a delicious Mediterranean meal and the chance to mingle, hug and discover the names of old and new compatriots. As we introduced ourselves in a quick “go around” we discovered Philosophy, Film, Engineering, Design and English professors, a Minister, a Pediatrician, a Primary Care Physician, Writers, Actors, a Climate change specialist, an Assistant US Attorney, a scientist working to make AI safer . . . and a host of other valuable professions. It seems that improvising at university had prepared a gaggle of graduates to meet many of the needs of the world.
We came together because the culture of improv we learned and practiced while at Stanford as a part of this group had implanted in us life skills that addressed those “needs” mentioned in the first paragraph. The cardinal rule of improvising is to say YES to life, to accept and build on others’ ideas. It’s impossible to imagine a more positive and uplifting assembly.
All day Friday we were treated to workshops that ranged from Playful Mindfulness to Puppetry. After a wonderful Asian Box lunch, I held court to riff on the history of improv at Stanford and my delight in being with the new members of the group.
On Saturday there was an all-day marathon Theatresports tourney that featured 16 teams. Eight matches were played and adjudicated by triads of solemn judges. After a sumptuous dinner of Thai food, we all attended the Final Championship round of the four highest scoring teams. Each team was given one scene for their bid for the Champion title. After some truly awesome improv, the team “THE FOUR PACK” (Lisa Rowland, Jenn Chou, Matty Merrill, and Max Sosna-Spear) won it ALL. Their “Scene, within a scene, within a scene” rocked it!!
What made this weekend magical? It was the experience of living and playing in a unique culture. From the outset—
the SIMPS have embodied a particular variety of improv culture. It was (and continues to be) one of kindness. While it is not unusual for any improv group to be agreeable folks, playful and talented at making up stories, what defines SIMPS is a way of working and playing that is unique. Years ago, the group traveled south to LA to take part in a California improv festival. When I spoke with one of the coordinators to check on how the group had performed, he said: “The Stanford Improvisors are the nicest group any of us have ever played with.” I can’t think of a higher compliment. The nicest group. Wonderful. Over the years this ephemeral quality has prevailed. I don’t know how one teaches this, but clearly it has been passed along through the culture of kindness.
I can’t take any credit for this. I simply planted a few seeds over thirty years ago. The garden has been thriving. I marvel that we seem to have created a new species of flower: the culture of kindness. Thank you, SIMPS.
Patricia Ryan Madson
April 18, 2023
