Com­edy in Work and Relationships

I came to Com­e­dyS­portz Improv The­ater as a loyal fan. In 2005 Iwas look­ing for some enter­tain­ment I could share with my 13-year-old daugh­ter, Heather. CSz offered clean com­edy that appealed to all ages. I liked the show so much that I started going weekly, with or with­out Heather.

Later, I signed myself up for adult classes, and Heather signed up for teen classes. We both enjoyed the lessons so much that we audi­tioned for the show. Heather was accepted into the “High School League” and I became a “Major League” player.

The lessons of improv were not lost on me. The prin­ci­pal les­son is “Yes, and…” This is the atti­tude that any player must take to be suc­cess­ful in improv. The player, when offered a line in a show, must first accept the offer (“Yes”) and then expand on it (“and”).

I rec­og­nized these lessons applied to the work­place as well in every­day life. I cre­ated work­shops which I shared with my staff at work. Through these ‘games’ I was able to encour­age team­work and pos­i­tive work attitudes.

I con­tinue to play with Com­e­dyS­portz and other improv troupes in Rich­mond. It’s a chal­leng­ing and reward­ing high­light to my life.