stephen davidson

Improviser, teacher, director, and writer at impromiscuous.com

4 improv things I hated, and how I found my way through

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One of the best things about improv is that it’s full of variety. There’s something in it for lots of different kinds of people, whether it’s a skill they’ll excel at, a particular type of game that they find fun and rewarding, a way of connecting with people, or something else. Because of that variety, … Read more

What to do when people mess up

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A flowchart about what to do when someone messes up. The first question is was it bad enough to get the police involved. If yes, it points to the exclude from community box, if no it progresses to have they expressed undersdanding of the issue. If no, train and educate, if yes the next box asks if they have expressed remorse or empathy. No leads you to the exclude from community box, and yes leads to is there a mutual understanding of appropriate behaviour moving forward. No again leads to the exclude box, via one that suggests writing a code of conduct. yes leads to make a written record, schedule a check in if needed, and move on. There is an additional box that says, but this is the sixth time with this same guy, which then again leads to the exclusion from the community option.

  Following on from my blog post about how to spot someone problematic, this blog is about what to do when someone messes up. Of course, in lots of cases forgiveness is key, but that needs to be balanced with looking out for the safety of our communities. As someone who cares a lot about … Read more

How to spot someone problematic

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Two falcons are sitting in armchairs drinking tea. One says, "Do you think the owl is a predator?". The other replies, "of course not, he's never bothered me." The first falcon says, " Exactly... No idea what Mr Mouse was going on about"

I’ve been mulling this blog over for a long time- months, if not years. This is a very tricky topic, because what pings one person’s radar will not necessarily ping someone elses’. It’s also very worth mentioning that sometimes behaviour that seems odd or difficult can be the result of neurodivergence, and folks who simply … Read more

Mixed Omens

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In the shadows that lie between real life and mythos lurk characters who are entirely normal but impossible all at once. Demons and gods alike intermingle with humans- sometimes seamlessly, sometimes not. Based on the works of Neil Gaiman (American Gods, The Sandman, Good Omens), Mixed Omens creates an entirely new mythos every evening. There’s … Read more

Viewpoints for Improv

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image of Stephen Davidson

Viewpoints is a vocabulary for co-creation originally invented by Mary Overlie as a way of reinventing dance improvisation and choreography. The six original viewpoints were Space, Shape, Time, Emotion, Movement, and Story. Viewpoints was later expanded and repurposed for theatre by Anne Bogart and Tina Landau, and split into two categories: Physical Viewpoints (Spatial relationship, … Read more

Community Improv

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image of Stephen Davidson

I heard the term ‘community improv’ recently and had a strong emotional reaction to it, and I’ve been pondering why it brought up such strong feelings. For me, I instantly read the expression as derogatory, though I’m not sure that was the tone intended. But why?  In the UK we have a tradition of community … Read more

Performative wokeness

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The world is currently reeling because a police officer, Derek Chauvin, killed a black man,  George Floyd, while fellow officers passively watched and civilians filming begged him to stop. Of course, we’re horrified. It’s even more horrifying to think that Chauvin had at least 10 official complaints about police brutality and had been involved in … Read more