A highlight from the NCTEAR Nashville 2020 conference was being asked to perform with Vygotsky's Sisters, Kevin Leander's brain-child of a performance troupe. Last year, in Alabama, Abu and I talked to him about improvisation and the 10-Minute play festivals in Louisville, Syracuse and Bridgeport, and he remembered, inviting me to rehearse with others and to take part in a performance in front of academics.
The topic? Of course, the academy.
Because improvisation requires audience participation and shout-outs, when I was called out they casted me as a financial officer for the University named Maurice. I channeled my inner-salary committee and all the expertise I gained from watching administration blame faculty for all the financial shortcomings that come their way.
My solution was to ask associate and full professors to donate 25% of their salary back to the University, and for graduate students to work for Uber and/or deliver pizza. There was also a new organic tofu fee for healthy eaters.
For many years, I oversaw Improv 4 Quarterbacks at the Brown School, and witnessed the power of improvisation for classrooms, originality and writing. I went to as many shows as I could. There, however, I was behind the curtain overseeing the work. We loved the work so much, that we often went to see the Upright Citizen's Brigade in New York.
It was so much fun to be brought on state with Kevin, several academics who teach theater arts and improvisation, and international performers. I could do the work all day long....the games for rehearsing, the time in front of an audience, and the reflection afterwards.
As Kevin said, "We should bring our troupe everywhere just to uproot the traditions of academic settings." Of course, Dr. Kevin Leander is brilliant and comes at the performance from many more theatrical lenses than I do."
I just like being an idiot. I'm good at that.
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