About the Book
Applied Improvisation has become an important and growing field of exploration, research, and human cooperation. The book goes far beyond an introduction to alternative applications of Improvisational Comedy. It also delves into underlying theories that are usable in all human endeavors, from personal enrichment to every aspect of organizational development and cooperation. It includes working ideas, theory, structures, methodology, stories, notes, references, and practices, as well as exercises that can be used in any setting where learning and change are desired. This revised edition is also about tapping sources of creativity, in your gatherings and in your life. The material is intended to be used by individuals, within families, community development organizations, in government, in the military, in not-for-profit systems, religious gatherings, among business owners, executives, and companies, by corporate career-track leaders, trainers, educators, teachers, motivational presenters, and all others who understand how important it is to communicate effectively and easily, and to work cooperatively as we trudge our way through this ever increasingly complex, urgent, delicate, and small world.
About the Author :
Robert Lowe is a retired Improvisation elder. He was the founder and chief executive of Improvisation Incorporated, a pioneering educational consulting firm specializing in the use of Improvisation Theater techniques for organizational development, and for business, professional, and interpersonal communication. In his thirty-six-year exploration of Improvisation, Lowe has been an observer, a dancer, a player, a teacher, a director, and a mentor in the uses of Improvisation for purposes beyond performance. In Atlanta, Georgia he is known as "The Godfather" of Improvisation, having founded and directed the first Improv Comedy Theatre Troupe in Georgia - The Lightside City Players - and The Next City Comedy Theatre, the first Improvisational Comedy Theatre in the Southeastern U.S. More than anything else, Robert Lowe is a man who one day nearly 40 years ago found the power of focus on the current instant, and has been unwilling, and unable to let go of its pursuit for even a moment since. When he talks about Improvisation, and about creativity, and about the human spirit, and about the power of spontaneity, and the salvation of human collaboration, his eyes light up, the air crackles, and his feet only barely touch the ground. He truly sees the explosive development of Improvisational Thinking as the next, and most vital, step in the evolution of human culture.
Review :
"On the cover of the first edition, seventeen years ago, I said, 'Lowe's Improvisational method of thinking is how the new generation of business people will deal with one another.' The Revised Edition, 'An Applied Improvisation Handbook', is for this generation of business and community leaders who are doing just that today, all over the globe." Emory Mulling, Chairman, Mulling Corporation A big "yes, and" to Robert Lowe's revised edition, showing us how we can bring the creativity, playfulness and presence of improv into working at our best and bringing the best out of others. Dr. Ginny Whitelaw, founder, Institute for Zen Leadership, author The Zen Leader "Being able to 'think on one's feet' has consistently proven itself a valuable skill. Robert Lowe is the undisputed guru in bringing the disciplines of improv to the strengthening of an individual's ability to think and react in the moment." Dave Arch Internal Sales and Management Consultant, Tenaska, Inc. I enjoyed the many wise words in this book, which illuminates the art and science of applied improvisation. It reveals conceptual and practical paths to what the author describes as 'the heightened state of consciousness called Impro'. As Robert writes, 'Improvisation works most effectively when we practice taking small, incremental, successful steps toward our goals'. And reading this book will prove one such well-chosen step. Paul Z Jackson, author of Easy, www.impro.org.uk "Robert Lowe is one of the distinguished elders and creative sparks of the Improv movement in America. HIs book, Improvisation, Inc. first published in 2000 was a ground breaking introduction to the uses and practices of improv. At the perfect moment in our cultural history Lowe is republishing this book with a new preface and introduction. It is a cause for celebration." Patricia Ryan Madson, Stanford University Emerita
