The 'Life-Play Handbook' serves as a guide for engaging in noncompetitive games that promote self-exploration and connection between players, either over the phone or in person. It includes training techniques, examples of games, and emphasizes the importance of emotional expression and social adaptability. Contributors to the handbook reflect on their experiences, highlighting the joy and creativity that play brings to relationships and personal growth.

1. Life-Play
Han d b ook
Training,
Examples,
Essays,
and
More!
$10 USD

2. Acknowledgments
By Carman Dewees
In the summer of 2009, David shared with me that of all the
accomplishments of his career – including The Compass
Players, the first improv theatre in the United States – he was
most proud of Life-Play. This surprised me because without
Compass there would be no Mike Nichols, no The Graduate.
Without Compass, improv in its cabaret form might not exist.
Life-Play is about people exploring life and themselves. It is
one person playing with another person, by phone or in
person. The noncompetitive games connect us, rejuvenate us,
and allow for growth.
Many events and people have spontaneously come together in
the creation of this Handbook. I want to thank David Shepherd
for his poetic nature and creative instincts that have helped me
more deeply appreciate each moment of my life.
Also I would like to thank Michael Golding for sharing his
improv teaching experience. Chris Britt, thanks for your
vision, sharp questions, and friendship. Anne Grossetete, your
heart and playfulness has been very important to us. Also, I
would like to thank: Nancy Fletcher, Tony Czajkowski, Willie
Wyllie, Howard Jerome Gomberg, Sky Halm, Mike Fly,
Rosemary Dewees, Michelle Burke, Aimee Swift, Sean
Vernon, Jill Pellarin, Laurie Blair, Sarah Bazydola, Connie
Michener, Suzy Quinn, Walter Leopold, Devon Fitzgerald,
Mária Dewees, Doug Britt, Bill Gural, Will Luera, Eli Gerzon,
Lisa Rowe-Beddoe, and Ann Lorda. This Handbook is printed
by CollectiveCopies, in the Pioneer Valley.
January 2011
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3. It is well to remember that the greatest value of play is
enjoyment. Play develops the capacity to enjoy as well as the
resources necessary to enjoyment. Play also contributes to
sound intellectual achievement. Play creates happy emotional
condition of the organism-as-a-whole. Play involves social
values, as does no other behavior. The spirit of play develops
social adaptability, ethics, mental and emotional control, and
imagination.
~ Neva Boyd, sociologist, teacher, and a mentor to Viola
Spolin
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4. Table of Contents
• Introduction: What Is Life-Play?…………………………………….1
• Why Do You Play Life-Play? ……………………………………….2
• Introduction: Our History…….……………………………………...3
• Training: Introduction ……………………………………………….4
• Training: The Life-Play Format……………………………………..7
• Training: Strong Emotions…………………………………………...8
• Training: Emo-Pitch (warm-up)……………………………………...9
• Training: 1, 2, 3 Sentence (warm-up)……………………………….11
• Training: Four-Sided Where (warm-up)…………………………….13
• Training: Repetition Poem (main game) …………………………...15
• Training: Ideal Meal (main game)…………………………………..17
• Training: Event Puddle (main game) ……………………………….19
• Training: The Latin Version of Event Puddle –
Ana Maria Salicioni…………………………………………….22
• Training: Tomorrow If (main game)………………………………...23
• Training: Believe It (main game)…………………………………....25
• Training: Two Views (main game)………………………………….28
• Training: Zoom Story (main game)………………………………....30
• Training: The Life-Play System……………………………………..33
• Play: Discovery – David Shepherd …………………………………34
• Skills: Learning, Playing, and Teaching Life-Play –
Carman Dewees and Michael Golding………………………....35
• Skills: Active Listening – Scot Coar………………………………...37
• Skills: Smart Play – Carman Dewees……………………………….39
• Skills: The Guide–Player Relationship –
Carman Dewees and David Shepherd………………………….41
• Skills: About Feedback – David Shepherd………………………….43
• Connect: Your Fellow Players – Howard Jerome Gomberg………...45
• Connect: Life-Play with Teens – Michael Golding…………………46
• Connect: Life-Play for Groups – David Shepherd…………………..48
• Invent: How to Develop Games – Carman Dewees ………………...50
• Invent: The Future of Life-Play – David Shepherd………………….52
• About: Bios of Contributors…………………………………………53
• About: Recommended Reading……………………………………...54
• About: Contact Us…………………………………………………...58
III

5. Hearing is the first of our senses to be switched on, four and a
half months after we are conceived. And for the rest of our
time in the womb—another four and a half months—we are
pickled in a rich brine of sound that permeates and nourishes
our developing consciousness: the intimate and varied pulses
of our mother’s heart and breath; her song and voice; the low
rumbling and sudden flights of her intestinal trumpeting; the
sudden, mysterious, alluring or frightening fragments of the
outside world—all of these swirl ceaselessly around the
womb-bound child, with no competition from dormant Sight,
Smell, Taste or Touch…. If we are looking for the source of
sound’s ability—in all its forms—to move us more deeply than
the other senses and occasionally give us a mysterious feeling
of connectedness to the universe, this primal intimacy is a
good place to begin.”
~ Walter Murch, godfather of film sound design
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6. Introduction: What Is Life-Play?
Life-Play is a collection of noncompetitive games played
over the phone or in person. You can cocreate a story,
express an emotion, improvise a poem, or examine a belief.
Games are created so anyone can play. It’s fun and easy to
learn!
Mária and Rosemary enjoy Life-Play.
Who Plays?-
• Friends and family
• Students and teachers
• Artists
• Seniors
• People in remote places
• Social workers and therapists
Look for discovery when you go into a relationship with
another Player. Discover what that relationship is or could be
or has been.
~ David Shepherd, cofounder of Compass and Life-Play
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7. Why Do You Play Life-Play?
I play to explore widely, from a safe space.
I play to build trust …with others and within myself.
I play to be present, to be honest.
I play to communicate directly.
I play to paint with my full palette of emotions—angry to
sad, mad to glad.
I play to express feelings, shift feelings, and let them flow
through me.
I play to be amazed at how many feelings I have about even a
small event.
I play to engage with other people’s perspectives.
I play to hear the rhythm of a new voice, which gently
coerces me to be in the moment.
I play to connect with friends and family through shared
experiences, which brings us closer despite being separated
by thousands of miles.
I play because it opens me up to rich parts of myself that
I’ve forgotten even existed.
I play to see my life clearly, sharply!
I play because I can be in my bathrobe. And it doesn’t cost a
penny of gas.
2

8. Introduction: Our History
Life-Play came out of a need—felt acutely by three men in
2008—for noncompetitive games to be improvised over the
phone. Chris Britt, filmmaker, and Carman Dewees, radio
producer, were friends—ex-magicians living close to Boston.
David Shepherd lived in Western Massachusetts, near
Amherst. In 1955, David produced the first improv theatre—
Chicago COMPASS—and later Improv Olympix, which
became Canadian Improv Games, now in 300 high schools.
Since 2008, Life-Play games have evolved through play by
family and friends.
My experience is what I agree to attend to.
~ William James, psychologist and philosopher
Carman, David, and Chris
3

9. Training: Introduction
The Basics-
• Feel free and open to express all feelings (sing,
shout, laugh, cry, express any emotion or nonsense).
• Foster a safe environment.
• Avoid sarcasm.
• Be flexible.
• Be willing to end an improvisation after 2 to 3 minutes.
• Accept the rules of the games and your Guide’s
directions.
• Play with confidence, pleasure, and responsibility.
Playing-
It’s usually two people playing—over the phone or person to
person. We have had three to seven people playing on
conference calls and have had bigger groups playing at in-
person gatherings.
Player and Guide-
Most games have a Player (actor) and a Guide (director).
Some games have two Players and no Guide (1, 2, 3 Sentence
and Two Views).
• The Guide changes. Different people take on the role
of the Guide.
• And the Guide provides the Player with sentences to
start stories, with places for improvisation to take
place, etc.
• The Guide helps the Player to create the details and
emotions without which the work is boring.
• The Guide aims to make the Player look good—this
involves active listening and active support.
• The Guide follows his or her intuition, slicing in
quickly. When it’s hard to slice in, you may have to
4

10. talk over your partner. Better yet, slice in with a short
word like “More,” “Detail,” “Color,” etc.
Trainer- The group leader for calls and gatherings.
Equipment (optional)-
If playing by phone (or Skype), use a headset to expand your
freedom of movement and improve the call quality. Many
Players like to keep a copy of the Menu by the phone, as a
reference.
Safety-
At any time, either the
Guide or the Player can
stop a game.
Etiquette-
Ask permission before
you share your
partner’s play with
others.
Types of Games-
We have Warm-Up
Games (Emo-Pitch, 1,
2, 3 Sentence, and
Four-Sided Where) and
Main Games (all the rest). Warm-Up Games help Players
engage their emotions, turn off their brain, and explore their
environment with detail and emotion.
5

11. Which Games to Learn First?-
• Easiest Games: Emo-Pitch, 1, 2, 3 Sentence, Four-Sided
Where, Repetition Poem, Two Views, and Ideal Meal.
• Intermediate Games: Zoom Story, Event Puddle
• Advanced Games: Believe It, Tomorrow If
• [Games Being Tested: Time Warp, Emo-Switch, I
Dream, Never Say, Let It Talk]
Be prepared to be flexible and adapt, because our games
change and grow, as do the rules.
6

12. Training: The Life-Play Format
1. Event/Theme and/or Suggestion-
• Player—Introduce an event or theme from your life that is
important, emotional, surprising, amusing, and/or
pleasurable.
• Guide—If needed, help the Player clarify the event or
theme. Then, if needed for the game, provide a suggestion.
2. Experience-
• Player—Choose a Main Game that you will develop as
your event/theme.
• Guide—Slice in, developing a back and forth, an
interaction. Add short comments and questions! Be real.
3. Insights-
• Player—Insights are moments of reflection, where the
Player (and/or the Guide) says something interesting about
what happened within the game, talking completely from
the heart. It’s working out an idea that’s in your head, in
real time, out loud. It’s trying to make sense of something
that touched you deeply. The Player and/or the Guide talks
about him or herself but also describes something
universal.
• Guide—The Guide helps the Player uncover an insight by
asking idea-oriented questions, cajoling, joking, and
not being afraid to be awkward. When you help the
Player uncover an insight and the Player is speaking from
the heart, ask follow-up questions, spelling out the
implications of what is being said. Support the Player in
moving toward a surprising insight about him or herself,
your relationship, and/or Life. The Guide then clarifies any
part of the rules that were not understood or followed.
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13. Training: Strong Emotions
Alarmed Giddy Pessimistic
Amazed Grateful Pining
Angry Grieving Proud
Annoyed Guilty Puzzled
Anxious Happy Rapturous
Ashamed Hateful Remorseful
Aroused Hopeful Repulsed
Awed Hopeless Sad
Blissful Horrified Satisfied
Blue Hostile Scared
Bored Hurt Sensitive
Cheerful Impatient Skeptical
Compassionate Inspired Spellbound
Confident Irritated Stimulated
Confused Jealous Surprised
Contemptuous Joyful Suspicious
Dazed Lonely Terrified
Discouraged Longing Thankful
Disgusted Loving Thrilled
Dismayed Mad Tickled
Disturbed Mystified Uneasy
Embarrassed Nervous Unhappy
Enthusiastic Nostalgic Upbeat
Envious Open-hearted Upset
Fascinated Optimistic Weary
Frightened Outraged Worried
Frustrated Panicked Zestful
Furious Passionate
8

14. Training: Emo-Pitch (warm-up)
Instructions-
Does the Player understand that this is a Warm-Up game?
Emphasize getting emotions flowing. Trainer, be the Guide.
Give your Player a strong, simple emotion to play with (if
necessary, see the emotion list). Ask the Player to express it
nonverbally, gutturally, in gibberish, sighs and/or coughing.
Then speak and finally sing the emotion. Speak or sing it,
faster, slower, or even chant it. The Guide should push with at
least one comment like, “Feeling,” “More!” “Stronger,” or
“Detail.”
Basics-
The Guide pitches the Player a strong emotion (the Player can
reject); nonverbal vocalizations, leading into words and
then song; the Guide pushes for more emotion and/or detail.
Example-
[David playing about his partner Nancy]
Guide: Let’s see…“Love.”
Player: (Pauses and breathes.)
Sigita sigita so bo Sigita sigita so bo…boshigo, boshigo. La, la
la shi go! Sho bid do loo. Yo did it go shee Yo sho yack dee.
Cas shidi ca shid da Shod iit do do.
You are so wonderful in the kitchen. You are so wonderful in
the bed. You are so wonderful in the shower bath. You are so
wonderful talking and giving me advice. You are so wonderful
going about your business and then telling me how to fix my
computer. You are so wonderful, I can’t get over you. I’m
going to honor you and care for you for the rest of my life.
(Sings without words)
Observations-
• Let the Player become comfortable expressing himself or
herself in as many ways as possible. If the Player is not
9

15. comfortable singing, ask him or her to imagine that you
are not there! Then ease the Player into song: First sing
each word, then tie them together; explode or whisper
them. Get the Player out of prosaic speech and into other
tempos, rhythms, and pitches. Explain that our adventures
take Players in many new directions, from moaning and
groaning, to roaring and tweeting—whatever will get them
ready to play with a full range of emotions!
• This is a good time for a Player to learn the difference
between a strong emotion like joy, shame, anxiety, anger,
boredom, guilt, or fear, and a weak one like annoyance,
contentment, irritation, loneliness, condescension, or
playfulness. Reading from a longer list, the Trainer can ask
the Player to judge whether specific emotions are strong or
weak; if necessary, have the Player express them outright.
Metaphor- Faucet (such as, turn on the “emotion faucet”)
I don’t sing because I’m happy. I’m happy because I sing.
~ William James, psychologist and philosopher
Marnie turns on the “emotion faucet.”
10

16. Training: 1, 2, 3 Sentence
(warm-up)
Instructions-
This game involves two Players (no Guide). Either Player
speaks one word, then the Players go back and forth, each
improvising one word. When one Player jumps to two words,
the other Player follows to three words and a sentence. And
then back down again. Build toward ping-pong rhythm
between the Players.
Basics-
Follow pattern of 1, 2, 3 Sentence and back again—fast ping-
pong rhythm, words, and gibberish.
Example-
(Both Players pause. Either can begin with the first word.)
Cats; Porch; Kick; Mountain; Ahhh; Egg; Fart; River; Big
Wave; Thunderstorm; I love; I love thunderstorms; Babies
love thunderstorms; House shutters are red; One day I was
walking down the street and my friend who was next to me, got
hit by lightning; The ground is really warm in the summer;
And after it rains it’s so damp and … so wonderful; And it’s
dry under the ground; Ahhhhhhh; The sky is blue again; I like
rain; Smells like new paint; I just painted; Everything’s green;
Green grass; Pink windowsill; Full refrigerator; Owwww;
Tired?; Hungry!; Ham; Turkey; Bacon … Period.
Observations-
• Increasing the speed of the game turns off the intellect,
but only when combined with listening.
• Practice listening for the feeling underneath the word(s)
spoken.
Metaphor- Ping-Pong
11

17. When you are in a state of reflection you are including
another; when you initiate you deny yourself.
~ Viola Spolin, mother of improvisation
12

18. Training: Four-Sided Where
(warm-up)
Instructions-
The Guide gives the Player a “Where,” such as “your
apartment,” “a café,” or “a supermarket in Arizona.” The
Player explores all four sides of the location. The Guide
supports by pushing for “Feeling” and “Detail” from that
environment—front, back, right, and left.
Basics-
All four sides; the Guide pushes for feeling and detail.
Example-
Player: In front of me is a silver lamp that my father bought
for me. It matches another lamp in the corner of the room that
spirals upward. He bought it for me when I lived in
Cambridge. And I have fond memories of going to pick out the
lamp in between Harvard and Central Square, in an ultra-
modern furniture store.
Behind me is this huge hole—the closet. And blocking the hole
there’s a red fleece jacket that’s hanging up and a blue shirt
and blue jacket. There’s also a purple shirt that’s a button up.
Guide: Are these garments wet?
Player: No, they are all dry in the closet, waiting to be worn.
Guide: How does that make you feel? Do you look forward to
wearing them?
Player: It makes me feel that I have too many things to wear.
And then I think, I always wear the same thing and am lazy.
So, it makes me feel like an asshole for having all these shirts.
To my left is my desk. It’s a slab of wood on top of two filing
cabinets. My father made it for me. He got this slab of wood
somewhere and he cut it. It’s shellacked on the top—especially
smooth.
13

19. And then to my right is an abstract painting that I did last
week; it has spirals.
Guide: How do you feel about the painting?
Player: It’s very colorful and relaxing to look at. It’s very
naturally shaped with the green blue and green spirals.
Period.
Observations-
The Guide should feel like he or she is in one place with four
sides. Detail and feeling make the four sides come to life.
Metaphor- Box Yourself Out
The question isn’t What do you look at? but What do you see?
~ Nina Michelson, author of “Silence and Music,”
unpublished manuscript
Ryan plays from his dorm room.
14

20. Training: Repetition Poem
(main game)
Instructions-
The Guide gives the Player an emotion and then a short
phrase (repetition) to start every sentence of the poem, such
as:
• I won’t …
• What I’ll do is …
• I love …
• Sorry …
• This is a great day for …
• Why don’t you …
• Come over here …
• Do you doubt …
If a Player can’t deal with this combo of emotion and phrase,
he or she should ask for another suggestion.
Most Repetition Poems are composed of 6 to 15 lines and
gradually build to one strong attitude. New Players can
plunge easily into poetry because they can hang onto a phrase
that becomes as familiar as a friend.
Note: Rhyming is not required when improvising this game.
Repetition comes to an end when the Player says, “Period.”
Basics-
The Guide gives a strong emotion (like mad, glad, sad, or
scared) and a “repetition;” Player improvises a poem.
15

21. Example-
Guide: The emotion is “Irritated,” and the repetition is,
“That’s quite enough.”
Player: That’s quite enough … the phone rings and
rings … Quite enough.
Oh, so many cars, that’s quite enough.
Houses, roads ... that’s quite enough.
Space, there’s never enough space.
Birds, birds, that’s quite enough.
Swimming, swimming ... so peaceful.
Books, books everywhere, that’s quite enough.
Laundry, letters, bills, that’s quite enough.
Reaching toward mountains, hills, noises, that’s quite
enough.… Period.
Observations-
Pitching conflicting pairs (like the emotion “Love” and the
repetition “I hate …”) is passive aggressive, leading the Player
into the intellect, rather than the heart.
Metaphor- Drive, Drive, Drive
Poetry often enters through the window of irrelevance.
~ M. C. Richards, poet, potter, and writer
16

22. Training: Ideal Meal
(main game)
Instructions-
Here’s an adventure in cooking and eating—to be improvised
in 2 to 3 minutes. The Player describes what ingredients are
available. The Guide asks quick questions such as “How
many?” and “How much?”
As the Ideal Meal is cooked, the Guide asks quick, sensible
questions about the process that can be answered in a word or
two: “How long?” for instance. Or “What kind of knife?” The
Guide imagines him or herself as an assistant.
To add drama to the Ideal Meal, the Guide can create a
problem in the preparation, such as “Uh-oh, that egg looks
rotten.” Or “You dropped your spatula on the floor.” Show
how much can happen on the road to an Ideal Meal. And if the
Player does not do so, the Guide should introduce another
character into the kitchen as a surprise. For example, your
friend stops by to eat dinner, or your mother calls.
Finally the Meal is eaten. As the Player describes serving it
and how it tastes, the Guide can ask, “Is it still hot?” Or “Is it
done?” Make the improv a product of two imaginations.
“Period” or “The end” signals that the Ideal Meal is over. The
Player chooses an ending, but if the adventure stretches longer
than 2 or 3 minutes, the Guide can request or impose an
ending with “Find an ending,” or “Wrap it up.”
Basics-
Describe part of cooking and eating; the Guide brings in a
surprise character (if the Player does not do so him or herself);
2 to 3 minutes.
17

23. Example-
Guide: What’s the theme or event?
Player: A recent cooking experience.
Guide: Okay.
Player: Right … Where I live, I am reputed to be a nothing
cook: I don’t cook anything, anytime, anywhere. So, my
partner, Nancy, got me to cook applesauce. And for that she
provided half a dozen apples, cider, and also figs. And I was
very happy with this very simple task and I did it expertly. I
cut up all the apples without touching the skins. I thought that
was very good; we’re going to have skins with our applesauce.
And I proceeded to look for the other ingredients, like
cinnamon and maple syrup, and got the whole thing going in
the oven. Then I went to talk to my son on the phone. And in
the process of deliberating with him, and coming to several
agreements, I forgot about the applesauce completely. When I
ran out into the kitchen, the pan was baked solid to the
bottom. And I had to call up a friend of mine and ask him to
bring something over to serve as a kind of dessert for the Life-
Play session I was going to have at my house. However, later,
I scooped into the mess and discovered it was delicious....
Period.
Observations-
There should be some surprise introduced by the Guide—
either in the cooking/eating process or in the introduction of a
character.
Metaphor- Food Story
The only way we know you are good-natured is when you fail,
you stay positive.
~ Keith Johnstone, author of Impro: Improvisation and the
Theatre
18

24. Training: Event Puddle
(main game)
Instructions-
The Player jumps into the past week and picks out, in one
sentence, an event to reveal—for instance, a party, a fight, or a
new friend. Then, without telling a story, the Player stacks
up all emotions felt at that moment. Many of them may
seem contradictory—affection, anger, confusion, pride. Spill
them all out!
With the Guide’s help, the Player slides from one remembered
emotion to another, touching as many as 3 to 5 distinct
emotions. The Guide makes sure the game pulls forth many
emotions, without becoming a story.
Players find that a barely remembered event may be loaded
with meaning. If a Player can’t remember last week, he or she
can pick out any event from the past and play that as Event
Puddle.
Basics-
The Player picks one event and states it in one sentence; the
Player explores emotions, supported by the Guide (not a story
game).
Example-
Guide: What’s the one sentence to begin your Event Puddle?
Player: My car breaking down when I lived in New Mexico.
Guide: Great.
Player: I felt stupid (laughs uncomfortably). And I felt very
frightened because I was in the middle of the desert and
there’s nothing but ranches around. And the towns are like
fifty miles apart. And …
Guide: What did you hear?
19

25. Player: [Pause] I heard silence … silent night. Stars were
bright and I tried to take solace in how beautiful it was. But I
was afraid of who I would encounter in the night. The
unknown and Republican North ... West, North-East New
Mexico, where people drive with shotguns behind their heads.
And I couldn’t find anyone out and it was getting late, and I
tried to go to sleep. And I could not find a comfortable
position in which to sleep. Mmm …
Guide: If your car could speak … what would it be speaking
to you about, in that moment?
Player: You … you knew you needed more gas to get through
this area and you didn’t take the time to do it. It would have
just taken a second to fill up. The … the gas station that we
just passed obviously has been closed since eleven and that’s
a ridiculous time for a gas station to close. So I was … I was
just out of luck. I had kind of put myself in this position
intentionally. [Pause] With the intention of frightening myself,
I guess. And I ended up sleeping on the desert floor and being
very afraid someone would come and shoot me or rape me or
kill me or something. I was just at my wit’s end… I had no
sense of reality. All of my sense of reality was negative ...
Period.
Observations-
• This is not a story game!
• The Guide must demand two simple things from the
Player: State one event in one sentence and wade
around in one puddle of feelings until you come out
with 4 or 5 emotions.
• This adventure enables a Player to discover from a
seemingly ordinary event exactly what emotions have been
throttled and swept away. In preparing to play Event
Puddle, we review the flat facets of our lives, sharpen
them into prominence, and appreciate the rich texture of
living.
• Plunge the game into your experience. Do not push your
experience into the game.
20

26. • This is an emotion game. We don’t want analysis—feel
the feelings!
• Larry Quigley, the originator of this game, explains how
he discovered it: “I work weekly with a group of men who
follow a four-round process intended to reveal personal
issues and then do something about them. The first round
creates presence. The strategy is to grasp what’s going on
in the body and then describe what emotions this body
experience evokes.”
• Here are two exercises to help you deepen your experience
of the game:
o Delve into the life of someone you know or want to
know well. Imagine, for instance, a moment when
that person’s sister blew up at him. Well, his
obvious feeling is dismay, but behind it may lie a
smidgeon of guilt at having provoked her anger.
And on top of that there may be curiosity. Why
was her reaction so sharp? And regret: How can
this breach be repaired? Or anxiety: Will he be able
to repair it? Even self-justification: What right does
she have to upset me?
o Ask the Player to suggest a typical event in the life
of a friend or relative, then examine it as Event
Puddle. See how many different emotions light
up on this one happening.
Metaphor- Puddle
When we are not sure, we are alive.
~ Graham Greene, English writer, playwright, and journalist
21

27. Training: The Latin Version of
Event Puddle
By Ana Maria Salicioni
The Life-Play game Event Puddle reminds me of a very
frequent, spontaneous, almost stereotypical occurrence in
many Spanish-speaking societies. I even dare to say it is the
very essence of the so-called Latin-blooded spirit.
The illustration that comes to mind could be a sudden,
unplanned encounter of the Player with the Guide. These two
people may be friends or just acquaintances. After the Guide’s
very quick “How have you been?” or “What’s new in your
life?” the Player may just go off with a very dramatic, nonstop
account of something that happened to her last week. (In case
the reader wonders why I use “she,” my answer is, yes, it’s
usually women telling stories so openly.) The story is told in a
very dramatic tone, even full of gestures and a rich body
language; it is also very brief in many cases. The Guide is
listening, and rarely commenting, with a “Oh, wow,” “Oh,
no!” or “Oh, my God”—he or she might not even have the
opportunity to do so, mostly because of the very agitated way
the account takes place. Eventually, the Player may say
something like “Well, I have to go now,” to which the Guide
will just respond “Good to see you” or “Take care.”
David, Andrea, and Carman play Event Puddle.
22

28. Training: Tomorrow If
(main game)
Instructions-
There are three ways to start this adventure:
1. Imagine moving into another’s space.
2. Imagine one or more people coming into your space.
3. Imagine moving and discovering a new space.
You play the game by imagining what you want to happen,
good or bad. The game should show exactly where you might
be or want to be—tomorrow.
Your Guide makes sure you describe faces, clothing, and
motion of people you meet—by insisting that you have
movement and sketch out the colors/details.
Basics-
Spoken in present tense; the Player moves through a scene, in
his or her future; the Guide pushes for movement and
color/details.
Example-
Player: I’m in Venezuela. And I’m visiting my long-lost
daughter. She’s happy to see me. She’s about 10 or 11.
Guide: What is she wearing?
Player: She’s wearing a dress, something plain.
Guide: What color?
Player: Red. It’s a summer dress. The weather is in the 80s
and 90s. And, I’ve just gotten off the plane and she’s meeting
me there. We embrace … she runs up to me and I swing her
around while we’re embracing. Then I put her down. She
doesn’t speak any English, so I have to use my Spanish. It gets
in the way sometimes, except when I’m drunk. I have not been
drinking on the plane, so I don’t have that advantage. But I
talk to her, I ask her basic questions like, “How are you doing
23

29. in school?” and “What do you like to do when you’re not in
school?” And I’m feeling glow … I’m feeling connections …
completed circles that have been dangling since I found out
about this child and was told I would never meet her and she
would be moving to Venezuela. I’m still angry about that. But
this is a great relief to me—to actually see her and be held by
her.
Observations-
• Speaking in the present tense, step into the future.
• This is a scene game, not a story game!
• If you play regularly, notice what patterns your
imagination takes. For instance, David’s Life-Play partners
have noticed that every time David plays, he wants either
to transform where he lives or jump into a totally different
world. The game was shouting at him: “You don’t like
where you are living, so why are you staying there?”
Metaphor- Keyhole
If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, this is the
best season of your life.
~ Wu-Men, Zen monk from 13th-century China
Devon plays Tomorrow If.
24

30. Training: Believe It
(main game)
Instructions-
The Guide suggests a topic (like society, politics, behavior,
or marriage) from which the Player will pull his or her
strong opinion opposite to what he or she believes. The
Player is free to reject and ask for another. Then the Player
expresses the opposite point of view—vehemently.
The Guide supports the Player by pushing with short, specific
questions and comments aimed at heightening the emotion of
the Player. The aim is to get the Player to play more
vigorously and show passionate belief in what he or she
doesn’t believe. Finally, the Guide should ask the Player,
“What do you really believe?”
Here are some topics to “believe in”—the more sensitive the
better:
• Marriage and divorce or separation
• Education—at any level
• Local, domestic, or international politics
• Employment and wages; unemployment and benefits
• Nutrition and what to buy, eat, or shun
• Where to live: country, state, town, or neighborhood
• Where to travel or vacation and where not to go
• How many kids to have and how to bring them up
• How to organize or decorate your home
• Whom to socialize with—at work or at home
Basics-
The Guide suggests a topic; the Player pulls a clear and
opposite opinion from that topic; the Player passionately
expresses his or her opposite opinion (speaking it like he or
25

31. she believes it); the Guide pushes with short, specific
questions or comments to uncover the Player’s passion.
Example-
Guide: How about … child labor!?
Player: Child labor.
Guide: I hope that’s controversial enough. (laughs) I have a
different one if you want.
Player: No that’s good. I like that.
Guide: Okay.
Player: If you go to any country, you’ll see little children
selling gum. They get experience in the world. Experience
doing things: being out in the world. Not just corrupted by
their parents. Not just distorted by what their parents think.
We need this in developed countries also; we need this in
Europe, we need this in America, we need this in Canada.
What you need is the kid working in a family business. Get the
kid out of the house.
Guide: They shouldn’t go to school?
Player: No, this is school. Learning how to market! You have
to learn early and you’ve got to learn to fail, fail, fail. Oh, you
can’t sell this, it’s difficult. You learn what your angle is.
Guide: Who gets the money?
Player: Part of it goes toward the kid’s future education. I
believe it should be put aside for the kid in the future. And the
kid learns a little bit of responsibility, how to apply themselves
[sic], a little creativity. How to fail! You think those little kids
selling chiclets in Mexico city learned the first time? They
didn’t sell any chiclets until they rubbed dirt on their face.
Rub a little dirt, learn, they came home many days failing,
failing. But it teaches work ethic. It teaches people that there’s
a bigger world out there.
Guide: Don’t the families need the money right away? Isn’t it
like using the children a little?
Player: Well, in America, essentially school is daycare. So
when you send your kids out, the money should be put aside.
26

32. In developing countries, the money needs to be taken, but in
this country it’s the spirit of the thing. This is something that
could really work in our country and would be wonderful for
the kids, the family, and greater society! Period.
Guide: What do you really believe? Didn’t you convince
yourself?
Player: Yes, I kind of convinced myself, because my friend
does homeschooling, so I think it lets kids experience the
world a little bit. Not be so sheltered with people who are just
like them.
Guide: Send your child abroad to sell gum? (laughs)
Player: Send your kid to Mexico to sell gum for six months.
(laughs) I think it’s a good idea for kids to meet new people
and not be in a ghetto of children. Being only with people who
are just like them, the same age, I think that’s not healthy for
kids. But …
Guide: What do you really believe?
Player: So … what I believe is that kids should not have to
work, but they should be able to be around different types of
people, not simply with people their own age or with their
family. They should be in the community. That’s what I
believe.
Observations-
• As the Player, phrase your opposite belief in a way that
you can commit to.
• Be specific and passionate in “your” belief.
• When Believe It is played correctly, Players may feel
strange and begin to wonder what they really believe.
Meanwhile, those listening may question or endorse, as
well, what they believe.
Metaphor- Surge
27

33. Training: Two Views
(main game)
Instructions-
This game involves two Players (no Guide). Either Player
names a social gathering—a wedding, birthday, BBQ, pool
party, etc. Then, select the relationship—such as two friends
that went to preschool together, or a new couple. Each Player
alternates speaking, in past tense, about their view of what
happened at the social gathering.
Basics-
Two distinct perspectives on the “same” social gathering;
telling a story, anecdotes, and insights.
Example-
Son: I’ve got to say, the first thing that that surprised me was
that my father expected me to pay for myself and for him. That
was a surprise.
Father: So we get there and my son says he’s invited his
girlfriend, Cheryl or Michelle. Some name that starts with a
C—I don’t remember what it is! Then, you know, he says he’ll
call her and tell her not to come. It would have been fine if she
was[sic] there, but he said he called her. That’s how it started
off.
Son: My father doesn’t take my love life seriously. He doesn’t
consider that I have a love life. He thinks, “You’re nineteen
years old, what could you possibly know about love!?” And
yet he feels compelled, every time I’m getting up there with the
ball, to say, “Hey, check out that girl two lanes down!” I don’t
get that!
Father: So, we’re getting our shoes and he’s wearing these
really fancy slacks. So, I’m ribbing Carl a little bit. Then he
starts bowling and he’s always tip-toeing down, glancing to
the side to see who’s watching him. And I’m like, “Get a
fucking backbone. Just bowl! Bowl, bowl! Come on!”
28

34. And so on … It’s a story built from two different perspectives.
Either Player can say, “Period.”
Observations-
The game is about the startling contrast between what is
being imagined by the characters. It’s not simply a story. As
Suzanne Shepherd, actress and director, says of playing a
character, “It’s not a feeling, it’s a point of view.… It’s about
how you see the world and you respond to it from a very
specific point of view.” Paul Sills, cofounder of Compass and
Second City and son of Viola Spolin, suggests, “Wear your
character like a straw boater.”
Metaphor Switch While Walking
Like asking the seven blind men to describe the elephant. Each
blind man describes the part he touched.
~ Roger Bowen, founding member of Compass and
Second City (discussing how the story of Compass,
the first improvisational theatre, could only be told
as a Rashomon effect, one event seen differently by
every witnessing eye)
Walter and David play on David’s porch.
29

35. Training: Zoom Story
(main game)
Instructions-
A Zoom Story adventure puts the Player close to the Guide,
who shapes the game that emerges. Signals are “Zoom in to
Object,” ”Zoom in to Feeling,” “Zoom out to Action,” and
“Zoom out to Environment.”
To start with, the Guide gives the Player a suggestive
sentence, in first person, such as, “My brother broke my
Leonard Bernstein record.” The Player then repeats the first
line and begins telling the story.
“Zoom into Object” takes the story into a physical description
of the broken record, its cover, label, and (were this signal to
be used again) even broken plastic.
“Zoom out to Environment” takes the story to family and
friends, or to record companies and the public, the world
(were this signal repeated).
The Player should be prepared to range from a chip of gravel
underfoot to the universe overhead. Guides learn how to
explore this range by signaling for “Object” (down and in) or
“Environment” (up and out).
Guides should not push for the impossible. For instance, they
should not signal for more “Environment” when the
stratosphere has been reached, or for a closer “Object” when a
molecular level has been reached.
As for “Zoom into Feeling,” this signal can be used more than
once, for instance, to explore the loss of a prized possession.
30

36. “Zoom out to Action” implies lots of activity involving the
brother, Bernstein fans, and record stores, as people travel,
touch, and change relationships.
The Guide should slip a signal into the improv at least a half
dozen times (if only to show that the game is being played by
two people).
Basics-
The Guide gives the first line in first person; the Player repeats
the first line and continues with the story; the Guide signals;
the Guide says, “Find an ending”; the Player says “Period” to
end.
Example-
Guide: Any area of your life that you want to focus on?
Player: Making friends!
Guide: Making friends.
(Pause) Your line is … “I was in the back of the ambulance
and the paramedic said he loved theatre.”
Player: I was in the back of the ambulance and the paramedic
said he loved theatre. So, I looked up at him. He was a big,
dumb blonde … waving around a stethoscope as if he knew
what to do with it. And I …
Guide: Feeling.
Player: I was in the hands of a moron. So, I said to him,
“What type of theatre?” And he said back to me, “I like
classical theatre! I don’t like anything that was written over
the last fifty years. I like old stuff.”
Guide: Action.
Player: I reached up and grabbed his hand and said, “That’s
great! You stay right with your feelings and pick out the plays
of Shakespeare and Voltaire and Shaw that you want and
you’re in good shape. Do you write?”
Guide: Environment.
Player: He looked out the window and said, “That’s a good
question,” just as we were coming down Third Avenue. I could
31

37. see we were pulling into the hospital. And he said, “I write,
but stuff comes out bullshit.” And I said to him, “Before you
take me out of this ambulance, take my telephone number and
tell me what you write. And send me, maybe, a scene that you
wrote, because I’m very interested in your attitude and I’d
love to talk to you more.”
Guide: Object.
Player: And he took my card and said, “What is Life-Play?”
And I told him. He looked at my telephone number and stuffed
it into the pocket of his white jacket and smiled. And I knew I
had done the right thing.
Observations-
• Shorter signals of “Object,” ” Feeling,” “Action,” and
“Environment” are often used to slice in more quickly.
• The Guide should signal a half a dozen times
throughout the game, as play gets weak when the Guide
zooms infrequently.
• Here’s another path a Guide can take: In shaping Neil’s
story about a funeral procession, Anne, as the Guide,
asked for Action, then Feeling—again and again. The
result was a more profound grief that refused to lighten up.
• Here are exercises inspired by Michelle’s elementary
school class: (1) Have a Player purposefully tell a story
with a flaw in it, and ask the students to speak up when
they see the flaw. Discuss. (2) Have a Player improvise a
story. Students raise their hands when they see the need for
a signal. Stop the story and find out what signal is
suggested. If two signals are suggested, ask the storyteller
to try them both. Compare.
Metaphor- Hand in Hand
It takes two to know one.
~ Gregory Bateson, linguist and anthropologist
32

38. Training: The Life-Play System
Rules- • The basic guidelines for each game should be
followed. It’s like teaching someone to play soccer. If the
person uses his or her hands, no one is going to want to
play with that person!
Form is not a mere lopping off of meaning that you don’t have
room to put into your poem; it is an aid to finding new
meaning, a stimulus to condensing your meaning, to
simplifying and purifying it, and to discovering on a more
universal dimension the essence you wish to express.
~ Rollo May, author of The Courage to Create
Specifics- • Engage with your senses, feelings, and the
details. Focus on communicating honestly and directly.
Balance- • Relationships with ourselves, our environment
and other people depend on having a “safe space.” Both
players must foster balance and strive to make others look
good. Through efforts like active guiding, a space for play
can open.
Improv is about discovery of who we are and how we relate to
each other.
~ David Shepherd, cofounder of Compass and Life-Play
33

39. Play: Discovery
By David Shepherd
When I call a fellow Life-Player, I find my life is instantly
enriched. I’m about to be asked in detail what I felt about last
week, or what I imagine can happen tomorrow. I’m about to
be plunged into the first words of a story that I’ll carry
effortlessly to its end.
I’m going to have to pull from my subconscious, characters
that suddenly acquire clearly defined voices and behaviors—
all unknown to me before I picked up the phone. My moral
face acquires fresh features. How does this happen?
I’m beginning to scan my life daily. What happened last
week? Of the few or many people I met, which ones are
important enough to grab? How did they stand, sit, move?
What was guiding them to me, and how fast, slow, or
coherently did they speak? I’m getting my life ready to be
played. I’m demanding more consciousness, more accurate
memory, more detail, and an opinion of myself, by myself. I
reach out, touch, explore, and discover who I am.
34

40. Skills: Learning, Playing, and
Teaching Life-Play
By Carman Dewees and Michael Golding
Carman: What prevents people from improvising, playing?
Within Everyone-
Michael: In my experience, when people are hesitant to play,
it’s because they feel they’re an “empty vessel” with nothing
to contribute. With Life-Play, we have to constantly remind
people that all the characters, emotions, and stories they feel
they lack are already there within them, crying to get out.
Discovery-
Carman: When I first tried improv in 2006, I felt anxious,
then I began to embrace discovery. How can a Life-Play
teacher help new players move toward discovery?
Make Others Look Good-
Michael: The objective of the improviser is to support the
person you are playing with and make him or her look as
good as possible. How does that work when playing with a
disembodied voice over the phone? In the words of Alan
Arkin, “Listen harder.”
Carman: Scot Coar discusses listening in his essay, but what
does “listening harder” mean to you?
The Moment-
Michael: Players don’t have to be chattering constantly,
which sometimes is a nervous impulse. Do not be afraid to
pause—to take the moment in.
Carman: Discussing pausing and breathing sounds clichéd,
but it’s very helpful. Ira Glass, host of This American Life,
often admits that, “We edit out people’s breaths and pauses in
35

41. the interviews before they go on air.” It shows what a big
impact silence can have on a story—really any
communication.
Michael: Pauses and silences are very important in Life-Play.
It provides the Guide with an opportunity to “slice in” and for
the Player to indicate that he or she could use some input at
that point.
By Example-
Carman: How can a new Player be put at ease when teaching
games over the phone rather than through the comfort of face-
to-face improvisation?
Michael: Generally, when I teach improv, I always tell my
students that I’m not going to have them do anything that I’m
not willing to do myself. That helps, most of the time.
No Right or Wrong-
Carman: We don’t want new Players to worry about screwing
up. When I explain the rules, I take responsibility if the rules
are not understood. Improvisation is about turning off
functions of the brain that monitor performance. There is not a
right and wrong way to play. Life-Play is not performance.
There is no audience, only your partner, your equal. Explore,
have freedom! Let your subconscious float to the surface
through the games.
Michael: It’s improv. There’s a limit to intellectualizing.
Nothing in life is quite as important as you think it is while you
are thinking about it.
~ Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Laureate (discussing his “fortune
cookie maxim,” aka the focusing illusion)
36

42. Skills: Active Listening
By Scot Coar
Scot Coar listening actively.
Active listening is imperative to play the games honestly and
to allow both Players to harvest the benefits. In everyday
conversation, it’s natural to formulate thoughts while the other
person is speaking, so that a response can be constructed and
expressed. In Life-Play, a meditative focus on the speaker
allows for a more genuine, emotional experience.
Be Present-
Good listening supports your fellow Player in constructing—
through words, inflections, pauses, and breathing—a
complete landscape to communicate more fully his/her
emotional experience. Blocking out external distractions and
internal thoughts in order to focus on the speaker builds a
sense of trust between Players and allows the listener to have
a much more immediate and, at times, more profound listening
experience.
37

43. Listen ... Surprise-
When playing the games, I have found that when actively
listening, I am often surprised by an emotion: a sudden belly
laugh, a pang in the chest, a sense of joy, of pain. I find the
experience is not unlike when one approaches a work of art
openly, without expectation, and is moved in a profound,
sometimes life-changing way. This, I feel, is the potential that
listening holds within the context of Life-Play. Afterward,
when the Players are finished, there will be time for
reflection—for each to more deeply appreciate the other’s
background, both culturally and personally. Common
challenges to listening include thinking about one’s own turn,
doodling, or multi-tasking/half-listening.
Listening Together-
Some of the games require a back-and-forth between the
Players. Although this may seem a more difficult occasion to
be an active listener, I think it actually helps the flow of the
game, purity of expression, and the happy surprises that can
occur. If one were thinking of a clever line while the other
person speaks, the play would have no real continuity. But if
both Players are listening actively and responding
instinctively to what they hear, then something striking
can occur. Some truth can be discovered—a real connection
between Players can develop.
Through ... emphasis on deep listening—to ourselves as well
as others—we foster respect, attentiveness, and empathy, and
engender a mutual desire to give from the heart. The essence
is to be found in our consciousness … not in the actual words
that are exchanged.
~ Marshall Rosenberg, Nonviolent Communication
38

44. Skills: Smart Play
By Carman Dewees
Honesty-
Have the courage to be honest! Openly share your
emotions—verbally and nonverbally! Our western culture
often looks down upon expressing emotion, judging it
childish. For example, playing Event Puddle often makes me
feel like a narcissistic child. So what? It’s in the context of a
safe game. To me, not expressing feelings seems far more
personally immature and socially limiting.
Nonverbal Vocalizations-
Nonverbal vocalizations are one method of tapping into your
emotions. The technique encompasses breathing, guttural
sounds, gibberish, sighs, coughing, and/or shouting.
Nonverbal vocalization is used in Emo-Pitch, but it may also
be used to begin any game.
Time to Pause-
Pausing to breathe before beginning a game fosters
naturalness. For example, while playing Believe It, an 11-
year-old boy discussed “loving” the Red Sox. (He was really a
big Yankee’s fan). I stopped him and asked him to start again,
but this time to pause and breathe before beginning. The
second time, it was believable and without sarcasm. Also,
within a game, a pause and breath allows your partner to
hear you thinking—to hear the wheels cranking in your head.
It also allows the Guide to slice in.
Colors, Details, Feelings-
Colors and details help paint clear pictures of what
surrounds us and conveys imbedded feeling. For example,
Four-Sided Where help me communicate inner feelings
through description of the world surrounding me. This
technique can also push the Guide to take every vocal
39

45. inflection and read meaning into it between games. Judging is
the most common challenge new Players face when learning
Life-Play.
Present Moment-
When I’m feeling a judgmental impulse, rather than express
disapproval toward my partner, I try to be aware of that
feeling. Then I show curiosity toward what the person has
played. I ask questions that I’m curious about and listen
carefully to the answers. Because improv is an art form of the
present moment, it’s most desirable to give positive (and not
false) feedback, as the past cannot be changed (see David’s
discussion in About Feedback) and the future can only be
influenced through the present moment. Keith Johnstone often
writes about how improvisers need to get rid of fear to play
from their own power. For example, playing Tomorrow If
from my own power often leads me to realizations about how I
want to live differently going forward.
Discovery-
Often, Players find a magical moment: a pause, an emotion,
words, and/or vocalizations with meaning beyond what is
explicitly stated. It’s not about moments from the past; it’s
about discovering part of yourself in the present moment. It’s
a balance. It’s engaging, surprising, and fun!
Through spontaneity we are re-formed into ourselves. It
creates an explosion that for the moment frees us from
handed-down frames of reference, memory choked with old
facts and information, and undigested theories and techniques
of other people’s findings. Spontaneity is the moment of
personal freedom when we are faced with reality, and see it,
explore it, and act accordingly. In this reality the bits and
pieces of ourselves function as an organic whole. It is the time
of discovery, of experiencing, of creative expression.
~ Viola Spolin, mother of improvisation
40

46. Skills: The Guide–Player
Relationship
By Carman Dewees and David Shepherd
David: Last night we were warming up with Emo-Pitch and I
gave you the emotion “Love. You sang for almost a minute
and said “Period” before I had a chance to guide you.
Carman: I secretly wanted you to say, “Detail” or “More”
before or even after I said “Period.”
Follow Curiosity-
David: I was curious who the girl in the song was and where
you were sitting or lying.
Carman: Why didn’t you speak up … and ask?
David: I was intrigued by your song and forgot to slice in
shortly with “Color,” “Where?” “Action,” “Dialogue”… so
you wouldn’t feel interrupted.
Carman: I often forget how uncomplicated a short comment
from the Guide can be … especially if done with a supportive
spirit.
Move Together-
David: It’s important that Life-Play games come out of two
people moving together.
Carman: It’s a dance. It’s surprising to me that learning to
play the Guide is more challenging than learning to be the
Player.
41

47. Possibilities-
David: Yes, when you play the Guide, you are under more
pressure than when you are a Player. Whether an object
glistens colorfully, has texture, sound, and taste depends on
whether you are awake to such possibilities.
Could the Player reveal more feeling without getting false? Is
this the time for the Player to slip into song or dialogue? Is the
Player revealing character?
Can you slice into the Player’s play without interrupting the
Player’s flow? If you wait another second, you lose the
opportunity, and you may be buried under the Player’s
creative rush.
Carman: What’s the most important thing for playing the
Guide?
Lean in, Slice in-
David: The trick is to whittle
down your supporting
comments to a second or two
and speak them with
emphasis: “Feeling!”
“Color!” “Character!”
Anticipate where guidance
will be required. Lean in. If
you wait for a Player to pause,
you will miss your chance.
Sometimes a whole game will
be finished without your
giving a single comment! And
when you ask the Player why
he or she didn’t do this or Carman and David playing Believe It at
that, a question comes David’s 85th birthday party
back: “Why didn’t you
guide me?”
42

48. Skills: About Feedback
By David Shepherd
Often when playing, we feel our partner is taking a wrong
turn. For instance, a story may not be building in spite of our
clear signals, or our partner is not taking an opportunity to
explore conflict. When the time comes for feedback, we’re
tempted to lay out our opinions: This is what you could have
done, or this is what I would have done in your shoes. If one
Life-Player has more experience than another Player, then the
guidance seems to mean more.
Feedback: What Happened-
Limit feedback to what did happen—in detail. Ignore what
should have happened. Help the Player learn exactly how the
game went and see how she or he will play it differently next
time.
Feedback: What You Heard-
Feedback can include questions about what you heard; for
instance you might ask, “Were you hoping to take your
adventure outdoors?” Or, “If you wanted to add more colors to
the face of the old lady, could you do it now?”
Toward Greater Skill-
Your role is to lead the Player into greater skills. When
Players ask whether their performances were weak, you have a
great opportunity: Reassure them or say exactly where the
performance was weak or strong and why. Now you’re not
giving feedback; you’re answering questions.
Positive (and Not False)-
Feedback is tricky; the more positive it is the better—so
long as it’s not false. If you can, pick out even tiny moments
where the Player achieved success.
43

49. Know the Rules-
Know the game’s guidelines so that when you go over them
with a Player, you can point out how the game is usually
played. Use the metaphor that accompanies rules; for
instance, in Event Puddle the metaphor is “puddle”—the
puddle of unrelated emotions aroused by one event. If a series
of events are chosen, insist on the Player choosing only one!
Help the Player Uncover Insights-
The Guide should also encourage the Player to uncover
insights by asking the Player questions like: “What was your
experience?” “Did you know where you wanted to go when
you started that game?” “How did you come up with three
such strong emotions? Did moving around help?”… And such.
Balanced, Fair, and Quick-
Make sure feedback is balanced, fair, and quick. It’s the
pillar of a program that attracts and holds newcomers, who
themselves will become expert Players and expert at giving
feedback.
Let us rather embrace one
another in our basic humanness
and strive in the workshop to
release this humanness in
ourselves and our students. Here,
then, the walls of our cages,
prejudices, frames of reference,
and predetermined right and
wrong dissolve. We look with an
“inward eye.”
~ Viola Spolin, mother of improv
44

50. Connect: Your Fellow Players
By Howard Jerome Gomberg
Who are the people you like to play games with? The people
you can have fun with? The people you can go to the movies
with, fight with, and make up with?
These are your fellow Life-Players.
Who are the people who’ve been through some of the same
experiences you’ve been through? The people who understand
you? The people you trust?
These are your fellow Life-Players.
Your fellow Life-Players do things together—whether it’s
playing poker or telling jokes. Your Life-Players pick up on
your vibes, and you pick up on theirs. You’re on to each
other. You’re probably very creative already in your own
way—whether you’re creating a picnic or helping a friend in
trouble.
And all I really wanted to do back
then was rehearsal. I was in it for
the process, and I really resented
having to go out and do a
performance for an audience,
because the process stopped; it
had to freeze and be the same
every night. It wasn’t as
interesting.
~ Barbara Harris, actress and a
member of Compass
Roger Bowen and Barbara Harris
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51. Connect: Life-Play with Teens
By Michael Golding
In Los Angeles, I work with at-risk inner-city teenagers. Many
of my students are resigned, suspicious, and emotionally
guarded. I find myself seeking out games that students can
instantly connect with on a personal and emotional level.
Life-Play, within my classroom, has been extremely
successful in that regard.
Intimate Conversations-
Life-Play games help students to bond with each other.
Students don’t view Life-Play games as “tasks,” but rather as
intimate conversations. For example, with the game Ideal
Meal, salivation is common, providing awareness to the body
and specifics of a kitchen environment.
When they did I Dream,
some teens chose to do a
nightmare. Initially, I was
thrown. In the set-up, I
didn’t say they couldn’t
do a nightmare—but why
would you choose to do
one? Nightmares are
about scaring and
traumatizing people,
right? The class taught
me that nightmares are an
insightful way to
empathize with the
sensitivities of fellow
students. The content of
the nightmares shared
followed the paradigm of Michael, in the moment…
his natural environment.
the overburdened
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52. teenager: being late for school, taking a test but not knowing
any answers, and feeling anxiety about dating.
Layers-
The insecurity of being judged comes to the surface with Life-
Play and peels away a layer that opens up self-awareness.
With Believe It, some would play it half-heartedly, as a way of
indicating that’s not how they really feel. Those who played it
with conviction apologized afterward, making sure the class
knew that wasn’t how they felt. Then there were those who
discovered, after some probing, that they were actually
conveying the views of someone close to them—a sibling,
friend, or parent. Within my classroom workshops, surprising
revelations have become a common and gratifying byproduct
of Life-Play.
I plan to explore additional potential within Life-Play.
Arranging the games in a particular order, I will examine how
Life-Play can tell a story or survey a specific theme or
emotion based on the identity of the group I am working with.
Imagine Life-Play as an improvised play, soap opera, or
movie. Anything is possible.
Understanding grows from personal experience that enables a
person to see and feel in ways so varied and so full of
changeable meanings that one’s self-awareness is the
determining factor. Here one can admit more readily that the
substances of a shadowy world are projected out of our
personal thoughts, attitudes, emotions, needs. Perhaps it is
easier to understand that even though we do not have the
wisdom to enumerate the reasons for the behavior of another
person, we can grant that every individual does have his
private world of meaning, conceived out of the integrity and
dignity of his personality.
~Virginia M. Axline, author of Dibs in Search of Self
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53. Connect: Life-Play for Groups
By David Shepherd
Why would seniors embrace Life-Play?
Although I am 85 years old, I am mostly with people half my
age, so I don’t often play with seniors. However, I know why I
benefit from play: I like to imagine I am adventuring through
my life as I move with a partner from game to game. Though I
have almost no physical mobility, with games I can pounce on
what happened last week, or stride into what I hope or fear
will happen next.
An Opportunity-
I used to tend a small stable of characters—exuberant
millionaire, dry professor, disturbed teen, German cynic,
mother of my own age. Now our character game requires me
to visit these persona (and others) just as Emo-Pitch gives me
an excuse to open my lungs and sing or churn out
gibberish.
I rarely write a poem, but I play Repetition Poem again and
again for as long as I’m given a topic. Being a Madison
Avenue WASP, I was taught not to express anger or tears or
any excessive emotion, but Emo-Pitch puts what I feel into the
hands of my partner. I rarely cook, but Ideal Meal has
convinced me to concoct dishes.
Two years ago, I spent two months in a rehab center, where I
lived and dined with seniors. I remember a few of them well.
My roommate made good sense, dictated complex letters to
the United Kingdom, lunched with a young woman, and
related coherently to his wife every afternoon. But come 6 PM,
a change came over him, which I was told was a “sundown”
effect. For a couple of hours, he seemed unable to focus, while
his speech was slightly garbled.
48

54. What I now assume is that the imagination and speech of
seniors can shift from hour to hour. We can play brilliantly at
one time of the day, but not at another. For us, list easy games
on one shelf of your mind and difficult games on another. Be
ready to abandon a game that’s not working. It’s not the
reputation of Life-Play that’s at stake; it’s the pleasure and
gain of Players.
At my rehab I also discovered that one very coherent
tablemate, who read a newspaper daily cover to cover, could
not remember his daughters’ names. What he could remember
was the day his father introduced him to a business he would
run for decades. My other tablemate had been a college
English teacher but remembered little about it. What he did
remember was rhyming tetrameter—a form of verse that he
could recite for hours.
Invent a Game-
What do my memories have to do with Life-Play? Just as
we’ve invented games for our own use, so we can invent
games for seniors. For instance, a game that plunges a Player
into youth—say, at a 10-year-old’s birthday—or a game that
requires a Player to describe his or her family down to
grandparents and great-grandparents or a holiday game or a
story that involves everyone. For seniors who boggle at detail,
make up a game that grows nouns into adverbs and adjectives.
Let games engage seniors during the long hours they may sit
alone in a corridor where people pass with carts or trays but
never interact.
Accept these as my theories and come up with your own—
whether senior or junior.
49

55. Invent: How to Develop Games
By Carman Dewees
Our phone adventures
have been in
development since the
summer of 2008.
Every day we learn
more about them and
about our tastes,
feelings, and ability to
play them. It’s
exciting.
Anyone can send in a
new game description
that includes a role for
the Guide and the
Player. I put their
suggestions on a sheet
for testing. This begins
a process of play,
discussion, and
revision that can go on
Madie plays outside.
for months—led by the
person who suggested the game. Once we feel that we
understand the rules of the game and that it can be quickly
learned and is fun to play, the new game is put on the Menu
sheet.
Inventing a new game often starts from a personal need,
challenge, insight, longing, or a skill someone would like to
sharpen. Other times, the inventor begins with an existing
improv game and makes adjustments to it. (There are many
online improv game encyclopedias to peruse.)
50

56. Structure-
A common development hurdle is structural problems with a
game. For example, Ideal Meal lacked surprise. So we
encouraged the Guide to offer a person as a surprise diversion
for the Player, if the Player doesn’t introduce someone.
Metaphor-
Another common problem is lacking a clear metaphor. I
played Event Puddle, one of our oldest games, incorrectly for
six months. I did not understand how I should feel playing the
game and would frequently turn to intellectual rationalization
rather than unraveling emotions. After some heated group
discussion, David uncovered the metaphor of “a puddle” of
emotions, which later became the name of the game.
Personal-
A problem with a game frequently arises out of a personal
challenge. For example, I found Event Puddle challenging
because of my frequent rationalizing, and Event Puddle made
David feel that his life lacked events to explore. He delved
into what this meant to him and came to realize that small
events, deeply explored, made vivacious Event Puddles.
With new games, focus on asking questions that matter to
you and respect the process. When first suggested, new games
are often a bit off, hence the game does not intuitively flow.
This is normal. Adventures that can be played many times
and in different ways are ideal, so the game and your life
converse and evolve together.
51

57. Invent: The Future of Life-Play
By David Shepherd
What next? Our future is based on sharing Life-Play
leadership with Players like you who will play with more
expertise than I do, and who can handle newcomers as deftly
as Carman. To grow we will need a manager—to give us a
professional stance. And we will need funds—through
foundations as well as my theatre contacts. We see more
opportunities for Players living near each other to lunch or
party together—churning up a warmth and exhilaration that
may not always be possible on the phone.
Some people think when they are acting it’s an intermission
from their life. It’s not an intermission—it is your life!
~Suzanne Shepherd, actress and director,
and member of Compass,
Howard running for Mayor of Toronto (Summer 2010)
52

58. About: Bios of Contributors
David Shepherd- spent most of his life inventing improv
formats such as COMPASS cabaret in Chicago, which was
replicated 1000 times worldwide. From New York, his Improv
Olympix was carried to 300 Canadian high schools.
MOVIExperience brought him to Massachusetts, where he
now develops Life-Play.
Carman Dewees- wandered Asia and also pestered people
for National Public Radio. He is currently an independent
radio producer and web designer. Carman lives in
Northampton, Massachusetts, and develops Life-Play, runs the
website, and produces the podcast.
Michael Golding- is a teacher, writer, director, and lifelong
improviser. He currently teaches improvisation to at-risk teens
in Los Angeles. Michael was recently given the title
“Canadian Improv Games Ambassador to the U.S.A.”
Scot Coar- is a marriage and family therapist and recording
producer/engineer. He lives in western Massachusetts.
Howard Jerome Gomberg- lives in Toronto, where he acts
in big movies and makes small voice-overs.
Ana Maria Salicioni- was born and raised in the Patagonia
region of Argentina, the southernmost part of the country. She
holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry. Ana Maria and her husband
live in Amherst, Massachusetts.
53

59. About: Recommended Reading
Improv Books-
• Coleman, Janet. The Compass (Chicago: Centennial
Publications of the University of Chicago Press,
1991)—discusses the founding of the first improv
cabaret in Chicago.
• Halpern, Charna, and Del Close, et al. Truth in
Comedy: The Manual of Improvisation (Colorado
Springs, CO: Meriwether, 1994)—Improv Olympic’s
bible, with basic explanation of the Harold, a type of
long-form improv.
• Gwinn, Peter. Group Improvisation: The Manual of
Ensemble Improv Games (Colorado Springs, CO:
Meriwether, 2003)—former Improv Olympic
Teacher’s instructions for group exercises.
• Johnstone, Keith. Impro: Improvisation and the
Theatre (London: Routledge, 1987)—excellent book
on improv (chapters on status and masks are must
reads).
• Johnstone, Keith. Impro for Storytellers (London:
Routledge, 1999)—sequel to Impro (the Theatresports
format is explored).
• Keefe, Joseph A. Improv Yourself: Business
Spontaneity at the Speed of Thought (Hoboken, NJ:
John Wiley, 2003)—improv for Business training, by
former head Second City Communications.
• Kozlowski, Rob. The Art of Chicago Improv: Short
Cuts to Long-Form Improvisation (Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann Drama, 2002)—history of IO (Improv
Olympics) and its teams.
• Libera, Anne. The Second City Almanac of
Improvisation (Chicago: Northwestern University
Press, 2004)—essays and instruction by Second City
directors, producers, and actors.
54

60. • Lynn, Bill. Improvisation for Actors and Writers: A
Guidebook for Improv Lessons in Comedy (Colorado
Springs, CO: Meriwether, 2004)—groundling’s
approach to improv and sketch in comparison to The
Second City and Improv Olympic.
• Napier, Mick. Improvise: Scene from the Inside Out
(Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Drama, 2004)—a
concise and clear book by Second City director and
Annoyance Productions founder.
• Patinkin, Sheldon. The Second City: Backstage at the
World’s Greatest Comedy Theater (Naperville, IL:
Sourcebooks MediaFusion, 2000)—book with two
audio CDs covering the history of The Second City’s
first 40 years, with sketches in audio.
• Shepherd, David. That Movie In Your Head: Guide to
Improvising Stories on Video (Shutesbury, MA: Gere,
2005)—improvised movies.
• Spolin, Viola. Improvisation for the Theater: A
Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques
(Chicago: Northwestern University Press, 1983)—the
basis for most other work in improv, specifically The
Second City.
• Sweet, Jeffrey. Something Wonderful Right Away: An
Oral History of The Second City and The Compass
Players (New York: Limelight Editions, 2004)—early
interviews with Second City alums.
• Sweeney, John. Innovation at the Speed of Laughter: 8
Secrets to World Class Idea Generation (Emeryville,
CA: Aerialist Press, 2005)—a book on using improv
for corporate needs by The Brave New Workshop.
Improv Audio and Video-
• Spolin, Viola. Spacewalks (CD)—guided improv
meditation.
• Nichols and May: Take Two (DVD, 1996)—biography
and work of the two brilliant improvisers and
comedians.
55

61. • Second to None: 10th Anniversary Special Edition
(DVD, 2009)—documentary on The Second City’s
production of Paradigm Lost, directed by Mick Napier.
• The World According to Keith (DVD, 2003)—
documentary about Keith Johnstone.
• Keith Johnstone Teaches: Trance Masks with Steve
Jarand (DVD, 2010)—excellent instructional video on
mask work.
• In The Moment (DVD)—a documentary on the
Canadian Improv Games (features David Shepherd).
Drama Therapy-
• Axline, Virginia. Dibs In Search of Self (New York:
Ballantine, 1967)—an amazing story about play
therapy.
• Blatner, Adam, ed., with Daniel J. Weiner. Interactive
and Improvisational Drama: Varieties of Applied
Theatre and Performance (Bloomington, IN: iuniverse,
2007)—showcases the broad uses for improv.
• May, Rollo. The Courage to Create (New York: W.W.
Norton, 1994)—the classic on psychology of
creativity.
Audio Storytelling-
• Biewen, John. Reality Radio: Telling True Stories in
Sound (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina
Press, 2010)—public radio producers discussing the
current golden age of audio documentary.
• Ira Glass on Storytelling (current TV)—tips on
storytelling (available on youtube.com).
• Transom.org—large archive profiling public radio
audio producers.
56

62. Emotional Intelligence-
• Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can
Matter More Than IQ (New York: Bantam, 1997)—
the modern classic on emotional intelligence.
• Kabat-Zinn, Jon. Wherever You Go There You Are:
Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life (New York:
Hyperion, 1994)—classic book on meditation.
• Rosenberg, Marshall B. Nonviolent Communication: A
Language of Life (Encinitas, CA: Puddledancer Press,
2003)—explores clear communication and fostering
healthy relationships.
Listen. What can you hear right now? How many sounds or
voices? You may have tuned them out while you were reading,
but you were receiving them. We are open and vulnerable to
sound. A voice can sneak in, bypass the brain, and touch the
heart.
~ Jay Allison, NPR producer
57

63. About: Contact Us
Website-
www.Life-Play.com
Email-
Info@life-play.com
Phone-
413-248-7529
We’d love to hear from you!
58

64. Copyright © Life-Play. All rights reserved.