Monster Baby #96 Ensemble! A Conversation with Dan O’Connor, Part Two

Monster Baby: A Curious Romp Through the Worlds of Mindfulness and Improvisation

Good ensemble members make great humans.

Continuing a conversation from the previous Monster Baby episode, Ted and Lisa chat more with improvisor and author Dan O’Connor, discussing his new book (co-authored by Dr. Jeff Katzman), Ensemble! Using the Power of Improvisation and Play to Forge Connections in a Lonely World.

This episode starts with a new game from Dan, giving Ted a new perspective on an earlier time in his life (1:24). From there, Dan describes the power of special experiences for forming ensembles (7:40) and relates a story from San Quentin prison about how improv ensemble can help reduce discrimination (10:39). Recognizing the massive changes happening at Impro Theater in LA and BATS Improv in San Francisco, Ted asks about how Dan and Lisa recommend bringing new folks into previously well-established ensembles (15:04). That leads to an intriguing philosophical question (27:26) that leads Dan and Lisa to articulate the value of high-quality followership as they consider their lives, post-Artistic Directorship (30:44). Dan mentions the power of realizing that we always have agency (34:51) and closes with some final thoughts about improv, ensemble and being a good human, noting that we all can be factories of joy (38:11).

Please note: If you didn’t get to listen to Episode #95 first, you might want to head over to that one before listening here. But it’s up to you!

If you’d like to get a copy of Ensemble!—and we bet you would—visit www.northatlanticbooks.com and enter “monsterbaby35” to get a 35% discount (!!!) on your order, good til September 30, 2021. Thanks, Dan, and thanks, North Atlantic!

We hope the episode brings you a small measure of joy. If so and you’d like to share that joy—or if you’d like to raise a question—feel free to write Ted and Lisa at [e-mail].

To subscribe so you receive immediate notice of future Monster Baby releases, head over to: http://monsterbabypodcast.com.

And lastly, if you’d like a bit of Monster-Baby-inspired reading, visit www.playfulmindfulness.info to pick up a copy of Ted’s book Playful Mindfulness: a joyful journey to everyday confidence, calm, and connection. (Ted will surely sign it for you if you like!)

Lisa Rowland and Ted DesMaisons

San Francisco improvisors Ted DesMaisons and Lisa Rowland explore the beautiful, surprising and unruly intersections between mindfulness and improvisation as they seek to befriend that oft-hidden and sometimes scary part of all of us that can lead to a life well-lived.

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