Improv & Democracy:
A Workshop led by Marian Rich and Don Waisanen

Sat March 27
11 am - 2 pm (Eastern US UTC-4)
Fee: $50, Lower Income: $25
There are increasing concerns about the state of democracy worldwide. A lot has been written about what democracies should look like. Far less has covered how to actually train citizens in democratic skills. As the world becomes increasingly polarized, we need to develop caring and decent ways to engage disagreements, debate contentious and difficult issues, build collaborative dialogue and strengthen democracy. Building on Don Waisanen’s new book Improv for Democracy: How to Bridge Differences and Develop the Communication and Leadership Skills Our World Needs (SUNY Press, 2021) and Marian’s upcoming chapter “Playing Around with Changing the World” (Bloomsbury, 2021 co-authored with Carrie Lobman), this workshop will explore how humor, improvisation and play are essential tools in the creation of a new movement for radical democracy.
Marian Rich is a performance activist, comic educator and play revolutionary. Trained as an actress, comedic improviser and theatrical director, Marian has spent over 30 years leading playful workshops and programs in which people come together to grow and develop. As a faculty member of the East Side Institute, her playful and philosophical sessions during the ESI’s International Class residencies have impacted activists, educators and scholars from around the world who are looking for ways to infuse their work with the power of performance. Marian is a longtime grassroots political organizer and independent. She is the co-author of “Playing Around with Changing the World,” a chapter about this work in The Applied Improvisation Mindset, to be published by Bloomsbury Press in 2021.
Don Waisanen is a Professor in the Baruch College, CUNY Marxe School of Public and International Affairs and has been researching, teaching and consulting in public communication for nearly two decades. He frequently conducts leadership communication workshops and coaching for organizations all over the tri-state area. In Los Angeles and New York, he trained and performed in improv and sketch comedy with the Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade, PIT and Comedysportz theaters, and is currently a cast member of the National Comedy Theater in New York City. He is the author of six books, including the new Improv for Democracy: How to Bridge Differences and Develop the Communication and Leadership Skills Our World Needs (SUNY Press) and Leadership Standpoints: A New Framework for the Next Generation of Nonprofit Professionals (under contract with Cambridge University Press). He is the Founder and President of Communication Upward, as well as an adjunct lecturer at Columbia University and New York University. He received a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of California's Annenberg School.