WHY IMPROV? WHY THEATER?

TTheater has a connection to our soul. It pulls us out of where we are and places us into a dream space where anything is possible. Theater happens when it becomes a part of you and I believe in Theater Arts as a conduit of learning because it combines all types of human intelligence and learning styles. It is alive. It is all 5 senses (and then some) alive and working together to bring a story, a history lesson, a poem, a biography to life.  Improv is a tool of communication. Nothing happens when you say “no” but you can build anything you want when you say “yes, and”. A regular participant in my Monday night adult improv group at The Colonial Theatre in Keene, said that  when she’s in a stressful or challenging situation she actually hears in her head ‘just say yes,’ which is something you must do in improv to keep the game moving forward. The skill of saying “yes, and..” gives you a  pause to find a more positive way to get the outcome you would like to see.   Improv is all about keeping forward momentum and not letting obstacles get in your way. It works in improv and it works in life.  My workshops are fun, collaborative and always evolving. If you would like to work with me and do not see a workshop that fits into your mold, call me and we will create one! My workshops are great for anyone who  wants to bring fun, laughter, learning and teambuilding  to their organization or classroom.  Your result will be laughter,  a new sense of teamwork, collaboration, listening, risk taking, and saying YES to life. For prices and quotes please contact me! 

What is Improv? Improvisation, or improv, is a form of live theater in which the plot, characters and dialogue of a game, scene or story are made up in the moment. It is fun and requires no memorization or theatrical training. It is a highly accessible medium for teaching.  Improv is an amazingly versatile art form and I love teaching all ages. 

What happens in an Improv Workshop? We play a collection of games and exercises (which vary by age and level) to help us say yes, and while we play the game; follow the rules; turn mistakes into gifts; & fail with style! The only rule in improv is to Have Fun! 

What is Living Literature? Through movement, and physical exploration we breathe new life into text. Based on my Shakesploration expressive movement philosophy we ‘use our feet to find our voice’ and breathe new life into a sonnet, poem or selection of literature. Either as a one day intensive or expanded into a long-term residency the culmination is a performance piece of the text explored via the workshop. 

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How does a Living Literature Workshop work? Challenging Intelligence on all levels- a workshop like this is a combination of all of the major learning styles: Logical (cause and effect): We would talk about what we know about the curricula. We would find a story connected to this that we want to tell; Kinesthetic: We would take our ideas and build upon them, improvising scenes and characters; Intrapersonal: each person would be asked to add to the story by connecting what they have learned with what they want to share and how they can best add to the story we are creating; Interpersonal: each person will make authentic choices, and together we will collaborate to tell a  story in our own way; Linguistic: We would write a story based on what we know and what we have improvised and create a script.  We would read it, we would memorize it; Visual-Spatial: We would block the story  (make sure we are using our bodies to tell the story on stage); Musical: we would introduce music, costumes and art from the time period to help add a  reality ot the play; Naturalist: the act of being in a play is all about experience, and creating connections as we explore our self, our world, and our past-present-future. 

How much does it cost? Due to the nature, ages and size of each workshop prices differ- I offer specialized quote and program for each workshop. I love to say Yes, And -  Please call me for a personalized workshop quote and workshop plan for your group! But for a basic idea please go to my shop and my 101 quote. 

Paige Lussier Johnson’s Bio: Originally from Connecticut, Paige trained as an actor with Wesleyan Universities Center for Creative Youth and then received her Bachelor of Arts in Acting/Directing - Theatre & Dance from Keene State College in New Hampshire. Paige moved to New York City in 2002 to pursue her passion for the arts and to study meisner with James Price.  While in New York Paige continued her  studies with John Basil in Shakespeare at The American Globe and was a graduate of The PIT Improv Conservatory Style training program with Ali Farahnakian. Paige has studied acting regionally with The National Theater Conservatory in Denver Colorado and, internationally at Oxford Brookes in the UK.  Paige has been a regular performer in stand-up, sketch, short and long-form improv herald teams, as well as being in numerous commercials, industrials, independent films and stage productions.  Her favorite NYC roles include Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Wench Productions; Perdita in Winter's Tale with LoveStreet Theatre; Jane in Keats in Curlers at The Looking Glass Theater Co., Ismene in an adaptation of Antigone called My Dear Sister that she co-directed and produced with Shakesploration Dance Movement Company; and as Sharon O’Neil in Jump Start, which won Best Acting at the “Action on Film” Indie Film Festival in 2008.  Always versatile as performer and artist,  her credits also  include positions as director, costumer, designer, techy, producer, house manager, box office and theater admin management roles with some of NYC best off-broadway theater companies including MCC, Signature, and Playwrights Horizons. Paige moved back to New Hampshire in 2012 and lives with her  amazing husband (whom she met at KSC), and her two beautiful children.  Paige's most recent New Hampshire acting credits include Dora Strang,  in the award winning KCACTF Region 1 production of Equus at Keene State College in 2014. Dorine, in Branch River Theater’s 2016 production of Tartuffe; Julieanne, in Theater Kapow’s 2017 production of Ionesco’s Exit The King. And, as a  director she has worked with Actors Theater Playhouse and recently founded  Matchbook Players Monadnock where she acts as both artistic director and producer- Paige was recognized for bringing a sold-out 24 hour play festival to the Monadnock Region in October of 2016. Since returning to New Hampshire Paige has been working in non-profit theaters in box office and front of house positions while pursuing her passion as a teaching artist and leading Improv and Comedy workshops for all ages all over the granite state. She has taught theater improv workshops in collegiate seminars, corporate workshops, public schools K-8, private schools K-12, senior centers, pre-schools, children's museums, youth and professional theater master classes and to non-actors of all ages. Paige is proud to announce that she has been added to the NH Roster for Teaching Artists, 2017. 

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The Arts Education Artist Roster is composed of artists who teach, lead and conduct hands-on arts activities for students. They also offer a variety of presentations, performances, residencies, community workshops, and professional development opportunities to suit a variety of educational project designs and curricula. All Roster artists have gone through a jurying review process. For my full creative ground profile please visit https://www.creativeground.org/profile/paige-lussier-johnson

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TESTIMONIALS: 

What are people saying about workshops with Paige Lussier Johnson?

“She was wonderful with the students. She guided them through some very creative exercises with tact and understanding, always being sensitive to the needs of the student and managing to get the most out of each of them. She also gave them the benefit of her experiences in the real world without seeming patronizing. She really connected with the students and they loved the experience. I was most impressed with her maturity, wisdom and talent.” - College Professor. RE: KSC Collegiate Seminar in Improv 

She was professional, engaging and [her] educational program helped all these students to walk away feeling good about themselves and good about their new improv skills. Public School Aftercare Teacher, RE:  working with grades  3-8

“She clearly knew how to engage high school students.  Right off the bat, Paige found ways to connect with each of the high school participants, making them feel at ease and excited about the improv work they were about to do….Paige also put on a one hour evening performance for our entire school community.  Once again, she was both professional and engaging.  She had a wealth of improv activities to choose from, and our students loved every single one of them.  She even had the students from the afternoon workshop play a major part of her evening program!” -Cultural Events Coordinator. RE: The White Mountain School- Grades 9-12

“What she was able to do with [the students] in a short period of time was remarkable. She was clear with her instructions, modeled everything as she was asking for and was positive and enthusiastic in her response to their work...which of course made them want to do more…”  - Keene Public School Music Teacher, RE:  working with grades  3-8

Workshops with Paige:

IMPROV  101 WORKSHOPS: Improv builds confidence and helps with listening skills and life skills like: Saying Yes, And., Learning how to fail and be ok with it, Playing the game, Listening to the rules, Committing 100% to what you are working on, and how to think outside the box and find creative solutions to tricky problems.  

IMPROV 202 and 303: For advanced students specializing in scene work, character development, writing & editing, connections, flow, and performance technique.

IMPROV 404:  for the most advanced students “The Herald”.

JOY OF IMPROV COMEDY WORKSHOP & SHOWCASE: An advanced one day-two hour workshop where participants showcase their new skills in an evening public performance with me as your professional comic and host. 

IMPROV WORKSHOP FOR TEACHERS: A simple teacher development class is  an easy and fun way to get teachers and staff thinking creatively, playing, laughing and saying “Yes, And” to their students! The games will be games they can bring back into their classroom, and have on hand for days when they need to get the class focused, or if they need to help them get their wiggles out! 

FAMILY FUN AND PLAY WORKSHOP:  is for parents/caregivers and kids.  “Shut off the i-pad and do some i-prov as a family! Take some time out to PLAY with your kids and have fun! In this workshop families will learn some improv techniques and games to help put some “Playful Parenting” skills in our tool-kit!”

THEATRE & MOVEMENT FOR LITTLES:  Through song, rhymes, movement and dance we play while learning the basics of Improv- which are listening, following the rules and saying Yes, And! 

ACTING: In this scene study workshop, students will work on a monologue and a 2-person scene from a published play or film. The class will include acting exercises, script analysis, and coaching in a workshop environment. All levels welcome. COMEDIC ACTING: A workshop that focuses on comedic acting, and timing for the advanced theater artist.  

ADULT IMPROV:  It’s not just for kids! Anyone can do improv - no training or memorization required. Plus, we can let our hair down, indulge our inner child and get silly (adult language & content  may happen)!

IMPROV FOR SENIORS: No age limit required for improv - this class is adapted for seniors- it still has all the fun but not as much physical work/standing/movement. If you can walk, wheel or roll you can do this! 

IMPROV WORKSHOP FOR BUSINESS: A two hour staff development workshop is an easy and fun way to get management and staff thinking creatively, listening better and  building a team environment while  saying “Yes, And” to each other, their clients and the customers! The skills you learn in improv help in all facets of business - team building, customer facing, customer service and satisfaction, ,communication and problem solving,  and better sales results and closing methods!  

CORPORATE TRAINING & COACHING: Say YES, AND to Better Sales and Customer Service! As a sales manager in the New York City event planning circle, Paige learned how to adapt her improv skills to business and sales coaching for the professional sales force. One on one or group training available. 

LIVING LITERATURE RESIDENCY WORKSHOP  - Also called Shakesploration- this is a movement theater workshop that is combined with my improvisational philosophy to explore movement, text, emotion, sounds and to communicate text in a new way. Using our feet to find our voice- we explore a selection of text in depth (example: a poem, sonnet, or historical speech). This works as either a one-day intensive or  a full length residency style program that culminates in a “Performance Piece” to showcase our case study. It can be expanded to fully explore a theme or subject matter in depth as well (example: the suffrage movement). 

 Challenging Intelligence on all levels- a workshop like this is a combination of all of the major learning styles:

Logical (cause and effect): We would talk about what we know about the curricula. We would find a story connected to this that we want to tell.

Kinesthetic: We would take our ideas and build upon them, improvising scenes and characters.

Intrapersonal: each person would be asked to add to the story by connecting what they have learned with what they want to share and how they can best add to the story we are creating.

Interpersonal: each person will make authentic choices, and together we will collaborate to tell a  story in our own way.  

Linguistic: We would write a story based on what we know and what we have improvised and create a script.  We would read it, we would memorize it!

Visual-Spatial: We would block the story  (make sure we are using our bodies to tell the story on stage). We would

Musical: we would introduce music, costumes and art from the time period to help add a  reality ot the play.

Naturalist: the act of being in a play is all about experience, and creating connections as we explore our  self, our world, and our past-present-future.                            Paige Lussier Johnson

WHAT IS COSMIC IMPROV? 

I was a method actress. I moved to NYC to become an actress in 2002. I studied Stanislavsky, Meisner, and Uta Hagen. I got into character by thinking like the character and embodying them. I was a comedian too: studying Improv in NYC at The People's Improv Theater with Saturday Night Lives Ali Reza Farahnakian, Ptolemy Slocum, and Kristen Schaal (to name drop if you like that, lol) . I studied improv at the PIT (a conservatory style training) and learned the lessons of Improv's Guru: Del Close and it changed my life. 

Improv Teaches you:

  1) Say "Yes, And" 2) Listen to Really Listen 3) Failing is good 4) Use your imagination 5) Follow the fear 6) There are no mistakes 7) Everything is possible 8) Whatever you do, do it 100%  9) Accept the gift...*Yes, And....10) Have fun! 

When I started my spiritual practice as a Reiki Master in 2008, I took the 5 principles of Reiki and they also changed my life for the better. 

Reiki principles are: 

1. Just for today, I will not anger 2. Just for today I will not worry. 3. Just for today I will live honestly 4. Just for today, I will honor my higher self, my parents, teachers, and elders. 5. Just for today, I will show gratitude for everything. 

When I applied the Reiki principles with my improv mantras of "yes, and" my life started to turn around...or, at least I was different in how I reacted and acted to my everyday struggles. I wasn't a constant drama queen (on stage and off)! I call my medicine "cosmic improv" because I blend improv and reiki. As a healer and medicine woman I work in the quantum field. After all, Life is all a beautiful improvisation from birth to death! Much of my teaching and healing comes through as transmissions from spirit, also another improvisation of the highest form. Thus, we have Cosmic Improv: Channeled sessions. Healing through Laughter. Manifesting through JOY. Tapping into your inner artist and aligning harmony, bringing balance and flow through your healing embodiment.