The Habit of Yes (originally published in McDonogh Magazine, Winter 2025)

Improv theater has a long history in the United States. Inspired by classical improv forms, like the commedia dell’arte in the Renaissance, improv as we know it really gathered steam in 1950s Chicago. Improvisation as an art form readily spread around the nation. Now, in many cities and communities across the country, you’ll find stages with troupes that perform regularly. It’s no surprise to see why this is, for improv is enormously addictive. And if you get a real laugh, that’s it: you’re hooked for life. 

When I began teaching at McDonogh 20 years ago, I offered an improv theater class, and I have been teaching that class, off and on, to scores of students ever since. But improv is serious stuff when you “look under the hood.” In every improv exercise, short and long, actors must bring their bodies and minds into a scene that has never been written. Newcomers to the art form are often baffled that something that never existed before the moment of its creation can be so good, so funny, so moving. 

So, how do we do it? The short answer is that there are a few widely-held practices and guidelines that improvisers learn and develop. The most famous commitment is to say “Yes, and!” whenever another actor says something—or, as we say, “makes an offer.” One actor might say, “Wow, what a beautiful sunset,” to which her partner might say, “Yes, dear, and after such a terrible storm.” Already, in this seemingly ordinary exchange, we witness a scene taking shape. There was a storm. There is a beautiful sunset. One character calls the other, “dear.” What’s it about? We don’t know—actors and audience members—but we are riveted because of this. And if the actors keep accepting the reality of the scene and build on each offer, some incredible storytelling happens.

Improv demands concentration and deep listening. It has us watch how another person communicates in words and action. As an ensemble, actors must collaborate vigorously. Actors use their knowledge of the world to draw on-the-spot inspiration. They take on different perspectives and points of view. And one of the best outcomes is that the art form helps us to self-regulate, to be keenly attuned to our feelings and to the feelings of others. 

The core competencies I just listed are critical skills and habits people need in almost any walk of life. And it’s that kind of preparation LifeReady promises. Let’s see how.

This is the LifeReady “Wheel,” as we refer to it.

The LifeReady Wheel

Notice that, at the very center, is the McDonogh student—the LifeReady Learner. This reminds us that, whatever our subject and whatever our plan, we are helping develop each and every student to be LifeReady. 

The outer ring with the words, Liberal Arts and Sciences, references the time-tested curriculum that offers breadth and depth in essential fields like English, math, history, fine and performing arts, science, and world language. Tried and true!

The six categories that bridge curriculum and the LifeReady Learner indicate core competencies McDonogh strives to develop—over time and across grades and subjects—through a variety of teaching methods. In Improv, these methods include things like movement, hands-on exercises, reflection, and showcase design. In other words, we use the vocabulary and methods inherent in the field. In a math or English course, the same principle of “curriculum-competency-learner” applies, but a teacher may ask students to generate work through the methods appropriate to those fields. Regardless of the discipline, the critical element that lends itself to deep understanding is the requirement that students think for themselves. An improv actor, for instance, could never truly “get it” without actually standing on the stage and generating a piece of theater in the moment. The good news is that such cognitively active work often develops social and relational habits at the same time that they’re also learning knowledge in the field.

It’s hardly a surprise, then, that we find improv popping up in programs far-afield from theater. Just look at Johns Hopkins: the Carey School of Business offers a course called “Organization Improv” where students adapt improv tenets to develop their leadership skill. The University of Pittsburgh’s Law School offers “Applied Improv for Lawyers.” A simple Google search will surface similar programs in other institutions. 

LifeReady was designed in response to a world of rapid change, ambiguity, volatility, and uncertainty. If we don’t have the confidence to improvise, we may find ourselves wholly unprepared for even the simple things of life.