Press
We are constantly adding new press material.
Research Featured In:
7 Research-Backed Benefits of Improv Comedy
Research shows that improv has numerous psychological benefits.
Podcast Interview:
“Breaking the Silence with Dr. Gregory Williams” radio program will offer the listeners a Road Map to Hope each and every week with keys to discover within yourself that ray of light to make your day better and brighter.
Podcast Interview:
The All In Ya Head podcast was created to talk about anything and everything mental health. Weekly guests range from mental health experts, everyday people with struggles, and mental health advocates. We will share some laughs and cries, but most importantly will have real conversations about mental health. On this fun episode, Mary DeMichele talks about the benefits of improv for mental health. She even gets me to do a little improv !!
Podcast Interview:
In this episode Julie and Ginger welcome Scott Kuenneke and Mary DeMichele into the studio. The combined knowledge of these two individuals is amazing. They have aligned the techniques and strategies of improv with what actually happens in the brain and how that can become a healing tool. Mary says that improv is great in the classroom because, “No matter what mood the students are in when they enter the classroom, improv puts everyone in a better state.”
Podcast Interview:
Mary DeMichele has been a pioneer in researching the use of improv for teens who’ve experienced trauma. We met at the premiere of the film Act Social, by Sean Mulivil. How can improv be less overwhelming and scary for the beginner? This is the question that has defined Mary’s 25-year career. Mary is the creator of One Rule Improv a — research-based and trauma-informed — accessible approach to learning, teaching, and applying improv, so people can bring the benefits of improv into their lives quickly and easily.
Featured In Documentary:
ACT SOCIAL: Using YES AND to Heal the World from Within
Starring Colin Mochrie (Whose Line Is It Anyway)
Directed by Sean Mulvihill
Featured Article in:
New neurobiological research reveals an easy and fun approach
By Mary DeMichele
As parents and caregivers, we want to have healthy, positive and enjoyable relationships with our children, whatever their age. Our recent experience with the COVID-19 pandemic has created an interesting paradox affecting family relationships as a whole.
Interviewed By:
Research Featured In:
“This new study is important. It’s the first neuroscience study to look at novice improvisers, the first to analyze adolescents’ nervous systems, and the first to look specifically at trauma.”
Research Published in:
2019 Applied Improv Network World Conference
Trauma Informed Care without effective implementation, is merely a buzzword with unfulfilled intentions. Compounding inadequate training, is the fact that Trauma Informed Setting are made up of staff and clients with their own boundaries, unknown trigger point and for many, their own trauma. Short-form comedy improv game structures are a fast and effective way to equip staff, across departments, with the experiential understanding and practice needed to move Trauma Informed Care from intention to actions.
Cited In:
Quoted In:
Featured Article:
Book Review of One Rule Improv:
Radio Interview:
Radio Interview on KRMS Morning Magazine
March 18, 2019
Kevin Burns brings Mary DeMichele back to discuss her new book, One Rule Improv: The Fast, Easy, No Fear Approach to Teaching, Learning and Applying Improv. In her book, Mary shares her approach to teaching and applying improv making its many benefits accessible quickly to anyone wanting to learn. This interview delves into the layout and reasoning behind each of the three sections of this incredibly clear and concise book.
Radio Interview:
Radio Interview on KRMS Morning Magazine
January 7, 2019
In this lively and informative interview, host Kevin Burns follows up with Mary DeMichele discussing what improv is, what skills are involved and who can do it. The common misunderstandings surrounding improv are then explored, followed by a short demonstration of improv on the air between Mary and Kevin.
Radio Interview:
Radio Interview on KRMS with Reuben Purdue
November 2, 2018
In this 30 minute informative interview with improv teacher and author Mary DeMichele, host Reuben Purdue explores this often misunderstood comedic art of improv and how it is being successfully applied to many other industries and fields.
Radio Interview:
Radio Interview on KRMS Morning Magazine
November 7, 2018
With an Improv Jam only a few days away, radio host Kevin Burns, speaks with Mary DeMichele on location at Great Stone Coffee. Mary discusses the origins of improv, it’s many benefits and applications as well as how she got involved with the art. Rounding out the discussion, Mary explains how improv has evolved to become a valuable and useful tool for improving both personal and professional performance.
Research Published in:
International Journal of Education & the Arts
Improv and Ink: Increasing Individual Writing Fluency with Collaborative Improv
Mary DeMichele – June 19,2015
This article explores how short form/comedic improvisational theater impacts the development of writing fluency.
Improv n’ Ink cited in other research:
“…, of the eleven studies focused on DBP and special education, only four studies qualified as strong (…; …; DeMichele, 2015; …) since they provide effect estimates and are quasi-experimental designs. p.120.”
A. Anderson, B Kiger Lee, and M. R. Brown. Promoting Literacy and Language, Learning in Special Education through Drama-Based Pedagogies. The Kennedy Center, BSA Intersections: Arts and Special Education. Exemplary Programs and Approaches. Professional Paper Series. Volume 3.
DeBettignies, B. H., & Goldstein, T. R. (2020). Improvisational theater classes improve self-concept. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 14(4), 451–461. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000260
Felsman, Peter & Gunawardena, Sanuri & Seifert, Colleen. (2020). Improv Experience Promotes Divergent Thinking, Uncertainty Tolerance, and Affective Well-Being. Thinking Skills and Creativity. 35. 100632. 10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100632.
Lee, B. K., & Enciso, P. (2017). The Big Glamorous Monster (or Lady Gaga’s
Adventures at Sea): Improving student writing through dramatic approaches in schools. Journal of Literacy Research, 49(2), 157-180. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296X17699856
Idek, Sirhajwan. (2016). Measuring the Application of SCAMPER Technique in Facilitating Creative and Critical Thinking in Composing Short Stories and Poems. Malaysian Journal of Higher Order Thinking Skills in Education. (MJHOTS). 2. 30-54.
Academic Play Mentioned:
Teaching Education, Vol. 15, No. 2, June 2004
Improvised Lessons: Collaborative Discussion in the Constructivist Classroom
R. Keith Sawyer*
Washington University, USA
“Several professional development programs in the United States have begun to use improvisational exercises with teachers: the Center for Artistry in Teaching in Washington, DC (www.artistryinteaching.org); Academic Play in New Jersey;…(p. 191)”
Article Abstract:
Effective classroom discussion is improvisational, because its effectiveness derives from the fact that it is not scripted. Instead, the flow of the class is unpredictable, and emerges from the actions of both teachers and students. In this article, I apply principles from training classes for improvisational actors to provide practical suggestions for teachers. (Read More…)
