Patricia Ryan Madson : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Patricia Ryan Madson, senior lecturer, emerita, in the Department of Theater and Performance Studies, speaks about her career teaching improvisation and acting and the creation of the Stanford Improvisors. Madson describes her upbringing and the path that led to her love of theater and teaching. She describes how she came to be introduced to improv and her unique approach to teaching it, which incorporates some of the ideas of Keith Johnstone and David Reynolds. She shares memories of her travels around the world; her collaborations with colleagues; and lessons from her book, Improv Wisdom. She also speaks about the role of lecturers at the university and her portrayal of Jane Stanford at various events.
- Summary
- Growing up in Richmond, Virginia • Observations on segregation and embracing integration • Travelling through the South with an integrated theater troupe • Being a first-generation college student at University of Richmond • Involvement with theater productions during college • Mother’s job as a department store model • Loving the social aspect of theater • Father’s encouragement of her creative and artistic skills • First job as a drama teacher at St. Catherine’s School for Girls • Discovering a love of teaching and learning on the job • Hilberry Classic Repertory Company program at Wayne State University for master’s degree and performance experience • Community in the repertory company • Theater curriculum at Wayne State University • Assistant professor of drama at Denison University; denial of tenure • Reflections on the keys to success in academia and the need for coloring outside the lines • Pursuing interests in Eastern religion and thought in her academic work • Thoughts on possible gender discrimination in tenure decisions while at Denison • Teaching at Penn State • Incorporating interests in Eastern philosophy into teaching • Studying traditional Japanese arts at the Oomoto program • Work with David L. Reynolds and studying constructive livingTM • Practice of Naikan and dedicating time to think about your past • Introduction to improvisation • Influence of Keith Johnstone • Arrival at Stanford in 1977 • Confusion about whether she was hired to lead the acting program or just teach • Stanford Drama Department • Field of improvisation in the 1970s and 1980s • Evolution of the department to focus on performance studies with a diversity of types of theater • Teaching diverse groups • Memories of Keith Johnstone • Course collaborations and workshops with Bay Area Theater Sports • Working with Palo Alto TheatreWorks • Using improv to get students to come out of their shells and be spontaneous • Teaching style and structure of classes • Improv exercises • Benefits of improv in everyday life • Memories of students • Position as a senior lecturer • Not receiving promotion to adjunct professor because she was not working with graduate students • Working with John Etchemendy to create a sabbatical program for senior lecturers • Receiving emerita status • Early improvisation classes at Stanford • Creation of the Stanford Improvisors in 1991 • Memorable improv performances • Improv rehearsals and games • Improv competitions through TheaterSportsTM • How a chicken became the symbol of Stanford Improvisors • Growth of the Stanford Improvisors • Leadership in the Stanford Improvisors through volunteer Guardians • Sense of community among generations of Stanford Improvisors • Improv workshops for students in STEM fields at Stanford, including Mayfield Fellows Program • Creative Initiative at Stanford • Students’ interest in taking improv classes • Working long hours as a lecturer • Methods of de-stressing • Playing the role of Jane Stanford at multiple events, including Founder’s Day and time capsule opening • Husband, Ron, playing Leland Stanford • Getting into character as Jane Stanford • Reflections on Jane Stanford • Reading Jane Stanford’s letters and writings • Writing Improv Wisdom • Deciding between writing an improv textbook and a more general philosophy book • Publishing and editorial process • Writing style • Feedback and reactions to Improv Wisdom • 1982 trip around the world to research the teaching of performance art in Asian cultures • Visiting the National Theatre School of Drama in New Delhi, India • Travels in Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan • Lessons learned from year of travelling • Studying masked dance in Bali • Working on her second book, an updated version of Improv Wisdom • The four A’s of the improvisor’s life: attention, acceptance, appreciation, and action • Receiving Stanford’s Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award for teaching and its significance • Husband Ron Madson • Ron’s interest in genealogy • Favorite actors and films • Classic Greek theater productions and memories of seeing a show at the Theater of Epidaurus in Greece • Teaching for Stanford’s Continuing Studies program • Teaching adults vs. teaching students • Connections between Stanford and Bay Area theater • Keith Johnstone papers at Stanford • Chinese interest in improvisation • Finding life’s purpose • Hopes for the future of improv at Stanford
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | July 16, 2019 - 2019-07-17 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Madson, Patricia Ryan | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Madson, Patricia Ryan | |
| Interviewer | Wallace, Zoe | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Madson, Patricia Ryan |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University. Department of Drama |
| Subject | Improvisation (Acting) |
| Subject | Drama > Study and teaching |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | Patricia Ryan Madson is the author of Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up (Bell Tower, 2005) and Emerita Senior Lecturer from Stanford University where she has taught since 1977. In the Drama Department (Theatre and Performance Studies) she served as the head of the undergraduate acting program and developed the improvisation program. In 1998 she was the winner of the Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award for Outstanding Innovation in Undergraduate Education at Stanford. She founded and coached the Stanford Improvisors and taught beginning and advanced level courses in Improvisation for undergraduate as well as adults in Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program. In 1996 she founded the Creativity Initiative at Stanford, an interdisciplinary alliance of faculty who share the belief that creativity can be taught. Madson has taught Design Improv for the School of Engineering and was a guest lecturer for the Stanford Technology Ventures Program and for the Mayfield Fellows Program. Madson was the American Coordinator for the Oomoto Foundation’s summer Japanese Arts intensives from 1981 to 2001 in Kameoka, Japan. In 1982 she spent a year traveling in Asia to study performance pedagogy in Nepal, Indonesia, India, Thailand and Japan. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Westhampton College of the University of Richmond in 1963 and a Master of Arts in Theater from Wayne State University in 1965. |
|---|---|
| Audio |
|
| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/vx325mp4599 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
View other items in this collection in SearchWorksAlso listed in
Loading usage metrics...