In-Person: Playful Mindfulness with Ted DesMaison and Jeanne Lambin

Class Time/Dates: August 13, 14 // Tuesday, Wednesday 10:00am-5:00pm

Schedule: 2 sessions

Prerequisite: None. Open to all adults 18+! For beginners.

Tuition: $289

Improv depends squarely upon our ability to get fully present—to our surroundings, to our
stagemates, and to our own impulses and inspirations. That said, most of us rarely focus on
finding, strengthening, and honing this particular ability. Playful Mindfulness gives us the
chance to do just that.

Bridging traditional mindfulness teachings with interactive improv exercises, this immersive
mini-course will teach you how to:

• relate to “failure” so you rebound quickly and enthusiastically
• train your mind’s focus with patient, kind, and firm repetition
• develop an attitude of curiosity and kindness toward life’s experiences
• turn off autopilot and turn on a fuller range of experience and expression
• unhitch from self-sabotaging stories so your mind stays nimble in the present moment
• choose from a range of nuanced responses rather than relying on hair-trigger reactions

Warning: this course may leave you feeling more confident, calm, and connected, both on- and off-stage. Please only register and attend if you’re willing to accept more resilient delight and wonder.

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Note: This course is designed specifically to dovetail with the subsequent two-day immersive
“Quest” course offered by the same instructors. Attendance at both is not required but is
warmly and eagerly encouraged. From bushy-tailed newbie to seasoned veteran, all levels of
improvisors and mindfulness practitioners are most welcome in either program.

Ted DesMaisons is a trained mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) instructor and has
studied, performed, and taught improvisation internationally. He has studied intensively with
voice and presence coach Patsy Rodenburg and earned recognition as a Patsy Rodenburg Associate.

He co-hosts the Monster Baby Podcast on improvisation and mindfulness and is the author
of Playful Mindfulness. DesMaisons received an MBA from Stanford and an MTh from Harvard.

Jeanne Lambin is a seasoned facilitator, designer, coach, and speaker with a background spanning archaeology, nonprofits, higher education, historic preservation, and the arts. Her passion is crafting unique training experiences that aren’t just about learning but about sparking inspiration and fostering positive change. She uses applied improvisation, storytelling, and other creative interventions to shape immersive experiences that captivate and empower. Lambin received a BS in anthropology from Loyola University Chicago and an MS in historic preservation from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

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We have community standards, a conflict process, and a COVID prevention policy in place. Agreement/acceptance of these policies is required to participate in BATS classes. Please use the links above to access and read these policies, and check the boxes during registration to indicate your agreement/confirmation.

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Summer Sessions cancellation policy:

If you cancel more than 14 days (2 weeks) before your first class, we will refund your tuition less a 15% processing fee.

If you cancel within 14 days (2 weeks) of your first class, or any time after your first class session, your tuition will be forfeit.

In the event that we cancel a class due to insufficient enrollment, we’ll refund your tuition in full.

Host or Publisher BATS Improv, Center for Improvised Theatre