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| Amber J. Price Lead Teaching Artist & Featured Performer "It was like going on vacation to a place where you feel like you're home, even though you've never been there before." Such was Amber's reaction to her first improv class in 1999. For Amber, discovering improv was discovering a raison d'etre. Since then, improv and theater has slowly taken over her life. Before joining us in 2004, she founded an improv troupe, taught improv to incarcerated minors, and ran Dreamweaver's Children's Theater Program, where she led children in the creation and performance of their own original theatre pieces. In 2004, she publicly acknowledged her superpowers by leaving the dull day job of her alter ego and joining us, The Super Dupers. Now in her second year, her focus is on working with cognitively disabled adults and at-risk youth. "These populations don't ordinarily have many opportunities to receive exposure to the arts. For me, it's very rewarding to see the confidence and joy my students feel when they accomplish something that nobody knew they could do." On March 23rd, she experienced just that. A group of students from Moving Forward (a non- profit for adults with cognitive disabilities) culminated their two-month class with the self-titled show, The Giggles. The show, which was about an hour long, showcased the students creative abilities in several popular short-form games, such as Gibberish Interpretation, and even some new ones that were created just for this show, like Story-Hands. in addition to improv, students performed songs and scenes they wrote themselves. If you missed the show, it will soon be in regular rotation on Channel 28, Napa's Public Access Station. Her class, “Accountability Through Improvisation” was inspired by her real-life experiences working with incarcerated and under-privileged teens. Amber used improv to help them understand cause and effect, and to further their life-skills, encouraging and supporting them as they learned to be responsible to others and accountable for their actions. Amber has a passion for better living through improvisation, and she looks forward to sharing it with YOU! |
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When was your first improv class? Max Pentilescu, Napa Valley College, 1999, for fun Why improv? Improv is a discipline that in addition to being entertaining to watch and fun to do, will transform your inter- personal relationships if you are open to it. When you are using improv training to relate to people, you naturally begin to listen more, "accept and advance their offers", "make them look good", and "heighten and explore" the relationship. Not only does this make you a fun, dynamic person to be around, it also own. What other companies have you worked with? MUSIC- The Mistletones, Cantare Musica, In Between Grey IMPROV- Delta City (Super Dupers), Un-scripted (Guest), The Laughlanders (Guest), CHEESE! (Otter Spigots), Lila Theater (Guest) THEATRE- Dreamweavers, Gibson House Productions, Napa Valley College What sort of teaching/instructional experience do you have? Before I joined the Delta City/Super Duper staff, I was volunteering at Juvenile Hall and ALDEA, teaching improv to incarcerated and/or underprivileged minors. I have also used improv as a tool to help children create and perform their own original, unique theatre pieces. Why do you perform improv? In addition to the inter-personal notes above, improv is the only form of theatre that I know that encourages performers to focus on each other instead of themselves. Nothing makes me feel better than doing well by making someone else look good! Favorite books? Ender's Game, Lovelock, and Pastwatch by Orson Scott Card, The Handmaid's Tale and Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood, Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman, and Into Thin Air by John Krakauer Favorite parts you’ve played? I am proud to have been Maria in The Sound of Music. I enjoyed playing the Jailer's Daughter in Wind & the Willows & Desdemona in Good Night Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet What are some hobbies or things you do when not performing? I like water-slides and yoga, thrift store shopping and acupuncture, board games and experiencing parts of California for the first time. This summer I've been re-introduced to camping, hiking, all the good outdoors stuff. Big reader of books, watcher of movies, kisser of boyfriend, spending time with family, keeping track of friends, harvesting my room-mate's garden and occasionally attempting adventuresome cooking. Any good life-changing improv stories? Until last year, I had a dull day job that didn't challenge me. I always had an interest in theatre, but it took years of improvising for me to appreciate my strengths as a performer and that gave me the courage to leave my job and follow my dream. Any improv words of wisdom? Improv is proof that freedom without boundaries is meaningless. What’s so great about the work the Super Dupers do? Hire us and see! If you were a superhero who would it be? In a silver costume with gossamer wing-things that attach from the arms down the body to the legs like a bat, I would apprehend wrong-doing by raising my armsand the "perp" would hear music that caused him/her to experience empathetically the victim's reaction to the crime. I have no idea what to call that. Favorite quotation? Right now I am big on this mantra (You can replace I with anything!): "May I be full of loving kindness May I be well May I be peaceful and at ease May I be happy" |
