I have been improvising since 2002 and seriously coaching and teaching since 2008. That adds up to a lot of conversations with people about how and why we do what we do. This blog is an exploration for me to try and get my thoughts down and possibly get feedback on them. Right now, my focus in my own work and with teams I coach is to push beyond the mantra of "yes and" to a place where the content of those offers is important–where we are adding depth not just details (thanks Amy Jordan). And we do so by making information instinctive.

November 11, 2013

Gray Matter: A new show series starting this Friday

November 11, 2013/ Brian Gray

I am starting a new show series inspired by Messing with a Friend.

In her show, Susan Messing performs each week with some of her famous and talented friends.

In this show, I perform when I can with some people who are kind of well known in Pittsburgh improv circles.

I think it's going to be really fun.

Here's my spiel:

Grey Matter is distributed throughout the brain, taking the lion's share of its oxygen and controlling muscles, sensory perception, memory, emotions and speech. Gray Matter features veteran improv performer, coach and teacher Brian Gray performing with a variety of top talent from all over Pittsburgh, using all of those key functions to breathe life into characters created before your very eyes. This month's guest is Woody Drennan!

Come see Woody and I do some improv together this Friday at 10pm. We are opening for what promises to be a really amazing play staring Ayne Terceria that was featured in the Pittsburgh New Works Festival.

What?! Right, I know.

Brian Gray

I am an optimistic person. I believe the world is a beautiful place and that I am lucky to be a part of it.

I write software for a living (for Summa, an amazing Pittsburgh consultancy). I am passionate about creating self-managing teams, continually improving software process through reflection and experimentation, and keeping the needs of users and business owners in the forefront to develop software people really need.

My other life is improvisation. I am the Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Comedy Festival (coming August 2014) , and a regular performer at Arcade Comedy Theater and Steel City Improv Theater I never expected improvisation to be such a big part of my life, but I spend a lot of time thinking about how to push my own work and how to teach it more effectively.

I love and do a lot of other stuff too (movies, board games). This is where I organize it all.

Beyond Yes And (Blog)

Gray Matter: A new show series starting this Friday

Brian Gray

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