Colin Thornton is the owner and artistic director of Improv Cincinnati, where he also teaches classes, coaches teams, and performs in shows. He started improvising 25 years ago when he founded his college improv team Happy Gas. He is the founder of The Improv Leadership Summit and the author of Overcoming Fear: a guide for budding improvisers. Colin is the proud father of Juliet and Sasha Belle, and husband to a very patient Amy Bancroft, whom he met at fan club picnic for the Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian. In his spare time, Colin enjoys fitness boxing and watching Australian Survivor.
What past event do you often reflect upon, and how did that event change you?
I met a stranger whose expertise was social engineering (hacking humans as a way to hack computers). I asked him to analyze my social behavior, and his assessment was that I clearly valued status above money. It immediately struck me as true because I was avidly volunteering for various organizations while my marriage was suffering from the strain of unemployment. At the next opportunity, when I was presented with a new improv comedy performance (something I often did for free), I made a firm commitment to start valuing my skills and talents. The random advice of a stranger inspired me to start my business, and now I’m the proud co-owner of Improv Cincinnati
How does your work add to the quality of your life?
Improv is an art form that teaches people to say yes, to actively listen, and to adapt to any situation. This week I said yes when I was invited to see the okapis at the Cincinnati Zoo. Today I actively listened to one of my performers complain about my poor communication style, and I publicly apologized to him. And, at this very moment, I adapted to a new challenge of answering three questions. Improv is life-changing because it fosters interpersonal connections, inspires joy, and rekindles a childlike spirit of play. I never get tired of it.
Tell us a story you would like to share with the world.
I really like the singer songwriter Nick Drake. He made three brilliant and haunting albums 50 years ago, but he died at a young age. When my Dad was visiting England, I casually asked him to visit Nick Drake’s grave in a small town by Shakespeare’s city of birth. I didn’t expect him to make the trip, but he drove out of his way to make this pilgrimage on my behalf. He made an etching of the tombstone with the engraving of Nick’s lyric “And now we rise. And we are everywhere”. I just want to tell that story because it’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. And I love him.
Author photo: Courtesy of author
Side bar image: Pixabay/Edar
