Patricia Ryan Madson

Patricia Ryan Madson is a Stanford University acting professor who founded the Stanford Improvisors in 1991 while directing the undergraduate acting program. Her 2005 book Improv Wisdom: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up articulated thirteen maxims derived from improv practice for a general readership and became one of the most widely read introductions to applied improvisation. She is associated with the Applied Improvisation Network and helped bring improv principles into academic and personal development contexts.