Aired 07/29/08 Emily asks big questions, questions big answers, and makes us laugh. Emily Levine's website calls her a “speaker, comedian, epiphany provider.” She was formerly a successful television writer. During a stint at Disney, she became more and more interested in Chaos Theory and the Dynamics of Change but found no studio executives willing and/or able to discuss these issues. As is true for so many sitcom writers, Levine was invited to speak at a couple of think tanks: for USC's Institute for the Study of Women and Men, she spoke on "Beyond Either/Or". Reading up on physics theory for a physicists' think tank in La Jolla, Levine discovered the quantum logic of And-And. Levine realized she didn't have to make an Either/Or choice - she could be smart and funny. Entertaining and enlightening. She could be a comedian and a philosopher. I first met Emily Levine in the early 80s. We both worked out regularly as part of an anarchic and frighteningly creative improv group. We included some of the mad pioneers of the form and performed in public maybe three times in five years. It was there I learned the first rule of successful improvisation - “yes/and.” You stop the creative flow when you say no to what's thrown at you. You keep it moving when you say “yes” “and” run with it. This rule holds true for most improvs in life. From “yes/and” to “and/and” and beyond… http://www.emilylevinesuniverse.com
