New California-Based Improv Company Releases Book "50 Games To Stay Sane"
“50 Games To Stay Sane” and “Some Black-Owned Restaurants” are the first publications released by The 3 Lines Collective. (Photo courtesy of Kelly Cripe)
As 2020 comes to a close, it doesn’t look like social distancing will be going away anytime soon. But the team at The 3 Lines Collective wants to help by offering you “50 Games To Stay Sane.”
The 3 Lines Collective is a newly-founded company dedicated to teaching improvisation and creative writing to children and teenagers in underserved communities. Their latest project is the release of their book, “50 Games to Stay Sane,” a collection of improv games that doubles as a coloring book. After hosting several improv sessions, CEO Maya Gwynn and Creative Director and Teacher Kelly Cripe were approached by other people to learn the various games they used during classes. This sparked the idea to put the book together.
“I was like this is probably going to keep happening, which is good, but it'd be really nice to have something like a book or pamphlet that I could just refer people to that's also fun too,” Gwynn said. “I asked Kelly, who had [said] we've only known each other for like a month and a half… if she wanted to write this book, and she was like yeah.”
Founder Maya Gwynn (left) and Creative Director Kelly Cripe (right) hosting their drive thru launch party. (Photo courtesy of Kelly Cripe)
Cripe served as the illustrator on the project. One of their passions is illustrations, and they had designed their own Zine before. Gwynn and Cripe chose a coloring book format so the book would have more than one purpose.
“I think it coordinates with the theme of the book ...as a means of these games not being daunting but fun and confidence-building,” Cripe said. ”[It] can be like relaxing for you too… to have both a book of games you can carry with you, read [or] color, even if you're on your own.”
On Dec. 12, the collective held their drive-thru book launch party in Los Angeles. The launch included other vendors that event-goers could purchase items from, plus a Zine that Cripe and Gwynn put together that features Black-owned restaurants. The event also doubled as a toy drive for the holiday season. The donations went to The Place4Grace, an organization dedicated to fighting for families impacted by incarceration. Because of Covid-19, the company never got to have a proper launch party, so the collective chose a drive-thru format complete with masks and lots of hand sanitizer to ensure the event was as safe as possible.
“I think this event is really just striving to both celebrate an accomplishment and get the name out, and also celebrate the community and people and give back where we can,” Cripe said.
The name The 3 Lines Collective comes from improv games like 3-line scenes and the comedy rule of 3. Improvisation is a type of comedy where there is no script, and scenarios are made up on the spot. Gwynn explained that people improv in everyday conversations.
Riders purchase and collect some of the first copies of “50 Games To Stay Sane” in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo courtesy of Kelly Cripe)
“One of the things that my old teaching partner used to say was, we're just here to make you laugh… I feel like when [adults] hear improv...people get really intimidated,” Gwynn said. When you're at Starbucks or the grocery store, you're having spur conversation, so it's just focusing on stuff that you do every day.”
“50 Games To Stay Sane” will be available for purchase on the company’s website on Jan. 1. To learn more about The 3 Lines Collective, click here.