Focus UP

Focus UP is a company dedicated to inspiring creativity and giving each person the tools for innovation Being fearless seems to be second nature to them.

All children have the ability to see every possibility that life has to offer. They call it using their imagination and if you have ever had the pleasure of talking to a child, then you know exactly what I mean. With their heads held high, they can tell you 100 different ways to use an empty paper towel roll and spend hours demonstrating each and every one. I, like most people, struggled with seei

ng the empty roll as anything other than garbage. Normally I would have just thrown it in the trash (or recycling if the bin is closer) because that is what my adult mind told me I should do. It was not until I began to improvise that I realized that possibility is everywhere and in everything. Children also have the ability to jump in and be a part of everything around them. It’s not until they begin to “grow up” that the idea of holding back and only observing the situation is introduced. Working with kids and seeing these characteristics, led me to the conclusion that, on the whole, as we “grow up” we lose the ability to see possibility (or use our imagination). As children we walk around looking straight up (most likely because everything is so much bigger than we are). Focusing on possibility and being amazed by the world around us. Around the first grade this way of viewing the world changes slightly. Children become more aware of the world around them. The idea of status and social standing is introduced through group activity. This, in turn, causes their focus to drop because depending on your status your perception of the world changes slightly. Some find that they are able to take leadership roles playing only the games that interest them, while others become more of the following type, thus limiting their creative input. As they continue to grow and change physically, so do their minds. As children enter into adolescence, they are not only taller (causing where they focus to drop slightly) but they also begin to challenge authority as they struggle against putting away childish things and picking up new ways of thinking. This is often referred to as testing their boundaries, and in most cases they receive discipline as punishment for what adults view as acting out. As they become young adults their focus changes again. They are taller now and, as a result, their focus drops again to become more centered. Seeing mostly only what is right in front of them and giving little need to shift their focus back upward, accepting the new rules that go along with growing up. This is often referred to this as having their heads on straight or having a good head on their shoulders, and now they can be given responsibility. As we enter into our adult lives we find that more demands on us cause our focus to change again. Worries about money generally cause us to focus almost solely on our work. Strict deadlines and pressure from bosses, coworkers and clients keep our minds continually occupied. Today, more than ever before, people walk around with no regard for the world around them at all, as a need to constantly be connected to our employment has made texting and emailing outside of work hours a necessity. Our focus has narrowed as we struggle to look up from our BlackBerrys™ and iPhones™ long enough to see the possibilities in the world we inhabit. This inward and myopic way of thinking has most of the businesses on the Fortune 500 worried. They have all indicated that a lack of creativity in the work force is reducing their ability to innovate. In February 2006, Sir Ken Robinson spoke at TED talks about creativity being the foundation of innovation. Focus UP shares that view and we would add that where you choose to point your focus has a direct link to your levels of creativity. We are committed to changing the way you view the world around you and showing you how to reclaim your focus and point it in the right direction... UP!

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) - Rotary District 7070

05/28/2019

Wow what a terrific testimonial from our client! We just had to share it:

"Tracy and Dwayne made it to the 2019 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program held by Rotary International District 7070 on less than a week's notice. My team wasn't sure what to expect prior to the evening but we were absolutely blown away by the end of the evening. Our 30 youth leaders were exhausted from a 9AM to 5PM conference going into the improv workshop so our organizing team was really anxious. When Tracy and Dwayne took over for the two hours after dinner, we were so relieved to see every single individual in the room laughing, participating, and engaging in the improv performances. For the rest of the week long program, our participants put their learnings to use. It would be an understatement to say that our group had a phenomenal time together. We highly recommend Tracy and Dwayne for any group - large or small!

- Weiting Xu, Chair of the RYLA District 7070 (www.rylad7070.org)"

Thanks Weiting Xu

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) - Rotary District 7070

10/09/2018

Always finding new things on TED Talks

10/04/2018

Here is what teachers are saying about our workshops.

08/04/2018

Paying Improv Gig!

Hello friends and improv colleagues,

Dwayne Mailman and I, at Focus UP, have booked a really exciting gig this summer. It is a one night showing of Improv Night in Canada in Brampton at the Rose Theatre.

Rather than making it a fully participatory show like it is in Toronto, we’re bringing a stellar cast with us and we’re looking for a few more improvisers to fill out this large cast (12).

Here are the particulars:
When: Saturday August 25, 2018, starting at 8pm (going to probably 9:30 or 10pm-ish). Call time is 7pm at the theatre.

Where: Rose Theatre Brampton. (Transport: if you’re in Toronto we’ll pick you up at Yorkdale at 6:00pm and drop you back there after the show.)

What does it Pay: $75 per person.

What the heck is this show?
If you haven’t seen Improv Night in Canada before it was an improv show started in Toronto’s Second City Training Centre by comedic gurus such as Paul Shoebridge, Dimetre Alexiou, Todd Charon and Barry Goldman. It had gone on hiatus a few years ago and then we started running it again in downtown Toronto a little over a year ago in conjunction with our successful 5-year+ run of WINProv.

The show is Hockey themed and involves two teams of 5 players each going head-to-head in 10-minute periods of long-form improv. We may throw in a few curve balls, but don’t worry we’ll explain it all.

If you are interested in performing with us and can commit to the date, then please send us an email with the subject heading: IMPROV NIGHT IN CANADA AT THE ROSE – to: [email protected] with your improv resume (or just acting resume which highlights your improv experience). If we don’t know you personally then please send along your headshot as well.

Please feel free to share this with your friends and colleagues.
We appreciate everyone who submits, but apologize that we will only be able to contact those who are chosen to perform with us.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at the email above or via our page on Facebook if you have any questions.

FIVE things I’ve learned from being in the same improv team for five years

04/09/2018

This is a great article about improv teams and partnerships. Some great advice here.

FIVE things I’ve learned from being in the same improv team for five years Today is the fifth anniversary of my science fiction improv team, Project2.

03/22/2018

To all of Focus UP's teacher friends. A little lol.

03/07/2018

Love this guy! Love his shouting out to others in the room. But it's also a great little make up tutorial.

Why Improv Comedy Will Give You the Best Mindset for Life

12/18/2017

A great article about using improv to improve your life.

Why Improv Comedy Will Give You the Best Mindset for Life Improvisation comedy will teach you to improv life. Life is rough sometimes (all the time) with these walls and barriers and judgments we've set f...

10/06/2017

If you haven't heard of Allison Hammond of This Morning and watched her celebrity interviews... do. You're welcome!

This Morning Join Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes as we meet the people behind the stories that matter, chat to the hottest celeb...