Today we’d like to introduce you to Shana Merlin.
Shana, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I took my first improv class, I sucked. I was terrible at it. I mean, we would go around the circle and everyone would have their turn and when it came to me, the game would have to stop. I would break the game. And we’d have to start over.
Luckily I was young and cute and nice. And I laughed at everyone’s jokes, so people didn’t mind having me around. And I had a major crush on my teacher and a talent crush on all the guys in the improv troupe that was running the theater in Atlanta, called Dad’s Garage.
And I got hooked on improv at Dad’s Garage because of another mistake. It was 1995 and the Atlanta Braves were in the World Series. But me and my drama club nerd friends had no idea we left our suburb and went into the city to watch at show at Dad’s Garage. When we got there, the box office volunteer was very apologetic and explained there would be no show tonight–everyone was watching the baseball game. And then they made a mistake–they handed us a stack of free passes to make up for wasting our time. We were bored suburban drama geeks with limited allowance. And we used every one of those passes, coming back week after week to see free shows.
And that’s how I got hooked on improv and started taking classes there and started sucking. But I stuck with it. And eventually, I was in a student show doing a very timely scene about this new thing called “online dating.” My scene-mate showed up for our date and I twisted my face to look as ugly as possible, apparently nothing like my profile pic. The audience roared with laughter. And as soon as I thought what they would want next, I would do it and they would laugh and I got a high score for the scene –a 5– and was hooked ever since.
I fell in love with improv because I was feeling so in control–I was the writer, director, actor, and casting agent all at the same time. And I was totally out of control–making it up on the spot with other people in front of a live audience. That tension was exhilarating. Plus the work scratched so many itches. I used my brain, my body, my voice, my knowledge, my experiences, my heart–all contributing to my performance. I felt full of life. Full of connection. I was feeling rewarded for being funny and ugly and weird and loud and smart all these things that I felt a 16 years old girl is not supposed to be.
I moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas and kept up my improv habit. By the time I graduated college in 2000, the group I was a part of was opening their own theater. My first job out of college was helping open that theater and improv school. A few years later, I went out on my own offering improv classes and eventually opening my own Improv School in East Austin. Students kept coming back to me telling me how their silly little improv hobby had transformed them at work and they were wondering if I could come to their job and fix everyone else they work with. So I started offering team building and communication skills workshops to businesses. And it took off.
Today I have The Merlin Works Institute For Improvisation at the prestigious ZACH Theatre in downtown Austin and I spend my days delivering corporate training and interactive keynote presentations across Texas and the nation. I’ve been serving clients such as HomeAway, Dell, T-Mobile, and Deloitte as well as schools and non-profits. Some of my most requested programs are on the topics of team building, communication, sales, persuasion, leadership, medical communications, and creativity. After training at the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, I became a lecturer in the College of Medicine Texas A&M University and an associate at the Center for Health Communication at the University of Texas Dell Medical School and Moody College of Communication. And I’m still performing with B Iden Payne Award Winning Girls Girls Girls Improvised Musicals.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
For many years, I felt I had a pretend business. I had a website and business cards and even did a little work sometimes. It felt fake for many years until one day I realized that I actually know what I’m doing and I’ve build something really successful. So I definitely had to fake it till I made it.
I’ve found this to be true in my own life as well. As my old buddy Robby Slaughter said, to change a relationship, you have to put it at risk. And for me, it wasn’t until I was truly contemplating shutting my business down that I could see radical new options for it to thrive.
Also, at some point my ambition ran headfirst in to being a woman and having a family. I had been running my improv comedy school out of a space in East Austin for about five years when all the shit hit the fan. I had a baby and my business was in the toilet. Registrations were tanking. Revenue was down. I was a ball of tired, angry, defeat.
This was not what I was expecting when I was planning for my maternity leave. So many people told me how great it was that I had a flexible job. I could ramp down and ramp back up as I pleased. The only problem is, my company was about to not exist. And it’s really hard to come back to work somewhere that doesn’t exist. I mean, it’s hard to take maternity leave from a major corporation too, but you know they will still be in business 3-6 months later when you return. I had trained teachers, handed off the work, administering it from home in starts and fits when I had childcare help. But the numbers didn’t lie. Things weren’t working.
Then a few months into my maternity leave, my business partner, who produced the performances that complimented my classes, needed to wind down his part of the business. So I was faced with the choice of taking on even more work of shutting it all down. It might have been the hormones or the serious sleep deprivation, but I was ready to raise the white flag. I had a partner who was making good money. Why not just do this mom thing for a while and let Merlin Works fold?
I told this plan to my friend Karen LaShelle when I ran into her. I was on a walk with my mom and new baby and let her know I was ready to give up on my business. She said no, that wasn’t going to happen. She said we’d get coffee and figure it out. And we did. She helped me think of other locations I could have my improv school, ways to do it without weekly shows, and take a look at the resources and connections I had. Well, I moved my improv school to a more upscale theater and the next year was the best year of business yet. My classes were filling plus, with the credentials of this professional theater space behind me, my corporate training business picked up as well.
And I stopped fighting the whole Merlin/Arthurian tales thing from my last name. I named my faculty improv troupe The Known Wizards. I started introducing myself as Shana Merlin, The Improv Wizard. I had a photoshoot in full wizard gear and posted my most liked post of 2013: Me, at Lucy in Disguise: I’m here to pick up a wizard costume. Them: What’s the name? Me: Merlin.
What I take away from this story is that it wasn’t until I was really faced with the possibility of failure that I was able to truly innovate. It wasn’t until I was ready to let go of what I had to see what I could be. Failure can be a friend that way.
What should we know about Merlin Works Improv? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Merlin Works provides hands-on workshops, interactive presentations, and even virtual sessions using the tools and techniques from the world of improvisational theater to help people be more present, connected and fun. We’re known for walking that like between fun and professional. We get everyone laughing and playing while making clear connections to how it applies to everyday work and communications challenges. Also, I get a lot of feedback about my beautiful curly hair. So there’s that.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
My mom is my biggest inspiration. When I was six years old, she opened her own business in the new field of childcare placement agencies. She worked tirelessly and had very high ethical standards. She supported our family and had an office with employees in our home so she could be around and available to all of her four kids. She was an amazing boss lady in the 80’s when that kind of option was just opening up to a lot of women.
Pricing:
- Improv 101 Class $225
- Improv Singing 101 Class $250
Contact Info:
- Address: 4028 Berkman Dr
- Website: www.merlin.works
- Phone: 5126563005
- Email: shana@merlin.works
- Instagram: merlin_works
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/merlinworks/
- Other: www.merlin-works.com
Image Credit:
Leading Ice Breakers at the Health Communication Leadership Institute
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
