I recently had a fascinating conversation with Will Dennis, a high school theology teacher and founder of Unscripted Productions, an improv studio dedicated to helping individuals and teams discover their full potential. With a unique background spanning professional theatre, campus ministry, and applied improvisation, Will currently teaches world religions and discernment at Villa Joseph Marie, an all-girls Catholic high school in Pennsylvania.

What makes Will's work particularly compelling is his conviction that improv—rooted in radical acceptance and contribution—can genuinely change the world. In our discussion, we explored the profound connections between improvisational theatre and spirituality, particularly through the lens of Ignatian principles like presence, discernment, and finding God in all things. Will shared how improv has become a laboratory for experiencing deep spiritual truths about acceptance, vulnerability, and collaborative co-creation, offering insights that bridge the sacred and the seemingly silly in remarkable ways.

Read Will's Substack

Unscripted Productions

God's emotional responses are not rooted in ego or woundedness like human resentment, despair, or vengeance. Instead, divine emotions such as righteous anger, sadness, concern, disappointment, and the desire for justice flow from unconditional love and seek the wholeness and restoration of all creation.

Western Christianity often approaches artificial intelligence with anxiety rooted in dualistic thinking that separates the spiritual from the material, human from machine. Non-dualistic elements within Christian traditions, particularly Ignatian spirituality, offer a more integrated vision that can help us engage with AI as a potential extension of divine creativity rather than a threat to human uniqueness.

Gratitude forms the cornerstone of Ignatian spirituality, establishing the proper relationship between the gift-giver God and humans as recipients rather than takers. This fundamental orientation shapes our entire spiritual life, fostering virtues like humility and generosity whilst providing a powerful antidote to anxiety and negativity.

Language holds profound theological meanings that reveal connections between ordinary speech and divine reality. Jesus' teachings demonstrate how everyday words and concepts can bridge the sacred and secular, inviting us to perceive God's presence in common language.

In an era of societal anxiety and political fear, authentic spiritual hope provides an anchor through connection to our inner centre where we meet God. This hope, as modelled by Simeon and Anna, emerges through joy and active compassion, enabling us to remain present to both suffering and possibility.

Our culture commodifies time, but moments of genuine rest can become encounters with true reality. Through five theological principles—gift, freedom, contemplation, Sabbath, and anticipation—we discover that leisure isn't about escaping reality but about entering more deeply into it, where we encounter our true identity as beloved children of God rather than mere productive units.

Journey through a modern take on St. Ignatius' meditation on the Incarnation. See our digital world—with its smartphones, climate challenges, and global connections—through divine eyes. This Advent reflection, concluding with an original song, explores how God continues to enter our contemporary reality.

Explore other meditations on the Ignatian Audio Meditations podcast feed.

While institutions often create complex rules to protect "simple" people, Jesus did the opposite: he kept the law simple while honoring human complexity. His radical approach trusted people's capacity for growth and authentic relationship with God, offering core values rather than elaborate regulations.

Prayer is more about relationship with the divine than a means of control, though humans naturally seek to make meaning from random and profound moments alike. Embracing life's mysteries while finding authentic meaning requires moving beyond simple answers to deeper questions of faith and existence.