Hello international impro friends!
Well, it has happened!
My book has arrived.
I can't begin to describe the feelings. Excitement, nervousness, joy and fear.
Fear?
Yes fear.
Fear of the unknown.
Writing a book is like an impro scene.
The play to please hands control over to others leaving the improvisor as vulnerable as a leaf in the wind being blown around by the opinions of others. When we value our work only on the opinions of others we create a cycle of vulnerability and need. We begin to seek out praise, adjusting our work to achieve the dopamine hit.
This can be very dangerous to people's self esteem and can create an opportunity for others to exploit and manipulate, especially if there are power dynamics, like casting, involved.
We need to allow ourselves to be productively stupid again. To not know the answers and be delighted and curious by the questions. To get back into discovery and move away from delivery.
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Our emotional response to the note makes it negative or positive. If you are seeking validation and praise in notes then any note that doesn’t reward you, will be perceived as negative because it will rub your ego the wrong way. However, if you are listening to notes for information you will hear this note as that and be curious to learn more.
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Process rehearsals work in solving problems together as a team so notes are necessary as it is input of information to help understand if we solved the problems or we need to try new approaches.
End goal rehearsals work in identifying what you should and should not do in a very right and wrong mentality. It creates more individual and less team focus.
I’ve just had the wonderful experience of playing and directing the London 50 hour soap a thon. The theme was Western and the show called The Good, The Bad and The Fifty – a marvellous title.
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Children choosing their own outfit are wonderful to watch. Exploration, expression of individuality and choices. Choices made regardless of how people might respond because the response is not the objective, getting dressed is.
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As a student or audience member of improvisation you may have noticed that the spelling changes. Sometimes impro, sometimes improv. That magical mystery appearing and disappearing V.
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There has been, of late, a lot of horrifying and enlightening discussions regarding discrimination and sexual harassment in the improvisation community.
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Inspire Your Partner is a very important phrase. It goes hand in hand with Make Your Partner Look Good. Both of these are my impro mantras and what I aim towards each time I teach, perform or direct.
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I’d like to share my thoughts on a statement that is seeping into the international improvisation lexicon like a horrible mould. A statement I find in complete contradiction to our principals of supporting your partner and valuing them and their ideas.
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Internationally there is a Format explosion! Everyone is creating one and festivals now seem to be more focused on format presentation and format workshops, then collaboration between groups and skills development.
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Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.- Edward de Bono
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A little over a month ago I was in a show and there was a scene in which two men kissed. The audience was laughing loudly at the kiss. In contrast I found myself mentally sighing. At the time I thought I had that reaction because I had seen this gag before.
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The fine folk at We Are Improv asked me to write a blog post focusing on a favourite game or exercise and I picked He Said / She Said or as it is also known as Stage Directions.
Here is the LINK TO WE ARE IMPROV PAGE.
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I’m quite excited by a discovery from the Scene Work class a few weekends ago.
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Years ago I started playing with a long form idea which was eventually titled Mortal Coil. After a few facebook comments it was suggested I should write a blog about it
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What if we greeted everyone on the street as a potential scene partner. We embrace their entrance into our scene of life.
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