Robert Bateman Improv Team - September 27th, 2010

Hey gang

My apologies for not completing my reflection sooner. Here it is, though, in all its glory.

Handshakes

A grateful and sincere 'Thank You' to Sadie and Erin for running 'Handshakes'. That game was super fun! I hope everybody forged a new connection with somebody. Hey, if you see your partner in the hall, do your secret handshake. Why not, right?

That game was excellent and fun. I had a blast watching everybody.

Singsong Circle

It's very difficult to get up in front of people to talk or speak, let alone sing! This game is tough for some people, and that's alright. Part of the game involves becoming more comfortable with the people you'll be singing in front of. Once you overcome your initial hesitation, you'll find a surprisingly complex game of Association right in front of you.

Association is the process of relating two ideas. It happens all the time in Improv. You may hear someone utter the phrase 'What happens next?' That question merely asks that you associate the current situation with the next logical step. In the 'What happens next?' example, no one is asking you to shatter the world with your association. It could be as simple as the following exchange:

Person 1: "A young man opens a door and walks into a room."
Person 2: "What happens next?"
Person 1: "He sees an unopened letter on the table."
Person 2: "What happens next?"
Person 1: "He walks towards the table and picks up the letter."

Boom. Simple. With Singsong, you're being asked to associate lines of songs with other lines of songs. One thing will lead to another, and we will always get an interesting lineup of songs.

Person 1: "All you need is love..."
Person 2: "L is for the way you look at me..."
Person 3: "I'm looking through you, where did you go?"
Person 4: "I am slowly going crazy 1 2 3 4 5 6 switch..."
Person 5: "ABC! Easy as 123!"

And so on. We will play this game again in the future, as I find it's a simple and silly way to get people into a positive frame of mind. Fear dissipates when you're singing and having fun with friends.

Fear begets Thinking

Mick Napier, in 'Improvise: Scene from the Inside Out', puts together a thought-provoking series of events. When people become afraid, they will start thinking about the situation so that they may prevent an unwanted outcome. They will do and say things that they think are safe and appropriate. This process is called being 'in your head'. I'm certain you've experienced it before. Do you ever become quiet and unresponsive when you are seriously thinking about all the options that lie before you? I know for a fact that I have. You're trying to decide what to say or do to prevent embarrassment or harm. All the while you're thinking, though, things are going on around you.

Good Improv has nothing to do with safety or appropriateness. People don't come to Improv shows to see people mull over the options that are available. They come out to see people play. And they want to see you play like crazy.

When people start thinking, they often choose to engaging in protective behaviour. That is, behaviour that will put the most distance between them, and fear or embarrassment.

What does this look like in an Improv scene? It could look like any number of things. Perhaps people ask questions of other performers, rather than making decisions. They 'Hmm' and 'Haa' while trying to decide what should happen. They retreat to the back of the stage. They break character or lose track of their 'Deal'. (You'll learn the term 'Deal' soon enough.) They accuse other performers' characters of being crazy. They could talk about things rather than doing them. Lots of things can be interpreted as being protective behaviour. The point, though, is that it is not preferable on stage.

So, let's work to eliminate fear. It's a lofty goal, but no one said that we were going to set our sights at anything lower than incredible.

If you're looking to read a book, I definitely suggest Napier's 'Improvise'. (Also, Johnstone's 'Impro'. And Halpern's 'Truth in Comedy'. Also? Malcolm Gladwell's 'Outliers'. I'm sort of getting off-track.)

Truthful 'Love' Monologues

What a spectacular experience. Watching as everybody made the move from professing love to arbitrary objects (perhaps out of fear!), to describing things they actually love and care about.

I mean, sure, they're nice windows, and the floor was definitely very clean and shiny. I personally preferred hearing people say they love their grandmother, or how they love writing with ballpoint pens. Those moments are truthful, sincere, real. They're wonderful.

I spoke with Sadie briefly after her monologue. I observed that her hands were shaking. She admitted that it was nerve-wracking to get up in front of everybody and say things she loves. I told her that her feelings were legitimate, as she wasn't on stage, acting as a character. She was on stage as herself, sharing things about herself. And that's a tough thing to do. But dang if it isn't a wonderful exercise in trust and truth.

~

We didn't do very many different games on Monday, but I hope that they were worthwhile. I certainly enjoyed everything that we did. On Friday, I would like to start doing some scene work. We'll see how that goes. I think we'll be just fine.

As always, here is your homework:
1) Reflect! If you post your reflection in the comments section, I will read it. If you want me to read your reflection, but don't feel comfortable posting it on the improg, then bring it with you on Friday. I will read it.
2) Become inspired! Look up Improv books and watch Improv videos. Get ideas!
3) Greet every improviser you see. Use names!

Thanks again gang. Monday was great.

Cheers,

Cliff