Have you ever tried to explain an improv scene you experienced? Maybe you were onstage, or in the audience, and you want a friend to understand how much fun it was to be there. It’s near impossible. Sure, you explained all the moments, you have all the right details in the right order, but something is missing. It’s near impossible to duplicate the energy in your description. The mix of laughter and support is hard to capture. Ultimately, you just mutter, “it’s hard to explain. I wish you were there!“
I had a very improv moment with a bunch of turkeys last week. If you live in Roseville or Rocklin you know there are A LOT of turkeys. And, listen, I don’t want to get “Big Turkey“ mad at me, but they’re not the smartest birds. When they want to cross the street, they’re going. They’re not looking, they’re going. If you’re driving, you’re stopping.
Well, hopefully. Sometimes, this car/turkey combo doesn’t go well.
But…last week? It went great! Four lanes of traffic stopped to let a family of turkeys scurry across the road. Seven little turkeys just doing their best. And, no one seemed angry. Everyone just helped out. It was awesome to watch.
Improv is a lot like these little turkeys, the road, and the drivers. So, who represents what in this metaphor? Let’s do a quick casting call:
The role of improv scene itself will be played by the turkeys.
The role of improvisers and the audience will be the cars.
The stage equals road.
And, finally the role of “someone looking too deeply into turkeys crossing the road“ will be played by me.
Great. We all have our parts. Now, onto the beauty of the moment! An improv scene is just a bunch of turkeys trying to survive while barreling across the road. We all have that moment of worry when we initiate a scene: will this scene make it? We can’t do everything ourselves in a scene. We have to trust we will have some help. The moment you realize your team of improvisers are listening, caring about your idea and it space to grow and thrive is unique and energizing. It’s hard to describe. It’s like watching a team of people making space for some animals trying to cross the road. It’s kindness and inspiring when everyone works together.
And, I understand it probably sounds goofy when I say, “I wish you were there.“
After an Improv Playground, I usually can’t go to sleep for a couple of hours because I’m so fired up. It’s very life-giving. If you want to join us for an Improv Playground I teach every Tuesday and Thursday. You can check out the calendar here. Have a great day!