Make Improv Comfortable

Over the last year I’ve gotten more into photography, and like very hobby…it requires buying some gear.

What was the piece of the gear that made the biggest difference?

Lenses?

Camera body?

Adobe Lightroom?

Nope. It was a strap. When I bought the Sony 6400, I quickly became annoyed with the basic strap they provided. While taking pictures someone noticed my frustration with the factory strap, and suggested, buying a Peak Design strap. They weren’t cheap, but as the photographer suggested, “it’s comfortable and lets you focus on your photography.“

In short, the strap helps me focus on taking pictures. That’s why I’m walking around the park….to take pictures. I don’t want to spend time thinking about comfort. I want to go into a photoshoot as comfortable as possible so I can just perform.

I think it’s the same with improv. What can do or give yourself before a night of improvisation that makes the experience fun? What little gift can you give yourself to help you focus on the scene, and your scene partner?

For instance, I realized a couple of weeks into improv, “I improvise better on an empty stomach.“ So, I eat before a performance. I know that little change makes a difference, and helps me get to the fun.

Maybe clothes? Are you comfortable? Get comfortable! Make those personal conditions something you want to return to, because if it’s a struggle you might give up, and say, “improv isn’t for me.“

I might have given up if I didn’t buy that strap because that small discomfort and frustration would ONLY occur when I was out taking pictures. I’d link discomfort and frustration to photography and probably give up.

Make success easier for yourself in improv. Think about what little comforts you can give yourself.

Where to Find Names?

One of the best things to do in an improv scene is name someone. It helps you, your team, and the audience loves a name. I’ll sit and think about that more one day but it’s a fact…audiences LOVE a name. You name someone, and 75% of the time it gets a giggle. I’m not sure WHY it gets that giggle…but I’m pretty confident about that 75%.

Naming someone helps you SEE the character, and maybe even help make some assumptions about that person. For isntance, naming a person “Chuckles” hits different than “Cleteus Buchwack III.”

But…you ask…about to walk into an improv scene….where do I find names? Where can I find GOOD names? We all have our go to names onstage like “Nick,“ “Sarah,” “Reginald.”

But, what aout those creative names that’ll help inspire the team and intrigue the audience?

Well, while taking my cats to the vet today (don’t worry…they’re OK! Just an annual checkup), I noticed the boarad at Banfield in Roseville listed out ALL the animal names they’d be seeing today.

You know what’s unique? Pet names! People have so much fun naming their pets. We can always bring that same level of play and fun into our improv games. Improv is play afterall…so have fun with the names. And, if you’re having a hard time thinking of a name swing by a pet store and check out all the names of todays patients.

Izzy?

Miss Hnedricks?

Jelly Bean?

Now we’re talkin! These could all add a lot of inspiration to a character.

(I tried to snap this picture it quickly without someone noticing. I didn’t want someone asking, “why are you taking pictures of animal names?” But..you get the idea…pet names are great for naming characters in an improv scene.)

Hope you have a fantastic day!

Improv Monologue

First, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Second, I wanted to share this incredible moment last week at Improv Playground…and even better…Rachel took a picture of it!

Every week after Improv Playground I hold a free long-form improv session. It’s a one hour deeper dive into some aspect of improv. Sometimes we work on formats, or space object work, or editing, or…like last week…we worked on characters.

Character work can be hard, and the improv exercise last week was challenging: character monologues. We circled up, and any improviser could stand in the center while improvisers on the perimeter would gift character attributes. These gifts could be a name, age, occupation, accent, etc. After three gifts, the improviser would have to give a monologuye as that character. The monologue could be about anything, but inspired by the gifts everyone provided. Each monologue lasts about 30 seconds. That’s thirty seconds of people watching you.

Of course, I never pressure anyone to jump in, but everyone is invited to try.

Letting go and becoming someone else in front of peers….it can be easier said than done.

Lindsey was very nervous, but jumped in the circle. Watching someone punch fear in the face, and jump into a character monologue is pretty amazing! It’s nerve wracking to have all eyes on you. The spotlight is bright, and it can be intimidating, but Lindsey trusted herself, and discovered this beautiful character.

She became a pilot and teacher who wrote children’s books.

If that was the only thing that happened, I’d say, “That was fun! She crushed it!”

But the moment became more, because as her character continued she asked everyone to, “please sit down,” as if we were students.

And everyone in the group sat down!

I get a little emotional thinking about it. 

I know. I know. You might be thinking, “emotional? Paul. Calm down. Why is this such an important thing?“

I’d be happy to explain. Thanks for the opportunity!

I always tell students in improv classes, “we’re a team.” Even if it’s an improv game, we still want to help eachother. We “win” by making out teammates looks good. 

And, here was a teammate we all knew was nervous, and we wanted to help. The way we could help was to become the students sitting during the monologue. We were invited into the scene, and accepted. We didn’t ignore the request, we supported our teammate. ALL 14 other improvisers there sat down. It was a group-mind moment. NONE of the 14 other improvisers took focus, we just added the the monologue. 

This was Lindsay’s moment, and she asked us to be a part of it.

We all begin improv as strangers. We don’t know what will happen, but trust in each other and the moment. We meetup every week because we want to explore improv together. Sitting down for Lindsay’s character was a reminder, that we’re here for each other.

Rachel sent me a picture, and I’m so grateful I can look back and hold onto this moment.

I’m very grateful for this supportive improv community. Showing up every week and sharing improv lessons and ideas, and seeing them embraced by strangers who become friends is one of the best parts of my life. I’m lucky to work with so many people willing to take risks,  “yes, and,” be there for each other.

If you’re reading this and thinking, how can I be a part of this, join us at the Improv Playground.

I’m not trying to turn this blog post into a commercial, but I do understand a lot of people don’t realize they CAN do this. I guess that’s why the moment last week at improv stood out to me too, it was someone realizing they can create something, and everyone saying, “we’ll help!“