Some Thoughts on Improv
(from periodic pre/post-workshop emails to participants)
Two preface suggestions:
- Read lots of plays from various playwrights (the more varied the better). As each improvisor in a scene is participating in creating a play (short or long) on the fly, being exposed to varying styles of dialogue and how characters act and interact provides one with a rich and expansive palette to draw from.
- More lifting but I can’t recommend it highly enough - take acting classes. Two great Bay Area resources: Studio A.C.T (SF)and Berkeley Rep.
11/19
Clearly there are many approaches to improv. For me, it boils down to play, with an orientation toward theater rather than, though not completely separate from, comedy. If funny comes, great. If it doesn't, also great.
The core being striving for heightened moments of authenticity. Heightened because that's why we perform/watch, to experience something we don't experience everyday. Authentic because when we believe ourselves in whatever character develops, so much rich ground is laid out for us, our scene partners, and the audience.
I see the gateway to this being character, heavily supported by the other key elements of relationship, place, objective/why, etc. Just as we see in all performance mediums, characters can be subtle or wild, always with an aim toward authenticity. As Stella Adller wrote and was fond of bellowing while pounding her desk (as seen in videos of her teaching) - acting comes from the soul, not the words.
To get there, we need to develop practices that minimize our self-consciousness and fear.
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12/10
So much exceptional creation by you all. Some of the many areas:
Explored/created the space
Rich characters
Being moved/changed
Risk
Playful
Space objects
Some encouragements:
Make it deeply personal to your character.
Discover/revel in characteristics of your character.
Continue to explore the space.
Be malleable (based on new feelings that arise in you/reactions from your scene partner).
Volume (while keeping it authentic).
Embrace quiet moments if they come as opportunities to delve deeper into how you feel/what's bubbling.
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1/7
- Make choices that delight you, be they light/heavy, subtle/extreme. You, your scene partners, and the audience will feed off of it.
- Develop the where (closet, stove, swimming pool, bar, cave, cliff, ...).
- Explore the stage.
- Having a developed where and exploring the space fosters action and intention (find a sweater in the closet, put on the tea kettle, balance on the end of the diving board ...) which can be a great source of fuel.
- Play.
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1/21
-Discover/revel in the nuances of your character.
- Trust "hits" that come to you. While sometimes they may be fully formed ideas, often they're just the germ of an idea, an impulse. Act on them. Be willing to open your mouth without knowing fully what you're going to say. Trust that the hit is rooted in feeling and thereby will likely add something meaty to build on. At the least, the practice fosters the clearing out of the conduit between heart, brain, and mouth, which societal forces are so efficient at clogging up.
- If you find yourself in interpersonal conflict that feels shallow (e.g. banal bickering), raise the stakes (make it life or death, be deeply moved, confess/reveal something, ...).Resending the two clips below from the movie Phantom Thread that, for me, show the potential for delight in interpersonal conflict.
- Explore the stage.
- Develop the where.
Clips:
https://youtu.be/fn5dXUu_qxM?si=HxiCfMzGNvzv3Wjc
https://youtu.be/YWKMH6ssnzg?si=afQb6FHKHrzeH-Mu
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1/22
- Referencing people who aren't on stage can be interesting and add to the picture/story. With that said, a common trap is focusing too heavily on someone who isn't there. If that starts to happen, bring it back to and make it personal for you and your scene partner.
- If you feel locked in place, make the choice to move. That can be driven by a hit as simple as "I need to move" in which case, you don't need to know all the particulars right away but can develop the intention while moving or when you get somewhere new physically. Just as an example, the unfolding could be something along the lines of: I'm going to cross the stage. I'm going to reach down and open a drawer. It's my dresser (we're in my bedroom). I'm looking for my grandmother's engagement ring. ...
- A tenet of Groundlings training is two people up and the scene starts with each person doing some activity, each periodically looking at the other, then eventually talking. It's a great way to set a foundation based on action which can be a powerful source for informing everyone (including the audience).
- Offers. Be a creator of and have a voracious appetite for receiving and acting on offers. Offers can be about you, your scene partner, your relationship, environmental forces, etc. Try not to let offers go unrecognized (they can be full of rich opportunities and the audience sees them all). With that in mind, be aware of not loafing up too many offers (as they say at BATS, the first offer is usually the best). An example of this might be something like: Person A: "I love what you've done to your place." That's a great opening to delve into what the space looks/feels like, why you've done what you've done, what person A likes about it (and why), etc. As opposed to person B then saying: "Thanks. I heard you're going back to school.", etc.
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1/29
- Let emotion drive you. It's fine to "concoct" emotion just to prime the pump but let it sink in so it becomes true/authentic - that's when it can truly change your character and your scene partner.
- Reveal something deeply personal about your character. For the other person(s), let it land and affect you before responding/reacting.
- Cross the stage or make some other significant location change. Great if you have a clear hit before moving but if not, let the reason/motivation come as you move/when you arrive someplace new.
-Start doing something (any space object work) - and really commit to it, with close attention to every detail. No need to talk about what you're doing as that takes away from the personal dynamic between you and your scene partner.
- Be aware of not putting too much focus on people who aren't present. When in doubt, bring it back to you and your scene partner and make it personal to your character.
- Stop talking and get physical - bring it back to your body.
- Expand the story via the "and" in yes/and or no/and.
- Something compelling just happened on the fourth wall - what was it?
- This is less concrete, but I think powerful in an overarching way: You're the playwright; what do you want to create? There's no limit, so might as well go for something that thrills you in some way (subtle or big).
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2/18
I was recently introduced to the notion of being curious about one's character. Really like that concept as a prompt for delving into the specifics and nuances of a character (physical/mental/emotional/vocal ...), while navigating not being in one's head.
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2/24
Thought I'd pass on some ideas in the form of "The 11 Points" which Groundlings instructor Holly Mandel distributed on a business card so they could be kept handy:
EASE
LISTENING
YES AND (No Judgement)
CHARACTER DRIVEN INFO AND BEHAVIOR
FORTHCOMING-NESS
NOT GRINDING AND ALLOWING EMERGENCE
PRESENT AND WILLING TO PIVOT
LOGIC
WE>ME
COMMITMENT
PLAY & HAVE FUN
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3/11
STATUS
I've been thinking a bit about status in improv and thought I'd share some ideas on it.
As in many things, I'd encourage asking, "Do I default toward one type or another in my character choices?" If so, try playing with the other extreme and then all points in between.
I'd also preface each idea below with: "Not always, but very often..."
Generally, I think there's a tendency to assume that associated with the high and low status spectrum is a parallel characteristic range of domineering/mean to submissive/nice, which is very limiting. Among the many compelling examples to the contrary: the high-powered CEO who has a deep respect and trust for her lower-status assistant; the fool who's wiser than the king, ...
High Status:
- Often driven by an improviser's fear (I can't be hurt if I'm in control).
- Can take the form of being angry at the other person which is often lacking in substance and a dead-end dynamic (where do we go from here if you just don't like me?).
- Can manifest in initiating physical contact, potentially a subconscious way of taking control. Physical contact can be very powerful, I'd just encourage checking to see if it's something one does by default and why.
- Per above, high status does not necessarily manifest as meanness (though it certainly can).
-Can be a wonderful world of eccentricity and adventure.
Low Status:
- Also often driven by an improviser's fear (I can't be knocked down if I'm already down).
- Playing low status can be a ton of fun and very freeing, allowing for vulnerability and not having to be right, in control, high-performing, etc. It can be a beautiful world where one feels free to be out there with abandon, while not necessarily tied to inferior intelligence or ability.
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3/13
CHARACTERS
Focus on transcending into another person and their world. It's certainly easier said than done. Some thoughts on how to approach character embodiment:
Be more self-centered. I realize that may sound counter to common improv ideology but since you are already very connected with and supportive of your scene partners (which is great), you don't risk going too far. Or if you do, you can always dial it back a bit. When you fully embody a character, your scene partner(s) and the audience will thrive on it.
Expand your physicality. It doesn't need to be big/fast, just distinct physical choices you commit to (though I'd encourage going as big as you can, you can always tone it down).
Use the entire space to inform who you are/how tou navigate/what you want.
Just like in the 10@10 exercise (10 characters in 100 seconds), seek out physical/vocal/emotional kernels on which to build a character. It's fine to premeditate these outside the theater. In fact, I'd recommend it.
A great way into this that I picked up in a character embodiment class:
While you're out in the world watch people and imitate them, without getting into a fight :) Do that for person after person you see, be they walking towards or in front of you, hanging out within sight, etc. Look particularly for those who seem like a stretch for you. Build up as many initial characteristics for each as possible: how they walk, what they do with their body/hands/face/mouth/posture, how they speak (tone of voice, speech patterns, ...), overall air, etc.
Choose a few from the above frameworks and build them out at home or somewhere you can have some privacy, or, if you’re feeling particularly bold, in public (I encourage that). Move like them, talk like them, think like them. Since these are evolutions of the actual people you initially saw, they're not confined to what those people were actually doing, they're now yours to develop how you want, how they delight you.
Bring those characters to the stage/room and sink into them/evolve them on the fly.
As you build a cohort of these characters, feel free to break them out at anytime, but let them adapt to the current situation. They’re never the same in each incarnation.
Continue to add completely new characters either pre-developed or spontaneously discovered. And if you find yourself defaulting to a couple/few, make the conscious choice to explore others.
Harness inspiration from characters you find intriguing/a stretch for you from any source (movies, tv, plays, novels, etc.).