Be invested in the moment

My practice coach today Dewey gave a good pep talk today, which really spoke to me:

To paraphrase his words:
It doesn't matter if someone just did a brilliant scene before you or will do a brilliant scene after you.  Whatever you have to say is interesting because your life experiences are different from anyone else's and your response is naturally going to be different than someone else's.  The only thing you need to do is to be invested in the moment...because when you show that you care about the scene, that will cause the audience to be invested as well.

 

Getting out of Your head

A nice post that I'm going to try to focus more on this week...as lately I've been really into my head.

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http://agentsofimprov.blogspot.com/2008/07/getting-out-of-your-head.html

In my time at Agents I’ve seen a few workshops pop up geared toward (but fail at) tackling ‘being in your head’. For those of you not familiar with this term, being in your head, it’s the state of thinking so much in a scene it hinders your performance. It occurs when you realize you don’t know what to say and panic, or when you know what you’re going to say ahead of time (for shame). The effects are obvious and visible: lowered response time, lack of scene progression, and horrible jokes that will feel like you’ve been robbed of your innocense. Quite the catastrophe.

The first common problem with trying to get out of your head is that you try to think of ways to get out of your head. Suddenly, you realize with horror, that you’re still in your head and thinking about getting out of it is only making it worse. Then you try to think of a way to stop thinking, but curses you’re back inside your head! Before you know it, your scene is over and it sucked. The cycle will likely continue for the rest of your practice/show.

Now every workshop I’ve been to about getting out of your head all dealt with mental techniques to get you out, but if you follow Einstein (he’s a pretty smart guy) you know that a problem can never be solved on the same level it’s created. So the only way to get out of your head is to do something. Anything. It’s doesn’t matter what it is or what you say, I can guarantee you it’s better than doing nothing .

Want more specifics? Fine. Make a sound. It can a gargle, a chortle, a wang-dang-doodle, the exact sound doesn’t matter. Keep it going and it’ll form itself into a sentence. Again, it doesn’t matter what. I’ve started scenes with “Mmmmmmmorning!”. A pretty shitty opening, but it doesn’t matter because at least you have something to work with. Usually that alone is enough to get you going. If not, try reaching out for an item. The way you move your hands (the angle of your wrists, shape of your grip, whether you are using one hand or two) will cause your brain to give you the first logical choice. It’ll be there, right as rain. You can even do it now. Go on. See, that wasn’t so hard was it? It’s even a nice color.

There are a million (more like ten or so) exercises out there that will help get you out of your head, but they all come down to getting you to do something, because if you’re busy doing something you won’t have time to think!"

Upcoming Improv Class Performances

For those of you in the NYC area, these are my upcoming improv class performances that will be open to the public:

1. PIT Level 2 (3/19, 6pm @ 123 east 24th) 
2. Gotham City Level 1 (3/24, 9pm @ 48 west 21st)
3. Magnet Level 1 (4/1, 8:30pm @ 254 west 29th)

I believe the cost of admission to each of these shows is $5.  After my performance on 4/1, I will be taking a short break from improv until May as I have an exam to study for.  But hope to see some of you... if I had to recommend one of these, I would pick the PIT Level 2, as the students there are a bit more advanced.

Establish the who, what, & where

When a scene is vague, it's difficult for both people to figure out how the scene should proceed.  Also, the audience is often left wondering the basic details of the scene and when they don't know these details, they start to lose interest.  So, it's best to get the details (the who, what, and where) of a scene out there as quickly as you can.

Person #1:  (making sandwiches)  Man, working at Subway blows!  (establishes the what and where)
Person #2:  (also makes sandwiches) Yes Jim, and I'm really glad that you've been working with me these past 5 years..otherwise I don't think I would have lasted so long.  (establishes who these people are to each other)

If you're scene partner provides some of the details, then do your best to fill in the missing parts (e.g. in the example above, the who they are to each other.  One scene partner is unlikely to provide the who, what, and where in the first line.  And even if you could, it's probably best not to do so, so that you can give your scene partner some input as to where the scene is going.  It's always best to give the gift of details to your scene partner (or about your scene partner).. and when you do so, he or she will be very grateful to have less pressure!

Object work

Object work is miming the objects or props used in the environment in which the scene will take place.  This is important as improv is generally performed without physical props -- A couple of chairs and a door on stage is generally the exception.  
Object work makes the scene a lot more believable (and interesting).  It's always a good idea to begin a scene with object work of some activity before you begin talking.  For example, one can pretend to hold a shovel and start digging.  Or one can pretend to hold a bowling ball and start bowling.  

3 ways to support the object work that your partner may have initiated in a scene (for example: a scene with a boxer who is training by punching a punching bag).

1. Exact replica.  Do the exact same activity with the same physical motions (and with the same emotions).  If your partner is boxer who is punching a punching bag with intensity.  You could pretend to also be working out nearby by punching another punching bag nearby with the same intensity.
2. Near replica.  Do the exact same activity but in a contrasting manner.  For example, if your partner looks like an amateur boxer punching a punching bag.  You could decide to look like an expert professional boxer by acting very confident and having very agile motions.  Or you could take another route and look like a very weak beginner, who can barely even punch the punching bag forward.
3. Supporting activity.  You could be stretching, folding towels, or doing some other activity that would be consistent with an environment where one would see a boxer practicing.

Other notes on Object Work:

• Object work should be done not only to initiate a scene, but throughout a scene.  So in between each time you bowl, you could grab your improv beer and start sipping that before your next roll.  Otherwise, it would look unrealistic to constantly bowl every 10 seconds throughout a scene.
• The object work should generally not be the focus of the scene.  If two people are digging a hole, it's better to discuss other things that are going on in the lives of the two people.  Two long time co-workers probably wouldn't be talking about the mundane details of digging a hole.
• If the object work is unclear to both partners, it's a good idea for one partner to clarify the situation.  This can be done by briefly mentioning something that will make it absolutely clear what activity they are doing.  (E.g. If your partner looks confused when you've been trying to pump air into bicycle tires for the past 15 seconds, you could mention to your partner, "You want to make sure that you pump these tires throughly.  We can't afford to have any more angry customers at this shop.")
• You (and your partner's) demeanor is also important!  It's been said that communication is mostly non-verbal.  So pay attention to how your partner is performing the object work (does he look upbeat, depressed, relaxed) and respond to that.

"Yes and.... "

For those of you who are completely clueless about improv, improv is a form of theater, where the actors on stage perform scenes spontaneously.  Oftentimes, the actors or improvisers will obtain a suggestion of some word (person, place, scenario, etc.), and then have to immediately act out a scene.

One of the first lessons that one is taught in an improv class is to always agree with your fellow improviser or partner on stage.  If he or she presents some piece of information, then it becomes your job to treat that piece of information as reality.  One simple way to do that is to simply say "Yes" and then add another piece of information to help support that reality.

Example #1 (what to do)

• Person 1:  "Jerry, tonight we're going to have the time of our lives at this party!"
• Person 2: "Yes... and it was a great idea for us to join the Alpha Gamma fraternity!"

Person 2 immediately agreed with Person 1 and helped to move the scene forward by adding the information that it's going to be a frat party and likely that the two of them are in college.

What we don't want to do is to deny the reality that your partner has created.  When we do this, it puts pressure to create a new reality.  It also may cause confusion and it generally makes the audience uncomfortable.  For example (of what not to do):

Example #2 (what not to do)

• Person 1: "Doctor Smith, I really question that diagnosis of Chlamydia you gave Jerry.  I've been practicing for 30 years and I'm pretty sure it's Herpes."
• Person 2: "I'm not a doctor."
• Person 1: "Uhh... Oh sorry, you must be the new secretary then..."

Example #3 (what not to do)

• Person 1: "This is my brand new car." (as he points towards an empty area)
• Person 2: (walks through the car as if it were nonexistent) "I don't see a car... but this is beautiful flying rug that you have here"
• Person 1: "Ohh.. my bad... I really need to have these glasses changed."

These scenes can still work.  However, it becomes much more difficult and the audience is less convinced that this is a scene that is worth watching.  So the lesson here is to always say yes to your partner so that the scene can quickly move forward to the meat of the scene (usually regarding the feelings that the people on stage have towards one another), rather than the audience spending some extra time seeing two actors having a difficult time agreeing on the facts of the scene.

Intro

About half a year ago, I heard about improv classes through a friend of mine, Tom Allen, who had advertised on his Facebook page about a free class through his instructor John Swist of QuickThinking improv.  Having been into improving my public speaking and communication skills the past few years, I thought that this might an interesting activity to try as well.  So I started showing up to Tom's improv class on Tuesdays and needless to say, I was not smooth at all during these classes.  I was probably one of the most awkward, nervous, verbally-challenged students in the room.  There were some discouraging moments..and there were times were I felt horrible.  But gradually I got better and after a short while, I moved on to taking a level 1 class at the People's Improv Theater (PIT), which required a class performance in front of a live audience after 8 weeks of classes.  Eventually through extra rehearsals and practicing in front of audiences with my fellow classmates, we eventually did the class performance in front of a packed house and it wasn't half bad!

After this PIT level 1 experience, I started to get hooked on improv.  I signed up for multiple classes simultaneously through different improv theaters (a PIT level 2 class and Magnet and Gotham City level 1 classes) and currently find myself doing something improv related almost everyday.  Now, a full six months later from when I first began, for the most part, I'm not nervous getting up in front of classmates during class.  On the stage, I also feel more comfortable, but I still have a lonnngg way to go.  I'm quite happy with my progress so far since I've barely done any sort of acting in my life prior to these improv classes (aside from a few very minor roles in a couple of church plays during elementary school).  But, like many things in life, the more you learn about something, the more you realize how much there is to learn...

My goal is to get through the 5 levels with these different theaters and also with UCB, arguably the most well known theater...and perhaps, I daresay, perform regularly on a team one of these days (perhaps many many years from now....) here in NYC.  Unfortunately, I still have my work-related exams to get through...but those won't stop me from taking classes when I can.

In starting this blog and writing about improv, I'm hoping that some of the lessons that I've learned along the way will really sink in.  And I'm also hoping that any readers out there will get interested in pursuing improv, an activity that really has brought me so much joy in life lately.