Talking Improv

Improve Your Improv

Several people have asked me through various means of what they can do to become a better improviser.

This is quite a loaded question. The reality (as I’ve said before on here) is that there’s no real secret to success on stage. There is no sure thing or perfect mix of classes to take, books to read or shows to see. All I can give are suggestions that have helped me over the years.  However, all is not lost. I have some suggestions for you here, numbered in no particular order.

1.) When Performing, Keep Things Simple

I can’t stress this enough, especially for beginners. As the saying goes, “Too many cooks spoil the soup.” If you try and remember too many things you’ve learned, you can really get in your head which in turn can take you out of the show/practice. Relax. Try and focus on accomplishing one thing. Some things you could focus on:

• Play with being reasonable and unreasonable in scenes.
• Work on letting physicality define your character and point-of-view.
• Try having a point-of-view in scenes. Think only about that and let that influence what you say and do.

2.) Be Natural

Sometimes I cringe when I see someone playing silly, or even worse, playing “crazy” on stage. If your character is a schizophrenic or mentally disabled (not a good choice - too hard not to offend), that’s one thing. If you’re just playing it for the sake of playing it, I suggest you not. It often comes off as desperate, manufactured, and to your teammates, you are the “false martyr” who’s going to “save” the show with your hilarious antics.

As an alternative, come out with a blank slate in your scenes and react just as you normally would as if you were in the given circumstances. If your scene partner says something that strikes you as odd, say “Well that’s weird of you to say.” Not only is that a direct “Yes, and” to your teammate, you’re situating the scene in a tactile reality that only gets easier to play with. Suddenly, a pipe is just a pipe, but your failing marriage is tearing the family apart and the kids are crying upstairs. Believe it or not, there’s quite a bit of humor in even the most grounded and serious of scenes. Your job is simply to reveal that.

3.) Don’t Be A Hero

If you find that a show is not going well, let it go. Don’t try to be the hero. An audience hates nothing more than to see an unfunny person try and pull laughs out of a hat. Instead, fall on the grenade and let it be a bad show. In order to grow as an improviser, you have to have bad shows and really really bad shows. Only then can you appreciate the good ones.

4.) Meisner It Up

If you’re feeling adventurous and if you can manage it with your schedule, I highly suggest taking a “Meisner In Improv” workshop. I took one a couple of years ago from Mandy Butler from Richmond Comedy Coalition and I still talk about it today. Here’s a primer on what the acting technique is all about. It’s obvious I’m a big believer in the technique (ECU has a two-year actor’s intensive so I was always surrounded by it). It’s just a great way to see improv in a totally different light.

5.) Be Influenced By Everything

If you know you have a practice or show that night, take everything in from your day. Notice how people talk with you. Look at how they talk and how their mannerisms are. Creating a character you know is based in reality can be very rewarding and easy to play. You know how that person is already. You’re just heightening their personality.

6.) Try NOT Being A Person In Scenes

Getting bored with playing people? You really shouldn’t because there are literally thousands of people you could be. If you are though, I always liked throwing a wrench in the plan by coming out and endowing my scene partner as a blade of grass and myself as a dandelion. Try and work with that one. Oh, you can? Because there’s no book written on how grass thinks and how they interact with dandelions? You can do this too. So many people are afraid to try it because it might be weird or feel wrong. However, if you can play them as real as you can while still holding true to the fact that you’re filled with chlorophyll, it can make for a good (and very different) scene. Different can be good! Try it sometime!

So there you go. These are but a few of the things you can work on to better yourself on stage. I’m not saying these will work for you, nor am I saying that these are correct. I just hope that these suggestions can inspire you to try new things and really strectch your improv muscles. Happy improving!

—Chuck

Comments? Thoughts? Ideas of your own? Leave a comment, won’t you?