A few days ago, a fellow improviser shared five improv tips in a private Facebook group that he\u2019d seen posted elsewhere on Facebook. All of the tips made sense to me, but every single one of them was of the \u201cDon\u2019t\u201d variety. Among the many things I took from Mick Napier\u2019s excellent book, \u201cImprovise: Scene from the Inside Out,\u201d was that rules can really stifle improvisers, get them stuck in their heads while playing. And so, so very many of improv\u2019s \u201crules\u201d are of the \u201cDon\u2019t\u201d variety: don\u2019t ask questions, don\u2019t do transaction scenes, don\u2019t say no. Consequently, it\u2019s really easy when one does do one of these things (as is inevitable, really), it\u2019s all too easy to start being up on oneself: \u201cOh, shit. I shouldn\u2019t have done that.\u201d And then one\u2019s head is pulled out of the scene. BAD!<\/p>\n
Do\u2019s, however, I think are more helpful. Because if one isn\u2019t actually doing a \u201cDo,\u201d the thought doesn\u2019t arise of having broken a rule. A do, just like a don\u2019t, isn\u2019t something that is happening all the time. When a don\u2019t happens, it pulls up the negative internal critic, which tends to hang around for a while. When a do happens, it might pull up a \u201cWoo! Kick ass!\u201d which only makes us want to do more. So. A few do\u2019s I posted in that group that I\u2019ll share here (in slightly edited form):<\/p>\n
1) Do care. It doesn\u2019t matter if your emotion toward something is positive or negative, but it does matter that you feel something. Especially if it\u2019s about the other character(s).<\/p>\n
2) Do be willing to have your feelings change, if it\u2019s honest within the context of the scene.<\/p>\n
3) Do be specific. People talk about stuff in their lives, and they do it specifically. \u201cI could really use a margarita\u201d is better than \u201cI\u2019m thirsty.\u201d<\/p>\n
4) Do start from the middle of a scene. \u201cHell, no, I won\u2019t give you a divorce!\u201d is a more interesting way to start a scene than discovering over the course of three minutes that you\u2019re married and your wife is unhappy. Jump right to it. It\u2019s a huge gift to your scene partner(s).<\/p>\n
5) Do look each other in the eye. You might be surprised what you find there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A few days ago, a fellow improviser shared five improv tips in a private Facebook group that he\u2019d seen posted elsewhere on Facebook. All of the tips made sense to me, but every single one of them was of the … Continue reading