Have you ever noticed that when you watch improv (and I\u2019m primarily talking about comedic improv), physical contact between performers is often the exception and not the rule? I think this happens for many reasons and probably for many more reasons that I can\u2019t think of. Here are some random and somewhat rambly thoughts about some of my own personal experiences & preferences, for what it\u2019s worth. This post may be more relevant to those that haven\u2019t been improvising for too long and additionally may be more applicable to short-form work within large ensembles or when playing with people you haven\u2019t worked with before.<\/p>\n
Some people come straight to improv without any traditional theatrical training and some improv schools don\u2019t spend a lot of time working on basic stagecraft. I have only the slightest of scripted theatre backgrounds but I did learn early on that in scripted theatre, fight scenes and love scenes were best approached with respect for personal boundaries, safety, caution and above all that it was important to take time to establish a level of comfort and trust between performers. If you\u2019re doing a long-form improv show that\u2019s had a rehearsal process there is more time to delve into these issues but in short-form it often comes down to evaluating all of these things in the moment. If an improviser doesn\u2019t immediately know whether physical contact with their scene partner will be outside of their comfort zone, the impulse is often abandoned. Generally speaking I think we sometimes favor caution out of respect which is not a bad thing. The more people work together the stronger the communication and then you don\u2019t have to second-guess those moments.<\/p>\n
Offstage, I\u2019m a hugger but I try to be sensitive to people who may not be so keen on hugging. The same is true onstage. If I\u2019m in a scene that turns romantic and I\u2019m with someone I haven\u2019t improvised with very much, I tend to hang back and let them initiate physical contact if they want to. Once in a great while I\u2019ve been known to plant one on somebody but usually it\u2019s only if I have a sense, based on past experience, that they\u2019ll be cool with it and then only if it\u2019s appropriate for that particular scene.<\/p>\n
Occasionally there is a concern that if an improviser is in a romantic scene involving a kiss or other physical contact onstage it may not sit well with a significant other. As someone\u2019s wife I can understand that even though I don\u2019t feel the same way (but then again we are both improvisers). As a performer, I have been kissed onstage by plenty of people that I\u2019m not attracted to and to me it\u2019s no different than say, shaking someone\u2019s hand onstage or playing their arms. It\u2019s acting which is not the same as dating. But I respect that for someone in the audience (especially if they\u2019re not a performer) it might feel a little weird to them to watch their girlfriend, husband, etc\u2026 kiss someone else onstage. For performers who know that their significant other isn\u2019t cool with it (whether they\u2019re in the audience that night or not) sometimes this causes them to refrain from physical contact onstage and that\u2019s their choice which is valid.<\/p>\n
The creepy factor. Ok let\u2019s face it – if you\u2019ve been improvising for a while you\u2019ve probably had it happen at least once that you\u2019ve played with someone who seems to always find a way to make a scene sexual even though it\u2019s not necessarily relevant to the narrative. That is straight-up Creeproviser behavior and not cool. If you feel like someone is frequently touchy-feely onstage in a way that makes you uncomfortable, see if you can talk to them about it. I think some people are just physical in general and would be mortified if they thought they were making others uncomfortable because it\u2019s not their intention. I\u2019m talking about improvisers who are making a character choice and don\u2019t realize you\u2019re not on the same page\u2026 which I think is very different from what is basically the stage version of continually making unwelcome passes at people. Give people the benefit of the doubt but again, improvising is not dating. If it\u2019s an ongoing issue with a specific person then the leader\/Artistic Director of your group should be made aware of it and handle it. Also and most important, remember that you can always side-step physical contact onstage & justify your move in character if you prefer.<\/p>\n
Also a thought about stage-combat. Never hit, slap, kick, throttle, pull the hair of or in anyway jump on another performer in an improvised scene onstage without some prior communication ever. Ever ever ever. If you see an actual open-handed slap (for example) onstage in a scripted show, unless it was an accident, it is likely to be something the performers worked out in advance so that no one was hurt because it was choreographed in a very specific way. If someone hurts you onstage, talk to them. If it\u2019s an ongoing issue with a specific person then the leader\/Artistic Director of your group should be made aware of it and handle it. Even if you are a very physical performer it is important to be careful of moving erratically and avoid putting yourself in a position where the audience or your fellow performers might worry that you could do harm to yourself or others. Above all – being out of control physically & straight-up physical violence are never ok.<\/p>\n
So, you\u2019ve decided to try kissing! Well, kiss or don\u2019t kiss. This is just a personal preference. The put-your-hand-over-the-other-improviser\u2019s-mouth thing has always bothered me. My preference is that if you don\u2019t feel comfortable actually kissing someone onstage or you think they wouldn\u2019t feel comfortable being kissed or you\u2019re just not sure – don\u2019t go for it. Perhaps the lack of a kiss will propel the scene in another direction emotionally which could be equally interesting? Putting your hand over somebody\u2019s mouth is just weird for the person who is under your hand and also is totally obvious to the audience so it\u2019s kind of funky all around.<\/p>\n
What I mean by a \u201ckiss\u201d: I mean a \u201cstage kiss\u201d which is lips closed, no tongue, no slobbering and no coping-a-feel. If you\u2019ve been improvising with someone for years and you are both totally cool with being a little over the top or playing it up for the sake of comedy I say go for it. It can also be equally fun\/funny to do some cheesy-makeout-mime where you sort of simulate making out but have some obvious physical distance (as opposed to dry-humping). But again all of those things depend on the level of comfort between performers.<\/p>\n
I personally love it when I see improvisers who are comfortable with each other get physical onstage. I mean this both romantically and otherwise. I\u2019ve had fellow performers stick a hand or head up my shirt to simulate childbirth or alien impregnation (you know, like you do). This is the sort of thing you can only do when you\u2019re REALLY COMFORTABLE WITH SOMEONE so for the love of all that\u2019s holy please don\u2019t go out and try that tonight in a show for the first time. If this subject is something that you\u2019ve thought about in regard to your own group I think it\u2019s nice to bring in up in a workshop setting. I\u2019ve done long-form shows in which, given the style of show, it was likely that romantic scenes were going to happen and in rehearsal we\u2019ve had a show of hands to indicate who was cool with kissing and who was not and those boundaries were respected. It\u2019s just as valid to say \u201cI\u2019m not really comfortable being kissed onstage\u201d as it is to say \u201cGo for it! In fact, breath mints all around!\u201d As with anything else in improv, I think good communication always helps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Have you ever noticed that when you watch improv (and I\u2019m primarily talking about comedic improv), physical contact between performers is often the exception and not the rule? I think this happens for many reasons and probably for many more … Continue reading