Improvoker

Recently I had the oddest sensation about my improv - it just wasn’t working. Not working in the broader sense, that scenes were consistently turning problematic. I would go into scenes and for one reason or another they would fizzle out into a not so funny mess. My forward motion stalled and my scene partner and I would stare blankly at each other looking for another direction in the scene we might have missed. What had happened to my improv skills? Where did they go? And more importantly, could I get them back?

Truth be told, I have heard this from a lot of fellow students and I believe that everyone who improvises will feel this from time to time. The ol’ improv slump. What causes it? I do not know, perhaps it’s focusing on the other parts of improv like raising stakes, developing characters, or strengthening game. Perhaps it’s just the process of growing as an improviser. The good news is, that fixing it wasn’t really that difficult.

Going Back to the Basics

With all these “advanced” improv classes I’ve been taking, it seems inconceivable that the most important lessons I learned were in that first improv class I took back when I had more hair. Basic agreement or “yes and” is the cornerstone to all improv and while I had been agreeing in principal, I was also adding conflict into scenes in the same breath. I would often start my scenes in the beginnings of an argument.

“I can’t believe you lost the dog.”
“You know I hate pot roast Susan.”
“Wow, I can’t wait for this movie to be over.”

While none of these statements are in in of themselves “bad improvising” they do start you off on negative ground instead of positive. They also put your partner in a defensive position by default.

“Yes and” is not just a statement, it is a philosophy. To “yes and” is to “open doors instead of closing them” as Christina Gausas recently reminded me. It is the process of agreeing to the situation and to move it forward. The “Yes” is to agree to the situation; the “And” is taking one more step forward, through the door, in a scene.

How You And, Is What Defines You As An Improviser.

It is the simplest, most concise statement on the process of improvisation I have ever heard. Unfortunately it was not me who said it, but rather Christina Gausas. It was in fact in Christina’s Group Game and Openings Special class, at UCB NY, that broke my slump. Yessing a situation, is the most important skill in improv, but it’s the “And” that really defines you. It’s the “And” that makes the scene and puts your mark on it.

What broke my slump was being reminded about the joy of not thinking too much and just entering a scene, blissfully agreeing to all the realities put in front of me and anding them. Really anding them with juicy, meaty, specific detail. It’s a pretty simple lesson that perhaps I should of remembered, but just in case you’ve forgotten, “Yes” it and then “And” it.