Posts Tagged “10 Commandments of Improv”
Crossposted at stillman says, continuing my ongoing series on the 10 Commandments of Improv.
The text of the commandment from Exodus reads:
Do not have any other gods before me.You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
This, in the Jewish tradition, reduces down to a prohibition of other gods and idol making/worship.
So I have already posited that the God of improv is the present moment and this commandment adds some meat onto that proverbial bone.
Essentially this commandment tells the improviser that everything comes from the present moment. Much is made about “game” and its accurate description from various schools of improv but this commandment points to a unifying factor — whatever your description of game is or isn’t the fuel for that engine is the present moment.
So some may say that interesting choices or finding your where or establishing relationship are all critical the second commandment says before that you have to be fully there. You cant have an idol that represents your full attention and presence — you need the real thing.
But what I find interesting about this commandment is the repercussions. Essentially if you disobey the punishment goes on and on and on for generations. But if you obey you get 1000’s of generations of love.
It seems to me that this plays out on the improv stage. If you aren’t fully present, no faking, no tricks… the following beats and possibly following scenes are in a much worse state. But conversely when you are just there that you could have hundreds of beats playing the variations — and you want to have them. Following this commandment sucks you into following it more because it pays dividends in love.
Thoughts?
Okay, fine. I’ll do it. The 10 Commandments have a lot to teach us about improv.
Traditionally in Jewish theology the commandments are divided into the first four – the relationship between God and humans and the last six – the relationship between humans.
That distinction may become relevant shortly.
The first commandment reads
I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.
This is traditionally interpreted as “I am the Lord your God”
So Who or What is the “God” of improv? This is your God after all… you are attempting worship in rehearsals and on stage. Every great mystical/ religious tradition that acknowledges a divine presence makes a critical point in emphasizing the imminence of God. That this God is here, now and can be connected to in a deep way if only you would get out of the way with your dumb old shit. And while certain strains of Christianity say that ultimate union with God happens in heaven even those strains say that you can meet God here on earth even if it isn’t as amazing as God in heaven — but even so, a temporary heaven on earth.
And now is the key part. Each religion has a whole battery of exercises, methods, philosophies and doxologies to simply get individuals into the experience of the unperturbed present moment. And so do we.
The God of improv is simply this — the present moment.
And who can dispute this? Certainly every improviser has had at least a glance through the keyhole of the beautiful and full moment of just being in the present — your personal past is gone, any thoughts of your future have vanished and you are just happily just there in your scene. It is heaven on earth at its best, no?
This actually reflects on the God that brought Jews out of slavery from the verse from the Bible. We have all been in horrible scenes — planning, trying, working, flailing. And it is absolute bondage, right? It’s slavery of a sort. God, the present moment rescues us from that.
This commandment lets know what you are dealing with and is said to contain the other nine — the way to freedom and reminding you that you were in bondage.
But at its core improv is only about being in the present. Not being funny, but being truthful — now.
The first four commandments will set up the nature of the relationship we need to have with the present moment as improvisers. That established we’ll look at the rules between players in the final six.
Commandment two soon.
Discuss.
When I first started taking improv classes in April/May of 1996 with the UCB Walsh, Besser, Ian and Amy were the only people teaching long form in New York. Indeed they were the only people teaching long form formally in New York for the next three years or so until Armando and Kevin Mullaney and Ali Farahnakian showed up.
While there were always people taking classes once or twice there was probably a group of about 40 people
Who.
Took.
Classes.
Took two classes a day, three classes at a time and the like. Really into it. Saw shows constantly. There was truly nothing like it at the time. The classes all felt blazing and raw, full of talent and potential.
Just as an aside, these were the days at Solo Arts when you could walk into ASSSCAT 10 or 15 minutes before it started and pick your seat.
All the UCB were incredible teachers for different reasons and with different focuses and that core of students really admired them and listened carefully to what we were learning. Classes were a simple joy. After a few months I had the vague thought that the “laws” that “govern” improv had applications off the stage and sort of aligned with the introspective and spiritual work I had done and cultivated in my life.
One day Amy Poehler gave our class a truly astonishing note – I don’t recall what spurred it.
Treat the stage with respect. Treat it with total and complete reverence. The stage is my church. There is no place that I feel more alive, more myself, more truthful, more satisfied and happy.
Some people go to church to feel in touch with that creative force that some people call God. Well, I get that on stage. I have learned more about the person I want to be and can be from the lessons I have learned in improv classes and performing in shows. That is why I am here today. So if the stage is my church, improv is my religion.
Now, two people up for a scene and just rock out with your cocks out.
It was a stunning moment. Amy just flashed an invitation to a secret part of improv if you wanted to go there with her. Improv wasn’t just being funny with smart funny people getting the rush of being funny on stage for paying customers. It wasn’t therapy, it was opportunity to see yourself differently and be free to just be a truer version of yourself somehow.
All terribly mystical, I know. But it appealed to me and rung deeply true. But a corollary arose in me after considering Amy’s note for a few days. I didn’t doubt for a moment the veracity of Amy offered – that improv offers a method and approach to living a more satisfying and fulfilled and genuine life – I was experiencing that by osmosis somehow.
But the corollary was that if improv could teach us about being better people, more in touch with the power that some people call God…could the great religious traditions teach us something about improv? I already had a deep and well studied library with great religious texts in it and got to work reflecting upon the question.
In further posts I’ll post my investigations and experiments with what the 10 Commandments teach about improv….then maybe I’ll go into some of the other spiritual traditions.
Maybe.