Life lessons from Improv
Many moons ago, I was performing with a youth theatre. All the training I got expanded my worldview and was the perfect escape from reality.
Keen to revisit this interest, I researched on some adult acting classes and came across The Improv Company. Their long-term improv classes sounded promising and made me curious to find out more. What better way to do this than to sign up for their Improv For Everyone taster session! Unlike the scripted performances most of us are used to, improvisational theatre is unplanned and created on the spot by the performers.
For someone new to improv, this 2-hour taster class was a good introduction of what to expect and fun way to spend a weekend afternoon. It was held in a studio, with 1 coach and 8 other students. After a series of warm-up exercises and ice-breakers, we experienced a glimpse of what it was like to perform a live skit.
Here are my 3 takeaways from this improv class:
- “Yes, and”
Never underestimate the power of “Yes, and”. A form of positive reinforcement, our coach shared that this is a way of accepting someone’s idea and building upon it. And this is what improvisation is really about — working with a team of actors and coming up with something on the spot. In improv, the key to staging a successful performance lies in the acceptance of each other’s choices. It’s a bit like how we feel in the workplace when our proposal is approved or shot down. How does that make you feel? On stage or at work, these 2 words can pave the way to better collaboration with your team mates.
2. Make your partner look good
We played a proverbs game, where we were encouraged to create our own proverbs and share the story behind this. Someone starts with a word like “Whenever”, and the next person comes up with “there’s”, followed by “a”, “mermaid” and so on. Once everyone agrees that the proverb is complete, we’d end off with “yes, yes, yes”. Anyone from the team can offer to share their story behind the origins of meaning of the proverb. Again, this exercise helped us to build upon each other’s word to string something meaningful together. And really, it’s also about making your partner (and team) look good!
3. Be present
Need a digital detox yet keen to be mentally engaged? Try improv! Improv encourages you to be always switched on (without our digital devices). Everyone’s required to be an active and attentive participant. Just like a blind date when you’re meeting a person for the first time, you’ll have to be present so you can respond to what your partner’s saying.
“Don’t be afraid of what other people think. Everyone is too self-absorbed to care.”
On how to overcome stage fright, our coach had this advice for us. Something to keep in mind the next time the nerves strike.
What are your thoughts on improvisation? I’d love to hear from you too!
