I love when peoples eyes light up in impro. It could be in the eyes of the audience, participants in a workshop or a fellow performer. I love that look! That special eyes wide with wonder, twinkling with the delight of impro! It is delicious!!
Read MoreIn Canada I had an improviser, with many years experience, say to me; “I know it is awful to say this, but I like to win.” referring to playing Theatresports™. I was shocked.
Read MoreI am talking about the group of improvisers who sail in our impro seas that look you in the eye during a workshop and nod and agree with the credo. They claim to believe in it, the discus the work in depth with you using all the proper terms and phrases making you believe they are of the same ilk and then on stage abandon it, and you, completely.
Read MoreIf teachers teach improvisation in a mechanical style that is a repetitious, academic, ego based form then we generate robotic high achieving (perhaps) performers of impro games. But we do not inspire free thinking improvisation artists who challenge and explore. Improvisation is non-mechanical, it is organic and impulsive.
Read MoreOne day in an improvisation class I began toying with an exercise having one person play the worlds worst improvisor and the other play good improvisor.
Read MoreI hear improvisers say ‘I don’t do narrative impro’, which seems to me be avoiding something fundamentally obvious. Every scene has narrative. Whether or not you feel you are actively creating a narrative the fact remains the audience is still applying narrative to your work. To ignore that is to ignore the obvious reality in the performance.
Read MoreMany improvisors have become Communication Illusionists they look like they are listening, they may sound like they are accepting but in reality they are not. What they are doing is looking for their launch points, the information they need to shine, succeed, get a laugh. They pan your offers for their gold.
Read MoreWhy not look at the playful abandon, the delight in peoples faces, the sheer enthusiasm that one offer followed by positive acceptance can lead to.
Read MoreLast night as I lay in bed reading I heard a noise. It was the sound of someone playing a wind instrument, perhaps a recorder. The tunes floated to me on the wind and the sound brought me instant joy.
Read MoreSnicker to yourselves as you watch yet another newbie tentatively step into this world of blogging. Oh you who play effortlessly in this world I envy you.
Read More
