Longterm goals as an improviser?

poltergasm · Post by **poltergasm** » April 9th, 2012, 2:04 pm

Ryan Hill wrote:
poltergasm wrote:Being a relative newbie to improv, my goals are a bit humble. Mostly I want to learn as much as possible, then learn what works to make me the most playful, funny improviser I can be. I'd also love to get all of my friends into st least one improv class. And I want to just perform, perform, perform.

Fin.
I dodged your dancing offer last night. Well, Scott bailed me out.

I'm a stone-cold pimp.

KathyRose · Post by **KathyRose** » April 10th, 2012, 9:38 am

I want to duo Chuy!

Chuy! · Post by **Chuy!** » April 10th, 2012, 12:53 pm

KathyRose wrote:I want to duo Chuy!

Let's duo it!

Brad Hawkins · Post by **Brad Hawkins** » July 13th, 2012, 11:20 am

I've given this question a lot more thought. The short-term goals I mentioned earlier have mostly been attained, so it's time for some new ones. However, I have changed the way I look at these goals. They're not milestones, they're not landmarks in some kind of "improv career," but rather things I would just very much like to do. So instead of goals, I'll call them my wish list:

My improv wish list, as of July 13, 2012:
Direct Maestro
Direct a run of shows (whether they be Hideout mainstages or something at another theater)
Perform improv in another country
Perform a silent improv show (Cherry Bowl was silent, but we worked out all the bits ahead of time)
Perform a musical improv show
Be a Boy of Summer

And I'd like to invite everyone to suggest additions to this list. I can't possibly have thought of everything that would be fun to do.

Aden · Post by **Aden** » July 13th, 2012, 4:42 pm

Short term: I want to feel perpetually surprised and delighted!
Long term: I want to perform and teach internationally.

Tell your friends!

Ryan Hill · Post by **Ryan Hill** » July 15th, 2012, 4:03 pm

Aden wrote:Short term: I want to feel perpetually surprised and delighted!

I promise you I will resist the urge I am now having to jump out from behind things at you while screaming, "ARE YOU DELIGHTED!?!? ARE YOU DELIGHTED?!?!?"

Post by **Jon Bolden** » July 15th, 2012, 5:47 pm

To keep getting better and keep having fun.

Mike · Post by **Mike** » July 15th, 2012, 7:50 pm

My ongoing Improv wish list:

1- To feel as comfortable on stage with what I'm doing and the choices I make as PGraph looks in every one of their shows.

2- To become as talented as Chris Allen when it comes to side support.

3- To become fearless in making choices and trying to 'break' improv every time I perform just like my fellow troupe mates do every time they take the stage.

4- to loosen up and have fun

5- To become proficient in directing Maestro.

6- To be able to develop, produce, and perform in a unique Saturday evening 8pm run.

7- To be good enough at improv where I am asked to coach newer troupes.

Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell · July 16th, 2012, 8:43 am

Ryan Hill wrote:
Aden wrote:Short term: I want to feel perpetually surprised and delighted!
I promise you I will resist the urge I am now having to jump out from behind things at you while screaming, "ARE YOU DELIGHTED!?!? ARE YOU DELIGHTED?!?!?"

i make no such promises.

scott.hearne · Post by **scott.hearne** » July 16th, 2012, 12:09 pm

My improv performance goals:

1. Love --- Always, always, always support my stage and scene partners.

2. Have fun!

3. Work hard on becoming a better improviser. Take workshops and classes from the best teachers.

4. Become a better listener and accept all offers. This does not always mean saying "Yes, and". Sometimes, saying "No, because..." is consistent with your character and is in fact accepting an offer and is a "Yes". In my humble opinion, this is an essential part of creating believable and relatable characters.

5. Allow events and words on stage to profoundly affect my performance. When things matter to my character, everything is better.

6. Establish meaningful relationships in every scene.

7. Get in the habit of mentally asking this question before I enter a scene: "Do I want to enter or is this an appropriate time to edit?"

8. Work on mirroring the energy of my stage partner and bring a different character with the same energy.

9. Play improv festivals.

10. Elevate The Seven Eight Sevens to the next level.

Aden · Post by **Aden** » July 16th, 2012, 9:39 pm

Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell wrote:
Ryan Hill wrote:
Aden wrote:Short term: I want to feel perpetually surprised and delighted!
I promise you I will resist the urge I am now having to jump out from behind things at you while screaming, "ARE YOU DELIGHTED!?!? ARE YOU DELIGHTED?!?!?"

i make no such promises.

Uh OH! I better be prepared to have all my dreams come true!!

smerlin · Post by **smerlin** » July 16th, 2012, 10:20 pm

Since improv is so fleeting, I usually have performance goals about what stages I want to play on. That's a big draw for me at a festival-- playing on a new and hopefully beautiful stage. And I want to play all the major stages in town. Paramount--I'm looking at you!

EmilyBee · Post by **EmilyBee** » July 20th, 2012, 9:27 pm

Mike wrote: 6- To be able to develop, produce, and perform in a unique Saturday evening 8pm run.

I want to be in this!

jrec747 · Post by **jrec747** » December 24th, 2012, 12:48 am

The reason I first got into improv was because I saw a show in Chicago that absolutely killed. It was done by the Reckoning, and it got a standing ovation. I was blown away by it, and decided from then on I was going to dedicate my time to being as good as they were. My longterm goal as an improviser is to be on a team that does a show so well, that it inspires someone in the audience to pursue improv for the rest of their life, just like I did.

Going off of that, I want to be part of a show that people talk about for years as the "[name of the suggestion] show," as in "omg did you see the 'Spatula' show that they did two years ago at the DCM? It was AMMMAAAZZIING." I feel like 3033 in Chicago gets a lot of shows like that, where people continue to talk about it for years afterwards.

kaci_beeler · Post by **kaci_beeler** » December 24th, 2012, 3:19 am

kaci_beeler wrote:My current goals are:
-Tour Europe, performing improv, including compelling formats that have no spoken dialogue or few interactions in English because...
-I also want to perform in Korea or Japan (spread Austin-style to all corners of the Globe!) GOAL COMPLETE!
-Develop more inspired formats and styles with PGraph and The Hideout
-Write full length plays using improv, and keep the plays fresh with improvised portions of dialogue GOAL IN-PROGRESS!
-I also want to tour portions of the US and Canada by van with PGraph (again, and more, and longer) and make money or break even teaching and performing
-More big improv cross-pollination events and gatherings across multiple disciplines and artforms (Austin first, then....?)
-Hone them teachin' skills, find room in my schedule to teach more regularly
-Perform more at the different theaters, in varied types of shows with all kinds of improvisers
-I want to meet or know about every major improv school/group/center in the world, I want to talk to the people involved
-I want to have more space to work in, and I want to create more elaborate and malleable set designs with a higher budget and bigger stage GOAL IN-PROGRESS (Hideout Expansion!)
-I want to get Austin improv on the radar as a MUST-SEE activity on any visit to Austin
-I want to create improv shows with that involve:
1) great personal intimacy and vulnerability that is compelling and engrossing
2) unbelievably elaborate and beautiful sets and costumes
3) more women than men in the cast, and not be improvised Jane Austen
(all of these things would probably not be all at once...but maybe).

And a million other things...because I can never stop thinking about this stuff.

Yay! I'm so happy to see how things have progressed since I wrote this in March. What an awesome year 2012 has been for improv, and 2013 is looking just as swell with big plans in the works for producing and touring.

The sky is the limit.