keeping it fresh

[erikamay]

i thought jeremy's post was about this, but then it wasnt, so i just started one myself.

i love taking improv vacations, specially when i am burned out and/or find myself doing the same bits over and over. a good week will have me chomping at the bit to play again - 2 weeks, i'm like an addict trying to get get ANYONE to do scene crap with me.

i also like reading the news, seeing movies and watching plays to help me remain aware of other perspective and approaches.

what do you do to keep it fresh?

[mcnichol]

what do you do to keep it fresh?

I like taking little vacations from improv, but they're not always possible to plan. In those cases...

I enjoy trying to force myself to do something completely different from my normal impulses. If I usually hold out on entering til the second or third scene, maybe I'll get the suggestion and stay on stage for the first scene. Or if I find myself initiating a lot of scenes, maybe I'll wait for someone else to begin each scene that I'm in. A couple weeks ago in Whirled News, there was an article about a ballet and some aging dancers. The idea of ballet dancing on stage scares the crap out of me.... so I made sure to jump out an do the first scene off that article.

Another thing I try to do generally -- especially when i've got that "trudging through molasses" feeling with improv -- is to give myself one specific task for the show. Perhaps editting, for example. I'll just make sure that, no matter what, I accomplish that task well throughout the show. I may also be in scenes and do monologues or anything else, but my focus is on the edits. It help me to get out of that rut feeling.

When I lived in Chicago I used to watch improv all the time -- I couldn't get away from it. So to keep fresh, I would avoid even going to the theater for a week or two. Down here, I don't get to see as much as I'd like for various reasons, so to keep fresh I actually try to watch as much different kinds of improv as I can when I'm feeling not-so-fresh.

[Roy Janik]

what do you do to keep it fresh?

Right now I am ravenous for improv. I cannot get enough. The only times I get close to burnout are when 1) I feel that I am not worthy enough to be on stage or when 2) I haven't had enough sleep and there's another improv rehearsal/show/party to be at.

I'm sure burnout'll happen sooner or later, though, and when that happens, I'll probably clean, or mow, or be productive in some other thing that I've been neglecting.

[HerrHerr]

I need to find time for movies again, good independent "arty" movies like George Washington.

I need to get out to see bands again. ACL will be a great break for me (except the booze and heat wipes me out).

Lately, I try and spend a little quiet time doing crossword puzzles.

[sara farr]

i thought jeremy's post was about this

Me too. Thanks for starting this thread.

I love improv and I LOVE socializing with improv people. However, though I have several other intersts, "improv" is now my most time consuming interests.

Yet, life is bigger than improv; and improv gets better when living life. It was pointed out to me by Mike D' and others that reading (news, novels, etc) and being aware of what's happening in media can make your playing more insiteful and topical and funnier. Shana told me about that show on (mtv?) that sums up the week's happenings -- I don't have cable so I can never remember the name of the show; I read the NYTimes headlines instead -- Shana?

Additionally, I am trying to juggle several creative interests at once. Sometimes the hailstorm of ideas I deal with when working on multiple projects is overwhelming and scrambles my brain. When this happens, planning a quiet weekend with as little stimulus as possible can help get my head clear enough that I can start to think straight again.

Plink, plink.

[nadine]

Shana told me about that show on (mtv?) that sums up the week's happenings -- I don't have cable so I can never remember the name of the show; I read the NYTimes headlines instead -- Shana?

Best of week, VH1. She told me about it too.

I'm too young of an improviser to have to keep improv fresh consistently.. though I almost burned out recently from doing improv like 4 days a week or so, and took some of my time back.

Just be a well-rounded person I guess. It helps to have multiple passions.

[kbadr]

I actually don't know how to keep my mind fresh. I'm doing improv, in one form or another, 6 days a week. It's turned me into a social retard. I have nothing to talk about.

Help!

[smerlin]

My fave things to keep informed:

For Pop Culture:
Best Week Ever on Vh1
In Touch Magazine (The best $2 mag in the nation

For Politics:
Nytimes.com
Wait! Wait! Don't Tell me on NPR Podcast
The Daily Show
The Colbert Report

For Theatre:
Seeing plays/musicals/improv in town and especially out of town

For Improv:
Teaching. Having to explain what I do and why keeps me continually engaged with the same material.

I am a big believer in grinding through a long run of shows/classes and breaking through the other side of your ruts. Sometimes when you are just so over it and couldn't care, you do some of your best work. I also strongly believe in taking a break from improv entirely. Improv never ends. So you have to take a break for yourself every once in a while. Sometimes just a weekend. Or a week or even a month. Improv will be there when you get back. I think it helps people stay in the game for the long haul.

[douchebag]

I can help you keep it fresh. That's my job.

[York99]

I had some teachers at Second City who would make sure that we did things to "shake up our universe." Go to a book store and buy a magazine about a topic you don't care about. Go see a movie that doesn't interest you. Etc. you get the point.