Austin Improv

...so it occurred to me while reading all the improv interviews that Roy linked to (thanks, Roy!) that since improv has to be experienced in person, the only way to learn it is by doing it, and the only way to be taught it is by a live teacher, either in a class setting or by watching the teacher perform.

This is a direct parallel with Zen, which is all about immediate experience and direct transmission from master to student. There are no Zen scriptures or holy texts; there are only accounts of interactions between previous teachers and students. I was reminded of this while reading Asaf's description of the various luminaries in the interviews: when it comes to their improv, there's little or no body of work I can refer to; I can only hear stories from my own teachers, who in turn try to transmit what they've learned.

The parallel is even more exact when it comes to koans. Koans are accounts of what the great teachers did and said in certain situations, and one of the things drives people insane trying to grasp them is that what the teacher did in a certain situation is not necessarily what you should do in the same situation. Each moment is its own unique opportunity, and responding appropriately requires taking into account everything present, including who you are at that moment.

So what I'm really saying is that you're all Zen masters and don't even know it. Please use your newly identified powers wisely.

Thanks for that!


I will be teaching a Mastering Zen workshop next month. The cost will be $50, plus $10 for handouts.

You're excommunicated.

I feel much the same way, Ratliff.

Here's a quote along similar lines from the Razowsky interview... not about the student/teacher relationship, but about the state of mind you achieve in improv:

David Razowsky wrote: DR: I walked offstage one night and I thought ‘That was a good show. I don’t feel badly about it. Why do I feel that way?’ Then it occurred to me, I don’t care. I suddenly don’t care anymore.


JF: How long did that take?

DR: I don’t know, at least five years. Everybody gets to that point on their own. What happens at that moment is you remove self. The moment that self is gone your ego’s gone. When your ego’s gone, you get to play and there are many psychic ramifications of whatever it is you do onstage. Once self is gone, and this is why that book ‘Buddhism Plain and Simple’ is so important, you become awakened. You’re enlightened. I’ve had scenes where I was me and I was totally awake and connected to everything, and that’s because I wasn’t holding onto self. I don’t mean to get Buddhist, but the shit is plain and simply Buddhism. That’s it.

Makes sense. We talk about "being in the moment" for a reason. It's a pretty direct connection between improv and zen.

Rumor has it that Jason Chin (creator of Whirled News Tonight) is working on an Zen and Improv book. Shhh.

ratliff wrote:You're excommunicated.

Q: What is the roar of the excommunicated improviser?
A: Heaven and Earth darkened red.