occasionally i get emails from people asking for improv advice. for no reason other than to maybe address some issues out in the open, i'll post them here.
feel free to send questions of your own. we can do it anonymous if you'd like.
#1
Bearded Lamb,
I just got my second call back for an improv show, and I was wondering if you could help me decifer some notes. Really, the only note is for my characters to make "stronger emotional choices." What would that mean to you?
Thanks,
Guy I Know
Dear Guy Bearded Lamb Knows,
making stronger emotional choices is probably in reference to your tendency to play cool and calm. when i think of you specifically, i think relaxed, logical, concise. what auditioners are looking for is range in addition to that comfort and stage presence that you already posess. and by range we're talking about spanning the spectrum of people you can play, or characters. hopefully you're in a character when you improvise and the challenge is to think of how this person would react and not how you as a person would react.
think of your emotional intensity being on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being very intense. as yourself, from seeing you perform, i'd say you're around a 4 on stage. but if a side coach were to ask you to play a 5 how would that change what you do? what about a 6, a 7? how would whatever character you're doing react to being slapped if their emotional intensity were a 7? what about 8? as we go higher you should be making less laid-back and more intense choices. this doesn't always mean louder or angrier but it's a good place to start. by contrast dropping down the line to like a 2 or 1 makes you completely void of emotion. This is also considered a strong choice, as apathy, while dangerous in improv, can be perceived as a strong emotional move.
this note could also mean you're not attaching enough emotion to your choices. try to switch up your inflection or your cadence. shorten or lengthen your lines of dialogue. just make a grunt or moan. or just react physically without speaking at all. this will bring more emotion to your characters.
take action: observe other people without them knowing it. go to the mall or sit on a bus. observe how they move their body, how they talk to their friends, family, whoever's around them. observe, catalogue, and steal from that catalogue on stage. commit some time to this. consider this homework or a rehearsal that only you know about.
cheat: go into a scene playing someone you know personally very well. go in playing your dad or your girlfriend. you should be able to react as them with ease. and after time, you should be able to create emotional reactions on the spot.
good luck on your callback,
bearded lamb
prov advice column
Discussion of the art and craft of improvisation.
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- beardedlamb Offline
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- beardedlamb Offline
- Posts: 2676
- Joined: October 14th, 2005, 1:36 pm
- Location: austin
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letter #2
Jeremy,
I've just started doing improv at a local jam and I find it incredibly intimidating. The only reason I go is cause my friend makes me. I always try to do things that make me uncomfortable but improv is near panic inducing. Huh?
Sincerely,
Lady Beard Knows
----
Dear Lady Beard Knows,
a local jam is a good place for you to be if you're intimidated by improv. you can pick what you want to do and hang back on the rest. another good place is to start a group with buddies and rehearse with them. that really takes the nausea out of it cuz you're just failing in front of them instead of strangers. then you can work your way into failing for strangers, then paying customers.
in the beginning, it really is about not being afraid to fail. once you're able to let go of feeling judged, no fuck that, you can still worry about being judged, you just have to be able to project an air of total confidence and committment so that when they judge you, it's "oh shit, she knows what's going on. sure she just failed but she took it so well. and hey, they're making this up. it must be hard."
confidence is key. it's why all the great veterans are egomaniacs. you almost have to be. just try to keep it on the stage and out of your personal life.
take action: experiment at your jam with playing the character of an extremely confident person. play this character throughout the jam and see if anyone notices a difference in your improv. they'll probably tell you that it was better and may not even be able to pin down why.
cheat: call someone who always gives you lots of unconditional support when you're going through an issue just before the jam and address your doubts. allow them to shower you with flowery comments and tell you how great you are. then go in with a smile.
leave your fears at the door and just go for it. otherwise, what's the point? you're not there to meet people or get exercise, you're there to improvise. so do that.
keep on provving,
beard
Jeremy,
I've just started doing improv at a local jam and I find it incredibly intimidating. The only reason I go is cause my friend makes me. I always try to do things that make me uncomfortable but improv is near panic inducing. Huh?
Sincerely,
Lady Beard Knows
----
Dear Lady Beard Knows,
a local jam is a good place for you to be if you're intimidated by improv. you can pick what you want to do and hang back on the rest. another good place is to start a group with buddies and rehearse with them. that really takes the nausea out of it cuz you're just failing in front of them instead of strangers. then you can work your way into failing for strangers, then paying customers.
in the beginning, it really is about not being afraid to fail. once you're able to let go of feeling judged, no fuck that, you can still worry about being judged, you just have to be able to project an air of total confidence and committment so that when they judge you, it's "oh shit, she knows what's going on. sure she just failed but she took it so well. and hey, they're making this up. it must be hard."
confidence is key. it's why all the great veterans are egomaniacs. you almost have to be. just try to keep it on the stage and out of your personal life.
take action: experiment at your jam with playing the character of an extremely confident person. play this character throughout the jam and see if anyone notices a difference in your improv. they'll probably tell you that it was better and may not even be able to pin down why.
cheat: call someone who always gives you lots of unconditional support when you're going through an issue just before the jam and address your doubts. allow them to shower you with flowery comments and tell you how great you are. then go in with a smile.
leave your fears at the door and just go for it. otherwise, what's the point? you're not there to meet people or get exercise, you're there to improvise. so do that.
keep on provving,
beard
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- beardedlamb Offline
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letter #3
Beard,
I have a convoluted question. Lately, I've been trying to find a particular mindest to work from on stage. Usually I just make some kind of decision based on my" training". Pick a distance, some kind of physical trait, a voice, a mantra...any one/combination of that kind of thing...However, I've been looking for something to keep at the forefront of my mind beyond yes &. A kind of improv philosophy. Originally, I thought that this mindset was simply to be out of your head and "in the mind of the character". Problem is, when I find myself being more in the moment I find myself making fewer concious decisions. So...I guess my question is this; how in the moment are you at the top of a scene? I realize you're probably very aware of what's going on in an attempt to take everything in, but are you literally answering the "CROWE" questions out loud in your head? How consciously do you make the decisions that inform your character? What do you enter the stage with, or if your answer to that is nothing, what decision do you tend to make first?
sorry so sloppy,
snocones
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Snocones,
tough question and one that comes from an experienced improviser who's logged enough hours to have room to reflect. it really touches on the zen of improvisation. you have to be thinking and not thinking. you have to know the rules and then throw them away. the human mind is multitasking all the time, whether you want it to or not. have you ever been driving and your mind drifts off to think about something else? You snap back to reality to find you've been driving perfectly fine without consciously making the necessary decisions. You were on auto-pilot.
Your mind does this all the time and to unlock the ability to do it onstage is key. i call it checking in. you should be able to tell when a scene is faltering. check in and ask yourself if the crowe is being fulfilled early on in the scene. what is missing from the equation? if you discover you don't know where you are, introduce your location. The audience subconsciously needs that information; c.r.o.w.e. Without it, they can't get behind the scene, and you'll find it's difficult for other improvisors to understand the scene or how they can help if need be. so, yes, i check in and see what's missing. i don't think i ask myself this question aloud in my head. there's not enough time for that.
to the question of what decision you should make first, i would say relationship. how do you know the other actor? when the lights go up on that first scene and you find yourself on stage with one or two other people, get to how you know each other asap. fill in the other details (C.haracter R.elationship O.bjective W.here E.motion) soon thereafter. there is a grace period where you're allowed to change yourself to fit the scene's needs. it's a short period of time, maybe 3 seconds??? but the audience will give you some space on making the scene work.
take action: make strong choices early on in scenes that fill out the CROWE. in rehearsal just do scene starts and give yourself three lines total between two actors to acheive this. be harsh on each other. don't worry about the lines sounding heavy handed or ridiculous. it's just an exercise. it's not a scene.
also, in other scenework, endow your fellow players a lot. name them and repeat the name often. give them unique clothes, a new scar, a nice car. give give give. this will not only make you a fun and easy person to play with, but in the right atmosphere, it should come back at you ten fold.
cheat: fuck going in with your head totally empty. it's almost impossible anyway. go in with something strong and committed and if it gets changed by your partner, change yourself, "yes and," and roll with the punches.
lastly, remember it's all about the zen. memorize this message and then forget it immediately.
hope that helps,
beard
Beard,
I have a convoluted question. Lately, I've been trying to find a particular mindest to work from on stage. Usually I just make some kind of decision based on my" training". Pick a distance, some kind of physical trait, a voice, a mantra...any one/combination of that kind of thing...However, I've been looking for something to keep at the forefront of my mind beyond yes &. A kind of improv philosophy. Originally, I thought that this mindset was simply to be out of your head and "in the mind of the character". Problem is, when I find myself being more in the moment I find myself making fewer concious decisions. So...I guess my question is this; how in the moment are you at the top of a scene? I realize you're probably very aware of what's going on in an attempt to take everything in, but are you literally answering the "CROWE" questions out loud in your head? How consciously do you make the decisions that inform your character? What do you enter the stage with, or if your answer to that is nothing, what decision do you tend to make first?
sorry so sloppy,
snocones
--------------------------
Snocones,
tough question and one that comes from an experienced improviser who's logged enough hours to have room to reflect. it really touches on the zen of improvisation. you have to be thinking and not thinking. you have to know the rules and then throw them away. the human mind is multitasking all the time, whether you want it to or not. have you ever been driving and your mind drifts off to think about something else? You snap back to reality to find you've been driving perfectly fine without consciously making the necessary decisions. You were on auto-pilot.
Your mind does this all the time and to unlock the ability to do it onstage is key. i call it checking in. you should be able to tell when a scene is faltering. check in and ask yourself if the crowe is being fulfilled early on in the scene. what is missing from the equation? if you discover you don't know where you are, introduce your location. The audience subconsciously needs that information; c.r.o.w.e. Without it, they can't get behind the scene, and you'll find it's difficult for other improvisors to understand the scene or how they can help if need be. so, yes, i check in and see what's missing. i don't think i ask myself this question aloud in my head. there's not enough time for that.
to the question of what decision you should make first, i would say relationship. how do you know the other actor? when the lights go up on that first scene and you find yourself on stage with one or two other people, get to how you know each other asap. fill in the other details (C.haracter R.elationship O.bjective W.here E.motion) soon thereafter. there is a grace period where you're allowed to change yourself to fit the scene's needs. it's a short period of time, maybe 3 seconds??? but the audience will give you some space on making the scene work.
take action: make strong choices early on in scenes that fill out the CROWE. in rehearsal just do scene starts and give yourself three lines total between two actors to acheive this. be harsh on each other. don't worry about the lines sounding heavy handed or ridiculous. it's just an exercise. it's not a scene.
also, in other scenework, endow your fellow players a lot. name them and repeat the name often. give them unique clothes, a new scar, a nice car. give give give. this will not only make you a fun and easy person to play with, but in the right atmosphere, it should come back at you ten fold.
cheat: fuck going in with your head totally empty. it's almost impossible anyway. go in with something strong and committed and if it gets changed by your partner, change yourself, "yes and," and roll with the punches.
lastly, remember it's all about the zen. memorize this message and then forget it immediately.
hope that helps,
beard
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- beardedlamb Offline
- Posts: 2676
- Joined: October 14th, 2005, 1:36 pm
- Location: austin
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#4
Dear Lamb,
WHY DO YOU DO IMPROV STOP IS IT TO LIVE SOME SORT OF EXHIBITIONIST DREAM OR A LONG AGO SEEDED DESIRE FOR APPROVAL STOP DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU ARE DOING OR DO YOU FEEL FRUSTRATED AND CHALLENGED TO CAPTURE AND LEAD THE AUDIENCE ALONG WITH YOU STOP OR DO YOU RIDE THE EMOTIONAL WAVE CREATED IN THE SHOW AND REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU ARE DOING STOP HOW DO YOU BALANCE BOTH GOALS STOP
Improv Fan
--------------------
Improv Fan,
Your choice to use the telegram as a way to communicate with me is extremely amusing. i had to go down to the western union because they emailed me. then they printed this thing, i paid a small fee, and then i left. it was not convenient at all.
But to address your numerous questions, i can offer these answers:
WHY DO YOU DO IMPROV STOP
I assume you're asking why I personally do improv. I can't guess why you individually or YOU in the worldly sense of the word do improv. For me, the need for approval and attention and acceptance may have been early motivators, but as I've grown older, it has come to be a part of me; of who I am. I am on a life-long battle to discover the facets of this artform that have not been uncovered and properly display them for an interested populous. That's pretty lofty and idealistic, but it's the only way I can encapsulate my love for improv. I also feel like a part of me would be dead if not my whole being if I could not improvise. So, that's why.
DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU ARE DOING OR DO YOU FEEL FRUSTRATED AND CHALLENGED TO CAPTURE AND LEAD THE AUDIENCE ALONG WITH YOU STOP OR DO YOU RIDE THE EMOTIONAL WAVE CREATED IN THE SHOW AND REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU ARE DOING STOP
well, i'm not sure how to answer this. as a director, i have an idea of what i want each show to be. as an improviser, i am usually disappointed with my own performance. sometimes, in the most magical of circumstances, they both align and everything is great. During the show, my director brain is working to make sure everything is going smoothly. I seldom don't know what the hell is going on as a performer on stage or off.
A total loss for comprehension is easy to avoid in improv if you have the right mindset. You must believe that everything is going exactly as planned, even though this is a lie because there has been no plan. I think you might be asking if i veg out and go into some kind of mode when the emotional wave is just right. i don't think that has ever happened to me. allowing yourself to get lost is dangerous even though it might feel right or euphoric. it puts the audience's wants and needs in jeopardy because losing touch with them means you're losing touch with what they want, never mind losing touch with the other players which is also perilous.
the tricky balance is that you want your brain to be making the right choices according to the improv tenants, but you also need brain functioning power to make the scene makes sense, make the show make sense, and fulfill the audience's wants. you have to know the rules and then be able to follow them without saying them in your head to yourself at each decision point. this takes too much time.
i guess what i'm trying to say is, stay focused, comitted or however that's spelled, and stay in tune with the room. any time you are removed from the room's energy or the show's flow, you're in trouble.
getting "in the zone" comes more readily after a ton of stage time and rehearsal. you just have to do a lot of improv so that the rules are there and not so obviously there at the same time.
I HOPE THIS CONVOLUDED ANSWER TO YOUR DILEMMA IS HELPFUL GO
Lamb
Dear Lamb,
WHY DO YOU DO IMPROV STOP IS IT TO LIVE SOME SORT OF EXHIBITIONIST DREAM OR A LONG AGO SEEDED DESIRE FOR APPROVAL STOP DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU ARE DOING OR DO YOU FEEL FRUSTRATED AND CHALLENGED TO CAPTURE AND LEAD THE AUDIENCE ALONG WITH YOU STOP OR DO YOU RIDE THE EMOTIONAL WAVE CREATED IN THE SHOW AND REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU ARE DOING STOP HOW DO YOU BALANCE BOTH GOALS STOP
Improv Fan
--------------------
Improv Fan,
Your choice to use the telegram as a way to communicate with me is extremely amusing. i had to go down to the western union because they emailed me. then they printed this thing, i paid a small fee, and then i left. it was not convenient at all.
But to address your numerous questions, i can offer these answers:
WHY DO YOU DO IMPROV STOP
I assume you're asking why I personally do improv. I can't guess why you individually or YOU in the worldly sense of the word do improv. For me, the need for approval and attention and acceptance may have been early motivators, but as I've grown older, it has come to be a part of me; of who I am. I am on a life-long battle to discover the facets of this artform that have not been uncovered and properly display them for an interested populous. That's pretty lofty and idealistic, but it's the only way I can encapsulate my love for improv. I also feel like a part of me would be dead if not my whole being if I could not improvise. So, that's why.
DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU ARE DOING OR DO YOU FEEL FRUSTRATED AND CHALLENGED TO CAPTURE AND LEAD THE AUDIENCE ALONG WITH YOU STOP OR DO YOU RIDE THE EMOTIONAL WAVE CREATED IN THE SHOW AND REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU ARE DOING STOP
well, i'm not sure how to answer this. as a director, i have an idea of what i want each show to be. as an improviser, i am usually disappointed with my own performance. sometimes, in the most magical of circumstances, they both align and everything is great. During the show, my director brain is working to make sure everything is going smoothly. I seldom don't know what the hell is going on as a performer on stage or off.
A total loss for comprehension is easy to avoid in improv if you have the right mindset. You must believe that everything is going exactly as planned, even though this is a lie because there has been no plan. I think you might be asking if i veg out and go into some kind of mode when the emotional wave is just right. i don't think that has ever happened to me. allowing yourself to get lost is dangerous even though it might feel right or euphoric. it puts the audience's wants and needs in jeopardy because losing touch with them means you're losing touch with what they want, never mind losing touch with the other players which is also perilous.
the tricky balance is that you want your brain to be making the right choices according to the improv tenants, but you also need brain functioning power to make the scene makes sense, make the show make sense, and fulfill the audience's wants. you have to know the rules and then be able to follow them without saying them in your head to yourself at each decision point. this takes too much time.
i guess what i'm trying to say is, stay focused, comitted or however that's spelled, and stay in tune with the room. any time you are removed from the room's energy or the show's flow, you're in trouble.
getting "in the zone" comes more readily after a ton of stage time and rehearsal. you just have to do a lot of improv so that the rules are there and not so obviously there at the same time.
I HOPE THIS CONVOLUDED ANSWER TO YOUR DILEMMA IS HELPFUL GO
Lamb