![]() ![]() This is a great method, because it allows the location and activity to seep into the brains of the audience unnoticed, unlike dialogue, which can be like ramming information in with a hammer. Stephen Colbert is a master of object work (former Second City boy, after all). Object work, or using your hands to pretend you’re working with things, is shockingly effective. You have to quickly go up a level of abstraction, which takes a surprising amount of brain power, to say something like, “Grab that bolt of fabric, Daren, or I’ll finalize the divorce.”ĭialogue isn’t the only way to establish who, what, where either. You don’t want to say something like, “It sure is neat to be here at Hobby Lobby,” because that’s not how humans speak. Who, what, where is tougher than you’d think to establish naturally. It can be painful, but the tops of scenes need to establish who, what, where pretty quickly, or you’ll quickly be sweating out a black-hole scene from which there’s no escape. You might be surprised to learn that audiences can’t laugh when confused even in the slightest. If all three aren’t crystal clear to the audience, good luck getting a single laugh. What’s profoundly more important than being funny is taking care of our partner and making sure to build a world that makes sense.Īfter yes, and … this is by far the most common phrase you’ll hear at an improv theater: who we are, what we’re doing, where we are. We’ll talk more about it later, but the desire to be funny is almost always an impediment to improv. Usually it’s in an attempt to be funny and unexpected. You’d be surprised how often people try things like this. “You’re my dad, and I wish you were home more often.” Things would likely go pretty well from there.įor contrast, let’s look at something that doesn’t work as well. If you know what’s going on, you’ll notice that each person in this hypothetical scene is giving each other a lot to work with. ![]() The response confirms that there is, indeed, a taco in the backpack and adds the idea that the first performer is a therapist. That’s OK because it’s a conceptual yes, and. You’ll notice that the second line does not literally have a yes, and … in it. “Sometimes therapy gets intense, and I get hungry.” “Please explain to me why you have a taco in your backpack.” When someone on stage proposes something to you, you, as the cobuilder of this world, say yes to the information and add something. Yes, and … is simple in concept - but difficult in practice. This is the most fundamental concept you can find in improv, and once you know it, you’ll see it everywhere. Steal our lessons to become a more successful human. There’s a reason so many well-known people come from improv, and it has nothing to do with being funny. ![]() I’ve performed with people who ended up on SNL or who have found places on hit shows - names you likely know. I’ve gotten to do a writing lab at The Groundlings, where Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig started their careers. Personally, I was on the main stage of ComedySportz I met some alumni you might know: Dan Harmon and Jeff Davis. ![]() It’s the underground arena where the first adopters decide who’ll go on to get the spotlight and who won’t. Improv has produced more celebrities than you’d believe. In my estimation, this isn’t an accident. Improv has many forms and many expressions, most of which are pretty esoteric. “You mean like, ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’” Improv has been paused thanks to COVID-19, so I wanted to take the time to share everything I’ve learned with you. Understanding and truly implementing core improv principles will change your life forever, even if you never set foot on stage. ![]()
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