Improv your life

By a stroke of luck I was able to start improv classes today. It's a very small class, pretty balanced in age and gender, and is at the Impulse Theatre in Denver. The company spun off from my former improv group, Comedy Sportz, but their philosophies are slightly different. One of the basic tenants of improvisational comedies, as I was taught, is "yes, and...". This means you accept whatever a fellow improviser throws at you, and then you heighten the situation. I'm so accustomed to this that I will immediately and happily accept a suggestion. So when we started with 2 line scenes and my partner told me "You're on fire!" I just smiled and said, "Yeah I am!". Ouch. Coach has us continue the scene and to make my answer more believable I recovered with "What did you expect? We're in hell!".

I kind of like the yes, and rule, because it encourages us to be supportive. On the other hand, I like this new freedom to accept the reality they create but form my own opinion around it. If I immediately agree with what a person hands me, it doesn't allow me to think for myself. Now I get to train my brain to say "Yes, I see where you are going" and give myself a moment to form a logical reaction. I'm excited to re-train my brain to be in the moment and quick, improv is a great mental workout!