am I winning?

The struggle for control of the scene in improvisation is a terrific metaphor for life.

In an improv scene the characters, location, and content of the scene provide the frame within which the improvisers struggle for control. Improvisers apply various methodologies to 'win' in a scene or story - some use wit - the power of the mind... some use acting tricks like accents... a gift for rhyme, song, or a clever turn of phrase can steal the scene. For others, physical agility or clowning might be the strategies of choice. Strategies to gain control of the story - to win.

In a meeting, the people, time-frame and agenda are the frame... but the struggle can be the same. Grappling with an agenda - a group of people fight to 'win'. Individuals use various methodologies to gain control of the room or win others over to their perspective. Again, wit, gifts, and agility push and pull the attention of the room.

I'd like to stop trying to win. On stage and in life, I'd like to listen more than I talk. I'd like to use my gifts to gain understanding of the perspectives of my colleagues, rather than to get my point across. I'd like to give up control of the scene and the room - and go on somebody else's ride. Is it possible to play if I'm not trying to win?

It isn't that I want to lose. I'd like to shift the focus of my interactions to the quality of the relationship more often.

...but random is funny

I've noticed that 'random' is deeply valued in entertainment lately. Novice improvisers introduce purposefully random elements to nearly every game and story in my improvisation workshops. A friend of mine who is an expert in generational trends has informed me that 'random' is one of the values of the Millennium Generation.

My gentle encouragement to be 'obvious' is falling on deaf ears. A story about a lost puppy suddenly has purple cheese all over the place. A scene with a marriage counselor incorporates random monkeys, and explosions... or explosions of monkeys... or exploding monkeys. A scene with people on an airplane is likely to incorporate a sudden outbursts of bunnies - or pie - raining from the sky.

Recently I had some success with a student. He is a very smart, fast young person that I love to work with. I'll call him Ivan. Ivan was GREAT at inventing sudden random elements. In one story we were co-creating - he turned the 'old woman' into a witch. That was fine with me... we followed that path. She was making a potion - the story called for a potion that would help the hero of the story - a little boy - find his way home. But Ivan was very creative and random - and made the potion good for turning people blue with polka dots. When I stopped the story - and asked him if making our lost little boy blue with polka dots was helpful to the story - he admitted that his first impulse was to do the obvious and have the potion help the boy find his way home... but, "That seemed to obvious and boring". Okay... I can see that... then I asked Ivan "Does a potion for making people blue with polka dots help the story?" and he GOT it! It was like a light turned on in his head. We backtracked and concluded our story with the little boy finding his way home. And from then on, the little boy always keeping a vial of the potion on hand.

Later we talked about the impulse to be random. Random elements can make us laugh - it is true. When Improv is working - it is full of random elements. The process of co-creation leads spontaneous 'Random'. I love random when it happens accidentally... but when random elements are pushed into scene after scene after scene - we end up with lots of improv that all seems the same; a mess of ideas.

But don’t you NEED conflict to have story?

One of the greatest teachings of improvisation is 'start positive'. When improv students take the stage to begin a scene - we're often full of fear. Fear has a variety of symptoms - racing heart, shallow breath, dry mouth, and for most of us, a frantic mind full of nothing. The fearful brain jumps in with suggestions like, "Say something original, THEN they'll respect you!" Unfortunately in improvisation 'original' isn't very useful.

When your scared brain is telling you to be interesting QUICK - that is EXACTLY when you need to slow down - breathe deeply - and do something obvious.

The fear also instructs us "QUICK! GET IN CONTROL" and often - we go negative to gain control. If an improviser is on stage - desperately trying to come up with something good - the character played by that improviser is very likely to be unhappy.

An improviser, Chaz, sat on a sofa - he asked his scene partner, Alice, to bring him some tea - the tea was offered - and Chaz sipped the tea - spat it out - and proclaimed - "That is awful!" Chaz was momentarily in control. The negative emotion and loud voice filled the theatre with 'drama' and the improviser's fear was diminished. Instantly Alice joined in the negativity - fighting for control. "I make crappy tea for you on purpose because I hate you!" They screamed and threw the pantomimed tea cup and tea pot and Alice broke into histrionic tears.

I've seen thousands of improv scenes like this one and I don't need to see any more. I stopped the scene and asked them to try again.

When I coached Chaz to accept the tea differently - "Like the tea or love it! Say 'It's great!' See where that takes you." Quickly - Chaz pointed out that there would be no conflict and the scene would be boring. Alice nodded sagely. I ask, "How do you know if you haven't tried it? Chaz answers "You need conflict." He's well informed. There are many sources that inform us that to have story - we must have conflict. Unfortunately for improvisers everywhere - it is common knowledge that story requires conflict. My teacher, Keith Johnstone once told me that you may need conflict - but it isn't very helpful in improvisation. I try that approach on Chaz and Alice - "Conflict doesn't seem to be helping this scene". They both furrow their brows. "Why don't we try responding positively and see where it takes us?" They start again.

Once again the tea is offered, Chaz sips from his pantomimed cup. "Mmmmmm" he says, "This is WONDERFUL!" The rest of the class laughs. "I'm so glad you like it! I tried a new type of tea" responds Alice. "Really? You never try anything new." ... suddenly we have back-story and the relationship between the characters takes on new dimension. We learn that they're a married couple, The scene continues on a path that leads to the revelation that Alice has been studying tea secretly behind his back - and that she plans to start a tea import business. Chaz's character gets competitive - he is threatened by his wife starting a company... the first sign I notice is that his expression changes from happy to worried - it takes me a moment but I jump in and stop the scene, "Freeze - go back. When she reveals that she's starting a company - try being over-joyed! It is a good thing"... they pick up the scene where they'd left off - this time when she reveals she wants to start a company he says, "That's a good thing!" (Again there is a laugh from the other students) "You'll make more money!... the scene continues. I stopped them a couple of times when they went 'negative' and coached them back - the scene ended with Chaz and Alice hugging and toasting their new business with cups of tea.

Afterward we all discussed the scene. We learned that Chaz and Alice had fun. The audience was engaged. The scene worked. Everyone in the room experienced that 'starting positive' can make a scene more fun... and that staying positive will take a story in surprising directions.

Unfortunately - it is human nature to be negative when we're under stress. As improvisers - we will make the same mistake again and again. Once the intellect accepts the concept that being positive is good for improvisation - it will still take us many scenes to shift our habits from being negative to being positive. In my experience, it is a journey worth taking.

How do I change to a positive perspective?

I try to start improv scenes 'positively'. I try to experience my life from a positive perspective. I've always been an optimist. But 'bad things happen' even to an optimist. When bad things happen - I use this exercise to changing my point of view.

Negative to Positive

Reflect for a moment on something that has happened in your own life in the past week that has been 'negative'. Briefly reflect on your negative story. Write down the basic details. As you write - include the facts of the event.

THEN! Try this challenge: Reframe your experience - and write your story from the perspective that it was a positive experience. Look for the good, the learning, or the opportunity that could come from the experience.

If the challenge is too great - or the negative experience is too negative. Ask for help. Ask a friend, family member, or teacher to help you view your experience from a positive perspective.

Here is an example from my life.

Negative Point of View.

Recently I spent about $120 to renew my CLEAR CARD Membership. CLEAR is a company that vets its members for security purposes - CLEAR had kiosks at airports - by using my CLEAR Card - I could arrive at the airport just 35 minutes before my flight and bypass security The economic down-turn caused the CLEAR company to go broke. Clear closed down last night (11pm, June 22, 2009). I wasted $120. I won't get that back from the company. I now need to arrive at the airport over an hour before flights. I have this photo I.D. card - that is a useless piece of plastic to add to the landfill.

Positive Point of View.

How could this be a good thing? What can I learn from this experience? If the economic downturn is effecting new companies like CLEAR - perhaps there is a lesson that I could be even more frugal in these times. I can still 'write off' the CLEAR card membership on my 2010 taxes. I can take more time arriving at the airport early - allowing me time to reflect - think - write a blog - or people watch. When I consider the people who were working for CLEAR - I realize they are all out of work. I am reminded of how fortunate I am to have work in these times.

By doing this exercise the facts have not changed. My perspective about the facts are changed. I have shifted from feeling foolish to have lost $120... to being thankful that I have work.

Why am I still improvising?

Why am I still improvising?  Because I love it.  

The better question might be - what keeps improvisation engaging after so many years.  I've spent years teaching and performing improvisation for the theatre. Years spent in inquiry - asking "does this work? Is this worth doing? Is this worth seeing? Is this working?"  Maybe that is what makes improv so compelling; because I still have questions.  

I was in an improv show recently that left me floating. The rehearsal process had been daunting. After one rehearsal a of my cast-members said, "We're doing a LOT".  We were trying a brand new format - we had a big cast - we had loads of stylistic elements and varying points of view and I wondered if we'd taken on too much.  We had two performances. The first night was great... the second night it was astonishing.  During a final scene I was in the wings with several members of the cast... we were leaning toward the stage - our ears straining to hear each word and sound - my eyes met the eyes of a cast member and she shook her head almost imperceptively and mouthed, "This is amazing".  During the curtain call - I was beaming - I took the sweaty hands of my cast-mates for our final bow - we bowed together - and exited to the wings where we jumped up and down and hugged and congratulated each other.  After the show, the joy and amazement in the theatre were nearly palpable. Members of the cast and audience stood and talked in the house of the theatre for an hour after the curtain went down and the house manager had to turn off the lights and chase us out.  Sometimes improv really works.

I've had moments, scenes, shows, where it works and I think, "I've got it".  But the next time - I try "it" - "it" doesn't work at all. The elusive quality of success in improvisation is part of what keeps improv intriguing to me.

Show: Playwright Superscene May 8 and 9, 2009 BATS Improv