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
