At the start of the last Thursday improv lesson<\/a> before Christmas I asked the actors a really simple question:<\/p>\n “The people you enjoy performing with on stage – what is it that they do that makes you enjoy improvising with them?”<\/p>\n I thought there would be hesitation in answering this, but actually the class had some immediate responses to this. Some of the class were relatively new to impro, some had been doing it about a year, and some were experienced performers.<\/p>\n I was tempted to discuss these responses, but actually it’s more interesting just to see them in their raw version. So here’s what the class said, in order of what they said, unedited:<\/p>\n They are happy to be there, I love the way Conor always so happy about being on stage with me.<\/p>\n They want to be there.<\/p>\n High Energy.<\/p>\n I like people that make me do stuff I wouldn’t usually do.<\/p>\n They make offers about me.<\/p>\n They draw me into their plot.<\/p>\n Shared experience.<\/p>\n They hurl themselves into ideas that aren’t their own.<\/p>\n They involve others in their story.<\/p>\n I like it when people make great offers when I’m stuck.<\/p>\n They involve everyone in their scenes, sharing.<\/p>\n When I’m acting with them it feels like the story is telling itself.<\/p>\n Listening, incorporating, adding.<\/p>\n They listen to the audience, and give them more of what they enjoy.<\/p>\n Speaking clearly.<\/p>\n They have a natural ability to come up with ideas and don’t stop themselves.<\/p>\n Coming on with strong ideas and not having a second thought.<\/p>\n They’re having lots of fun.<\/p>\n Sometimes they are enjoying themselves so much that they are constantly holding back a laugh.<\/p>\n Acting with them feels like a game of volleyball, with the ball constantly passed from person to person.<\/p>\n I then asked the opposite question:<\/p>\n “People that you don’t enjoy improvising with – what is it that puts you off?”<\/p>\n At first there was hesitation in answering this, until I point out that if we just did the opposite of the following statements we’d have some really positive things to act on.<\/p>\n So they next answered the negative version, and here’s what they came up with pretty much instantly:<\/p>\n They talk in a muffled voice that I can’t hear.<\/p>\n They aren’t really listening to me.<\/p>\n I find it hard to hear what they are saying.<\/p>\n They gag from the start and destroy the most obvious platform.<\/p>\n They don’t do the obvious thing. They don’t do ‘the thing’ that obviously should be happening.<\/p>\n They aren’t physically free, the don’t respond to light touches and won’t move with the other actors.<\/p>\n They do little one liners at the expense of the scene.<\/p>\n They are always playing the same actor\/character.<\/p>\n They show disappointment in being selected to go up with the other actor.<\/p>\n Not listening.<\/p>\n Forcing out their own ideas at all costs.<\/p>\n People taking it (impro) way to seriously.<\/p>\n Steamrolling – just being loud without letting other people’s ideas come in.<\/p>\n Hitting, in or out of character it’s not acceptable.<\/p>\n Being leechy\/creepy with the other actors.<\/p>\n Giving up too easily.<\/p>\n I can’t understand what they are saying or doing.<\/p>\n Negatively criticising the other actors.<\/p>\n Suggesting alternative content for scenes after they’re done.<\/p>\n Trying to be funny by being overly layered.<\/p>\n Turning the Negatives into Positives<\/p>\n We then wrote down the opposite of the above statements, and they formed another batch of great positive aims for improvising. Here they are in order, the positive opposites of the negative statements:<\/p>\n Talk clearly and loud enough and slow enough for the actors and audience to hear.<\/p>\n Listen to the other actors.<\/p>\n Talk clearly and loud enough and slow enough for the actors and audience to hear.<\/p>\n Be obvious, start seriously at the start and build a believable realistic platform.<\/p>\n Be obvious. If something is obviously going to happen in a scene, do it. Do ‘the thing’.<\/p>\n Be physically free. Allow yourself to move with the other actors. Everything on stage should be a light touch. Allow a light touch to move you far across stage.<\/p>\n Don’t break the reality of the scene.<\/p>\n Play different characters.<\/p>\n Be thrilled, happy and excited to be with your fellow actors.<\/p>\n Listen.<\/p>\n Share. Put in your ideas, but also adapt and build on other people’s ideas.<\/p>\n Don’t take impro seriously. You can play a serious character and a serious scene, but in your heart be playful.<\/p>\n Share. Let other people alter you and build on their ideas. Leave gaps for other people.<\/p>\n Take physical care and have respect for the other actors at all times.<\/p>\n Be respectful of the other actors at all times.<\/p>\n Just keep playing and be determined, it’s not that important anyway.<\/p>\n Be clear and obvious in your speech and movement.<\/p>\n Don’t critisice the other actors, leave that to the director.<\/p>\n Don’t discuss alternate content of scenes, only discuss technique and even then see above.<\/p>\n Be obvious.<\/p>\n We then improvised lots of scenes, with people picking one of the positive list things to play and me directing them so that they achieved the positive aims. The result was lots of fun scenes.<\/p>\n I love the way that the statements reflect underlying things that are in loads of impro theory, but use different language that is actually more common sense. It suggests most people already know what makes good improvisers, even if they haven’t thought to put it into words yet. I also love that the priorities are a different order to most impro books, for instance ‘being heard’ and ‘being happy to be there’ were really high up and incredibly important to the whole cast.<\/p>\n I was really tempted to now categorise the responses and spot patterns, but that would probably make it way too serious and remove from the beauty of the exercise. I do think it’s altered my Hoopla workshop aims\/topics for next year though, I’m going to be carrying it around with me everywhere I go.<\/p>\n Hope you have a great New Year everyone!<\/p>\n Lots of love,<\/p>\n Hoopla!<\/a> <\/p>\n The improvisers including more people from an acting rather comedy background, which generated some interesting other responses. Some of them are contradictions of each other, but that’s impro for you. Here are they are, written as they were said:<\/p>\n Don’t Block.<\/p>\n Open<\/p>\n Gift Giving<\/p>\n Stuff they give you<\/p>\n Honesty<\/p>\n Transparency<\/p>\n Not outdoing each other<\/p>\n Not competition<\/p>\n Support<\/p>\n One turn at a time<\/p>\n Picking up the smallest of offers<\/p>\n Listen – whether you’re in it or not<\/p>\n Not worrying what you are going to say<\/p>\n Quirky strange people \/ new choice<\/p>\n Unexpected things<\/p>\n Played very naturally<\/p>\n Don’t be afraid of silence.<\/p>\n Don’t expect, but accept everything.<\/p>\n Not rushing, slower pace.<\/p>\n Stuff in between the lines is important.<\/p>\n Moving in silence.<\/p>\n Setting up something in silence.<\/p>\n Improvise in different styles.<\/p>\n Games.<\/p>\n Physical.<\/p>\n Song.<\/p>\n Imaginary objects.<\/p>\n Strange things.<\/p>\n Physical interaction.<\/p>\n Again, there are contradictions, but that’s impro whoop yeah!<\/p>\n You look, you feel, you are<\/p>\n High level of commitment<\/p>\n Commitment towards story and character<\/p>\n Committed to action<\/p>\n Obviousness of labeling characters and things<\/p>\n Sense of fun<\/p>\n Absurdity curve<\/p>\n Make em laugh and cry<\/p>\n Guy looks me direct in the eyes and makes a genuine emotional connection and physical connection, he’s being a real person<\/p>\n Bounce of emotion between us<\/p>\n Focusing on each other<\/p>\n Eye contact – looking at other person<\/p>\n Trust each other<\/p>\n Get each other’s back<\/p>\n Filling an empty stage<\/p>\n Commitment to each other<\/p>\n Fall in love with each other and mean it<\/p>\n Dead pan and committed to stillness<\/p>\n Long rants<\/p>\n Grumpy old men, two terrible old villains<\/p>\n Fun and incompetent partnership<\/p>\n Like it when people want to have fun<\/p>\n Eye contact<\/p>\n Impro as if high drama<\/p>\n Trust them and they trust you<\/p>\n Intuitively painting a scene<\/p>\n This scene is really important and matters<\/p>\n People that make things significant<\/p>\n People pick up on small offers, make it bigger<\/p>\n Reflect stuff back at me<\/p>\n Referencing characters back<\/p>\n They give you character<\/p>\n Open and honest in a scene<\/p>\n Dave keeps the game going without loosing the point of the scene<\/p>\n Casie enthusiastic and playful<\/p>\n Duncan gives emotional endowments – “why PC Bloggs you seem very happy today”<\/p>\n Make it about you<\/p>\n Engages with the same objects<\/p>\n Respect scene<\/p>\n Share space together<\/p>\n Commitment to object<\/p>\n Fun<\/p>\n Clowning<\/p>\n Having fun on stage<\/p>\n Playing with it<\/p>\n Not being frightened<\/p>\n Like being used as an object, if I’m playing a table it’s nice if someone puts something on top of me<\/p>\n Friendliness, happy, easy going<\/p>\n Relaxed and secure<\/p>\n Staging, clear<\/p>\n Friendly<\/p>\n Listening, everything is full of 800 ideas<\/p>\n Focus on things<\/p>\n Involve and build and care<\/p>\n You must listen even if your character isn’t<\/p>\n Physical safety<\/p>\n Offer at a time<\/p>\n Accept, build up, explore<\/p>\n Turn up<\/p>\n Support reality of scene<\/p>\n Be obvious at start from suggestion<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What makes you a fun person to improvise with? At the start of the last Thursday improv lesson before Christmas I asked the actors a really simple question: “The people you enjoy performing with on stage – what is it that they do that makes you enjoy improvising with them?” I thought there would be[…] <\/p>\nThe Negative Version<\/h4>\n
\nFun and friendly improv classes<\/a> in London. The UK\u2019s 1st improv theatre<\/a>.
\nwww.HooplaImpro.com<\/a><\/p>\nADDITIONAL – Added after asking the same question to a bunch of improvisers at a Saturday workshop soon after the above<\/h4>\n
ADDITIONAL – From asking the same question to the cast of Imagine If You Will at the start of rehearsals<\/h4>\n