Improv Acting

 I very much want to be teaching or leading an improv class or workshop. As I’m out for a walk or hike I often find myself concocting exercises. Today I was thinking about one of my favorite games or warm-ups which is known to me as the Alphabet Game. We start a scene at some letter in the alphabet between two players (though it could be done with more players in a specific order) and in turn, the next player starts their line or lines with the next letter in the alphabet going around the alphabet, ending with the letter the scene was started. The results can be delightful. My thought was to combine that with a warm-up first that requires players to name things from a designated category. Now, I’m not planning this blog entry to be a description of warm-up games but rather an idea for an exercise that could help warm-up players. The idea of naming things in a category, such as the warm-up "Name three things" is really just food for thought for creating scenes. In...

 Yesterday I was excited to know I had an Online character workshop for one and a half hours. It was enjoyable though, in retrospect my critical self would say the last long-form exercise was a bit chaotic a fracture structure though we seasoned players played through it fairly well. And then, we lost our workshop host due to her losing power where she lived. She lives on an island in western Canada and I was playing on the north island of New Zealand. This is one of the things I love most about Online Improv. The diverse locations of people with whom you can play. There are of course many elements missing such as a 3-dimensional experience and real physical interaction but just you wait, the 3-dimensional experience will be coming soon in the form of virtual reality. That does not resolve the tangible aspect of in-person improv practice. That is tricky anyway, permissions to touch and breathing others air complicates in person these days. Also, you have to leave your h...

 Another creative endeavor I have is writing...This for example. With improv, we are creating stories, no matter how small they may be. Storytelling is another skill and with my improv classes, I am learning to be a better storyteller. I forgot the technique and I’ll find out again but for now, I’ll call it the “Reflective Present” basically we recall a past experience in the introduction and then tell it as if it is presently happening to us. We can end either way. Hopefully, I’ll get good enough that no one cuts me off. I witness that in social situations often. I got up in front of a mic last night for a friend's BIG birthday party. I won’t give numbers. As we were asked if we wanted to say anything, I could see my friend wanted me to get up and tell everyone the story of how we met. I did it but I found it was really too short, partially because my friend and I disagreed on the timing and sequence of events. In improv, I am gleaning it’s okay to tell your truth,...

 “Hi, my name is Heidi and I’m an improv acting addict.” “Hi Heidi” “Actually, to be honest, improv acting is my therapy. It’s a fine line. Some say, “Improv is not the same as therapy.” but I beg to differ. I’ve been to therapy and it is a great way to speak your internal thoughts if you can allow yourself that but if you can allow yourself to speak them in improv with a partner improviser, you get an immediate alternative perspective back, not something you necessarily want to hear but oh so much more and you need to respond to the other player’s response in the moment, not in a negative way, like it or not.” “How does that make you feel?” “One of the great things I learned in improv therapy was to eliminate critical judgment of myself or others. That took some work over time as therapies will do. No one suggested this to me. It just became apparent and I honestly believe I am a better improviser (team player) and person for it. “There are so many l...