Being Present

 Improv Blog 9

Being Present


Today I started reviewing some of my improv notes that I have written from so many workshops I’ve taken over the years and, I quote myself, “Why didn’t I start doing improv sooner? I love it so much.” Then I found in another reflection, “Improv is like taking a vacation from my own life, though without my past life experience, I could never really improvise.” That is how improv infected or I should say, refreshed my life. I see it as a positive addiction and the rest of my life as nourishment by which to energize my improv.


In my daily activity, I find myself more aware of the way people sound, not only their accents, tempo, timbre, or cadence but the changes that emerge with different emotions. And I notice their fill words, like “like” or “ya know?”, ya know? I find myself more aware of how people walk or dance or gesture. Their tics or nervous habits. I also try to absorb vistas or items that my character may be viewing and try to adapt those visions according to what my fellow improviser might bring to the exchange. I even find I have to realize my movements or those of others when we’re doing some activity such as hanging laundry, squeezing into an elevator, playing with a pet, etc.


Improv forces us to stay in the moment which is such an important skill for my lifestyle of living in two very different locations. I live part-time in the capitol in another country from my homeland of the U.S. Here I have the resources of many people from all over the world with different cultural backgrounds to draw upon as references for my improv acting. And where I live in the U.S., there is no in-person improv practice, though I’m trying to create some. However, now with online improv, we also get to take in the ways of people from all over the world. Though with online improv, we don’t really see them in their everyday activities, we do get to see their reactions to the unexpected.


Ultimately, improv requires being present, listening, noticing, and adding to the scene, and without letting our egos try to control, or, judge.  It's just letting go and enjoying the experience of doing it.

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