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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Improv and Worst Case Scenarios

If you think I'm crazy with all my talk about improv being just like real life and all, you're not alone. And we won't even mention the bunnies. But if you DON'T think I'm crazy, hold on a sec. I'll convince you.

Yesterday my computer died. Well, technically it's not dead. It's in critical but stable condition in ICU and there's a good chance it will make a partial recovery. In any event, my beloved Mac is taking a few days off. Which means, basically, I'm taking a few days off.

Alert readers will realize that since I'm writing this blog, I must a) have some other computer access, b) possess magical abilities and/or c) bunnies. One or more of those is true, so I am able to do some basic computer tasks like visit FB and upload blog posts. I can't do the majority of what I do, however, and that's where improv comes in.

I could sit and fret about the work that's not getting done. I could project into next week, thinking about how busy I'm going to be when I get the computer up and running and have this big backlog to catch up with. I could blame others, like Apple or Andy Co-Dependent or bunnies, and not take responsibility for the fact that I tried to cram too much crap on my hard drive. I could throw out random information about unicorns.

But I learned stuff in improv that helps me deal with the unexpected - and sometimes unwanted - bits of excitement life throws at me. First of all, I accept it. Like agreeing with whatever label my scene partner gives me... I may not like it, but I accept it and don't go into denial mode. Second, I don't panic. The best way I know to NOT panic is to stay in the moment. The reason people typically panic is because they let their mind take them to the worst-case-scenario place, and that, by definition, is almost never good. So stay in the moment and just deal with this... thing... right... now... And third, I trust. In improv, you have to trust yourself and your scene partner. Same is true in life.

So my Mac is wonky. It's okay. Fortunately the work I have to do is not going to affect the debt ceiling one way or the other, or the unicorns or the cure for cancer. I'll just think about today and do the stuff I can do and trust that this, like everything, happened for a reason and if I stay in the moment there's a good chance I'll figure out what that reason is.

Luckily, these are skills anyone can learn! Even luckier, we are happy to teach them to you. Held2gether classes are starting all the time, and there's even a 1/2-Day Intro to Improv Workshop coming up on August 14th.

And don't worry, improv class won't make you crazy. I was nuts long before I started taking improv.

By Sonnjea Blackwell

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Bunny Bunny Bunny

I was informed that yesterday's post was a bit heady, which can happen sometimes on a Monday. But anyway, my apologies. My goal is not to make anyone think.

So today I'm just going to talk about bunnies. No, really.

Shortly after Easter a couple of bunnies appeared in my 'hood. One black and white, the other all gray. Both with fluffy white cottontails. Apparently Easter gifts gone awry, someone had released them into the wild to fend for themselves. The whole neighborhood adopted them, checking on them and asking other neighbors if a couple days went by without a bunny sighting. Enough time has passed now that we're fairly certain they are the same gender, otherwise there'd be 50 bunnies by now instead of just the two.

The thing is, my neighborhood really is the wild. We have coyotes and raccoons and possums and hawks. So we all know the bunnies' days are numbered. But they are having happy, carefree bunny lives in the meantime.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Held2gether improv. But it also didn't make you think. You're welcome.

By Sonnjea Blackwell

Monday, July 25, 2011

Improv Batting Practice

I've been thinking again, and you know what that means: headaches for me and strange new improv analogies for you. You're welcome.

Lately I've been hung up on the idea that improv is like sports. Not with the sweat and the beer and the rowdy fans. But in many other ways, they are practically identical.

If you want to get good at a sport, you have to practice. A lot. I was on the swim team in high school, and I had to practice for three hours, five days a week. I didn't even want to get good, and I looked like one of those East German swimmers from the 1976 Olympics, and my hair was trashed, and I've forgotten my point.

Oh, right, practice. Improv is hard, people. Doing it for two hours a week is enough to learn the fundamentals and play a variety of different games and meet cool people and get hooked on improv. It's not enough to get you on SNL. Do you really think Michael Jordan would've made it to the NBA if all through high school he shot hoops for just two hours a week? Yeah, I don't think so either.

Another sports analogy: playing by the rules is key. When you and your pals get together for a pick-up game, you don't all play by your own rules. You play by the rules of the game. It would be dangerous for players and annoying as hell for spectators if athletes all just did whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Playing by the rules is what makes a sport fair, understandable and enjoyable.

Same with improv. It's important to start with the Held2gether Intro to Improv Comedy class because that's where you learn the rules. While the different improv schools and styles share certain commonalities, like agreement and commitment, they all have different rules that they play by. Just because you know the rules of baseball doesn't mean you know the rules of football, and vice versa. H2G has its rules, and you'll only learn them in H2G's Intro class.

And finally, mastering the basics. From kids playing city-league t-ball to the pros, athletes are always practicing the fundamentals. Batting practice, running routes, doing layups - doing drills over and over helps you improve and keeps you in shape.

In improv, people are often eager to move "up" to the next level of classes. But mastering the basics takes time. And even when you do advance, it's a good idea to periodically take an Intro class, or a 1/2-day Intro workshop, just to brush up on the fundamentals. Just think of it as improv batting practice.

Oh, and I lied about the sweat and the beer and the rowdy fans. Those all apply in improv as well.

By Sonnjea Blackwell

Friday, July 22, 2011

Improv Show and Other Stuff

OMG! It's time for Held2gether presents Last Laugh Saturday tomorrow night at Hot Java in the LBC.

Here's a nice photo:

And if you like us, or this blog, or me, or improv in general or, you know, other stuff, could you click here and like our Facebook page? That'd be awesome, thanks!

By Sonnjea Blackwell

Thursday, July 21, 2011

No More Miss Negativity-Pants

I've been having a bit of a meltdown lately, what with my confidence being in the toilet and my whininess being at an all time high and all. Lisa called me "Miss Negativity-pants," which sums it up pretty well. I apologize to my improv teammates for being such a downer the past couple of weeks. Months, whatever. The point is, I apologize.

Oh yeah, fair warning. This post is all about me.

But last night I got my groove back. Now I know how Stella felt. Minus Taye Diggs, of course. I mean, improv is magical but it's not that magical. Anyhoo. I was back in the improv zone, giving my scene partners decent info to work with and not fumbling everything they passed to me.

What happened between last week and this week to snap me out of my funk? Well, aside from a whole lot of Buddhist talk, I decided to snap out of it. And then I decided not to feel sorry for myself because I can't do stuff. And then I remembered a saying I learned many years ago, "If you argue in favor of your limitations, you get to keep them." So then I decided not to insist that I can't do stuff. The deciding and remembering were good, but I also needed to take action.

So then, finally, I asked a troupe-mate for help.

Naturally, he said yes. That's how it is with Held2gether troupe people: we all know we're a team. We're on the same side, which means we're all on each other's side. If I get better, it makes the whole team better, so why wouldn't my teammates help?

So even though we haven't started my tutoring sessions yet, the fact that I took the actions I needed to take to snap me out of my funk and get over my limitations have already helped. Of course I still need to follow through on the tutoring; I am still remedial in certain areas. But I'm no longer Miss Negativity-pants, and that's a good start.

By Sonnjea Blackwell

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Free Improv Show In Long Beach!

It's been a month already! That means it's time for another Held2gether improv comedy show in the LBC.

Now, you might be thinking to yourselves, "Jeez, that Sonnjea person doesn't do anything but pimp H2G stuff." And of course, you'd be right. But the thing about our monthly shows at Hot Java and First Fridays is they are FREE, which basically means one of two things: Either I am the worst pimp ever because I forget to charge, or we just really, really like you.

Turns out, it's the second one. The bottom line is, we love improv. We love watching it, we love learning it and we love performing it. And we especially love sharing it with our Long Beach friends and neighbors. Hot Java could make a bundle off their back-to-back comedy weekends (Laugh a Latte the 3rd Saturday of the month, H2G the 4th). But they don't, because they are also committed to providing free comedy for the community. Same with Elise's Tea Room, who hosts monthly improv as part of Bixby Knolls' First Fridays Art Walk.


See? I keep telling you we're givers! Sure, you could go to Vegas and have a great time. But you'd spend a fortune, get sunburned, do stuff that's illegal, immoral or just plain creepy and have to come up with creative lies to tell your boss about why you look like a homeless person on Monday morning. With H2G presents Last Laugh Saturday, you'll spend maybe three bucks on a coffee, do nothing to increase your risk of skin cancer, watch people make up hilarious scenes about doing stuff that's illegal, immoral or just plain creepy (with none of the shame and self-loathing that comes from doing it yourself) and no one will give you loose change and judgemental looks on your way to work Monday.

Look, there's nothing wrong with Vegas. But it's also nice to stay in town, check out the local talent and save a buck or two. This Saturday, July 23rd, 8 p.m., Hot Java. And Friday, August 5th, 7:30, Elise's Tea Room.

That still leaves you plenty of time to do the creepy stuff. You're welcome. And please don't feel the need to share.

By Sonnjea Blackwell

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Drunk Improv

We (and by "we" I mean Held2gether) did drunk improv this weekend. I know some of you who see us perform regularly may think we do drunk improv all the time but that's not actually the case. Sometimes we really are just that strange.

Anyway, we had a troupe + significant others barbecue and Andy Co-Dependent was determined to do drunk improv, going so far as to have an agenda and bringing an MP-3 of hilarious sound effects so we could try a game called, um, Sound Effects. Not that Andy Co-Dependent was the only one who wanted to do drunk improv. He was just the only one who was organized about it.

By the way, if you're waiting for some moral of the story, or how drunk improv relates to real life, I apologize in advance. I got nothin'.

In addition to Sound Effects and a bunch of other stuff, we did Bad Improv. I'm not being self-deprecating here; it's an actual game where you do a scene and break all the rules. It's hilarious in its badness if you understand the rules that are being broken. It looks like a bunch of idiots doing random things in reasonable proximity to each other to everyone who's not an improv person. Which would be all the Sig O's at the party. And of course, in this case, it was drunk bad improv, so it was even stupider. So all the improvisors were laughing our asses off at people talking on imaginary telephones, having interactions with non-existent people, calling everything "this" and "that" without labeling them, appearing from outer space, changing their relationships mid-scene, leaving the scene, denying every bit of information and on and on. Meanwhile, the Sig O's were sitting there, staring at us and muttering because bad improv just isn't funny if you aren't in on the joke.

So I guess I do have a moral to this story: if you are going to do drunk improv, only invite the improvisors. If you're going to include the significant others, just do what regular people do at parties and be loud, talk about annoying people and get semi-naked in the kitchen.

And to all the H2G Sig O's: thanks for putting up with us and being such good sports. Now stop complaining. There was plenty of booze.

By Sonnjea Blackwell

Friday, July 15, 2011

Will You Be My Friend?

Wanna be a better friend? I can help. No, really. I have that kind of power.

Turns out, the characteristics that make a great friend are the same as those that make a great improvisor. I know you keep thinking I'll run out of examples of how life and improv are the same. But no. I'm not the Queen of Information for nothing, peeps. Anyway, even though there's no Intro to Being a Better Friend class, there are plenty of Held2gether Intro to Improv Comedy classes that can teach you all the skills you need to be someone's BFF.

Even if you only want to be someone's good friend or okay friend and not necessarily their best friend, improv can help. See, in improv we want our partners to make eye contact (during those brief moments when they're not mesmerized by our awesome biceps), listen, agree, add information and of course, be committed. And I dunno about you, but those are the same traits I want in a friend. Naturally, good friends won't agree with you if you're being an idiot - say you insist that all people who believe in unicorns are insane. Well, that's clearly not true, and a good friend will not agree with your premise. They will, however, agree with your right to be an idiot.

You may think that once you've learned these improv techniques, they will only apply while you're doing improv. But the awesome thing about improv is that the skills you learn seep over into other areas of your life. That's because you're actually learning new ways of thinking and responding, and your brain doesn't assume those new ways of thinking were only intended for improv scenes. So you'll find yourself having a conversation with someone and actually listening to them, instead of making a list in your head of everything you need to buy at Trader Joe's. You'll realize that you are finding ways to agree with them and support their ideas, instead of defaulting to the tried-and-true, "Well, that's a stupid idea. Nobody wants home fur coloring for their cats." You'll discover that you add information, contributing to the friendship by putting a little more of yourself into it, when you respond to the fur coloring idea with, "You know, maybe you could include a snippet of catnip in the box of fur coloring to attract more buyers." All in all, you'll see that you are more committed in your conversations, your work and, of course, your friendships.

All because you took an improv class. Which, in case I haven't mentioned it, is a totally fun, safe and encouraging way to learn stuff anyway. I mean, there aren't any textbooks or tests or angry nuns with rulers to worry about.

Well, maybe the last one.

By Sonnjea Blackwell

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Improv in the Swamp

Have you ever noticed that sometimes in life things don't go perfectly the first time (or first couple million times) you try them? Or is that just me?

Well, anyway, on the off chance that this problem affects one or two other people besides me, I'm gonna go with it.

Most of us weren't born knowing how to do stuff, and sometimes acquiring the skills and knowledge we need or want to have requires a certain level - okay, a huge, ginormous level - of frustration. We try and study and work at something, and we get incrementally better. Or sometimes we make a big ol' leap in a short period of time. Yay us!

Only then we hit a plateau. And we swim along in the muddy waters of this purgatory, fighting the current that threatens to take us backwards, and wondering if we're ever going to get any better than this. Or if we're just gonna drown right here in this swamp of mediocrity.

It's been a tough week. Sorry.

But you know what? The only way to keep from drowning in that swamp is to keep paddling. The learning curve isn't so much a curve as it is a zig-zag. You make a big improvement - usually beginners make a huge improvement at first because they're going from a baseline of essentially no knowledge, so any learning is a big leap. Then you hit a plateau, where I suppose your brain is figuring out what to do with all that new stuff, so there isn't really room to take in more new stuff. Sometimes, there's even a downturn, where your abilities regress a bit. That one sucks. Trust me.

But if you don't give up, there will be another turn and the zig-zag will zoom up again, and you'll forget all about that murky friggin' swamp. Until you hit the next plateau. But hopefully you'll start to see the pattern and you won't lose confidence every time you find yourself in the swamp.

Naturally, when you take Held2gether improv classes there'll be a bit of a learning, uh, zig-zag. But the great thing about improv is, it's fun even when it isn't. How's that for profound? It's true. The games and exercises and people make improv one of the funnest (Darren's word, not mine) things you can do, and even when you're stuck in what seems to be a never-ending plateau, you don't stay focused on your own frustration very long when you're laughing your ass off.

Besides, swimming in the swamp is an excellent way to build your biceps. Now you know my secret.

By Sonnjea Blackwell

Monday, July 11, 2011

If I Can Do It, It's Not a Skill

By Sonnjea Blackwell

Mutual Improv Admiration Society


You know how it is in life, when you tend to discount things that come easily to you or that you do well? And you admire people who can do something that you find next to impossible? Like, I can put together anything Ikea makes in under 10 minutes, which seems like a dumb skill to me. But I'm totally jealous of people who can plan a vacation and not get overwhelmed by the planes and the hotels and all the damn choices.

It's the same with improv. Not the prefab furniture or travel arrangements, I mean. Duh. But the tendency to discount that which you do well while over-regarding the skills of others. I'll explain. You're welcome.

Last week I had my semi-regular crisis of confidence regarding my ability to have different characters and, as Andy Co-Dependent would say, "bring the funny." And yet, after one of my classes, a long-time improvisor who I've never been in class with before and whose strength is characters gave me the best compliment you can get in improv: He said he can't wait to work with me. I'd been thinking I really wanted to work with him because he's a pro and hilarious and all that, but I couldn't see any reason the feeling would be mutual.

Turns out, while I've been busy admiring his ability to take on characters, he's been admiring my ability to add great information. Since adding information and justifying pretty much anything are not skills I had to learn, I consider them less important than skills I have to work at. But of course, Information is one of the Big 3 of improv rules. Agreement is another. And Commitment (to the scene and to the character you're playing) is the third. So the skill I admire is no more important than the skill I possess.

I think the message here is that there's no point in being jealous of other people's abilities. If they can do something that you want to be able to do, work hard at learning it. But don't discount the things you already do well, because they're important too, and other people think those are the skills worth having. Naturally, Held2gether improv classes in Long Beach can help you learn all of those skills.

Well, the Big 3, anyway. We don't actually spend much time on furniture assembly or booking travel. Sorry.


Sunday, July 10, 2011

Improv Classes in Long Beach

By Sonnjea Blackwell

Improv for anyone who's breathing

I have a friend who recently informed me that she thinks she'd like to be a performer and/or writer on SNL when she grows up. She's 16 (it's not weird; shut up), so she has plenty of time to start down that path and I really hope she makes it if that's what she wants to do.

But I couldn't help being a little sad and jealous about it because I didn't even know what improv WAS until I was [insert whatever age you think I was about 15 years ago]. That's when I first saw Whose Line Is It Anyway? Of course I've watched SNL on and off over the years since the heyday of the Belushi/Ackroyd/Radner crew, but I never really grasped that what they did (sketch OR improv, I mean) was a learnable skill.

Look, I grew up in a small town that emphasized farming, drinking American beer and shooting stuff. The arts were something other people from hoity toity places like New York and Los Angeles did. I was pushing the envelope by choosing to become a writer.

Anyway. That's the awesome thing about Held2gether: it's designed for people like me who discovered improv late[r] in life and don't have the acting/performing/comedy background necessary for improv classes at the schools in those hoity toity places. That's why we call it "improv for life..." Because it's for everyone who is currently alive.

And because our entire mission is to bring the skills and fun and joy of improv to as many currently alive people as possible, our classes are safe and encouraging and supportive. Most of us have never acted or performed, either. We know it's scary to be up on a stage with people you've barely met doing crazy scenes involving porcupines and cousins and Panda Express. But the life (there's that word again) skills and enjoyment you get from just showing up and trying are worth every bit of angst you feel on the drive to your first class.

Just be careful on the drive to your second class. You'll be so excited to get there, you might get a speeding ticket. And we can't accept responsibility for that. Sorry.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Improv Is Art

By Sonnjea Blackwell

Whew. What an awesome week! Held2gether improv galore, a heat wave, and a celebration of America's Independence involving fireworks, wine and smooth-jazz versions of classic Hall & Oates songs performed by Hall & Oates. Not the way I would've chosen to hear Rich Girl cuz it made it hard to sing along, but I guess Hall and/or Oates gets to decide these things, not me. Weird.

Which made me think about appropriateness and art. It also made me think about 7th grade, because that's when Rich Girl came out. Go ahead and do the math. I'm old.

But I digress. Sorry, it's Friday. Of course whenever you're talking about art, questions arise as to what's appropriate and acceptable... and even about whether or not something is, in fact, art. I have a degree in the subject (seriously, you're learning SO MUCH useless information about me today), and I spent countless hours in classes debating the question, "What makes something art?" There's no correct answer. I'd argue that the original version of Rich Girl is art, while the 2011 fireworks version of it... well, it's still art. Just not good art.

Improv is art. I'm just sayin'. Sometimes it's good and sometimes not so good, but anything that sets out to make people happy by showing them funny scenes created on the spot out of thin air without being mean in any way is definitely art.

Seriously, I learned that in art school.


Thursday, July 7, 2011

Improv and Wedding Chapels

By Sonnjea Blackwell

I'm effing cranky. No excuse, just woke up in a mood. A little early-morning improv might've helped, but so far there are no Held2gether improv classes at 8:00 on Thursday mornings. One of these days...

So, you wanna know what cheered me right up? This poster for our upcoming long form show!

Look, it's pretty obvious by now that I'm easily amused, so you shouldn't find it surprising how little it takes to make me happy.

Anyway, we have a couple shows before the August long form extravaganza - Last Laugh Saturday on (duh) Saturday, July 23rd. And Beach Blanket Bixby at Elise's Tea Room for August First Fridays on (duh) Friday, August 5th. I'm excited about all of them, but I'm partial to Snow Globes and Shotgun Weddings because the show is going to be in a wedding chapel. With a full bar. I mean, c'mon... how could that not cheer me right up?

You can get your tickets now - all tickets are 10 bucks, but if you purchase in advance you get a free drink. Free. Drink.

I can tell that cheered you right up. You're welcome.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Improv Is Magical

By Sonnjea Blackwell

Okay, this is your last official warning: the Held2gether Intro to Improv Comedy class that starts this Saturday (July 9th, 2011, that is) is thisclose to being full. There are a couple spaces left, but they aren't going to last so hurry up and register at the website so you aren't one of the sad people who missed out.

In case you aren't sure what to expect in an intro to improv class, I'm gonna tell you. Cuz that's just how I roll. First of all, you'll learn the fundamentals of improv, namely agreement, information and commitment. Believe it or not, there are fun games and exercises that help you learn those things while you're just being goofy and having fun... and all of a sudden you think to yourself, "Hey! I learned something even though I was just being goofy and having fun! Weird!"

You'll also learn to help your partner out by adding information, instead of always asking questions. Sure, it sounds easy. But try to go through your day without asking questions. Not so easy after all. One continuing student says that when he learned to make statements instead of asking questions, his wife started liking him more. "Honey, do you want me to take out the trash?" puts the burden on her to say, "Yes, doofus, of course I want you to take out the trash; it's not going to take itself out." But now that he makes it a statement, "Honey, I'm going to take out the trash now," she doesn't have to think up creative names to call him every evening.

Of course, the most important skills you'll learn in the H2g Intro to Improv class are self-confidence and trust. When it's your turn and you and your partner make something hilarious out of absolutely nothing, you learn that you can do pretty much anything. And then you can apply your new-found skills in any area of your life, including with the dozen or so new friends you'll make in class, some of whom will probably end up becoming the best friends you've ever had. Because improv is, when you get right down to it, magical.

And you don't want to miss out on magic, do you?

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Don't Judge Your (Improv) Self

By Sonnjea Blackwell

I had a lot of time over the 4th of July weekend to ponder deep thoughts about improv and life and stuff, and I came to several important conclusions:
  1. I really need some sushi soon
  2. It feels like it hasn't been summer for about three years, so I'm happy about the heat
  3. Red wine goes with everything, and
  4. Being self-judgy* is counter-productive and, well, bad
In improv, as I may have mentioned one or forty-seven times, it's important to commit. You have to be in the scene 100%, however lame or stupid it may seem, and it can't be obvious that you think it's lame or stupid. For those 3 minutes that you are on stage, whatever is coming out of your mouth (and your scene partner's mouth, too) is the most brilliant, fascinating thing ever.

It's better if you don't even think the idea is lame or stupid. Judging yourself (or being "self-judgy," to use the technical improv terminology) puts you in your head, takes you out of the scene, and lets the audience know how you feel about what's happening. You can't be acting in and committing to a scene while you're judging, critiquing and/or analyzing it. To be focused and in the moment means you can't be multi-tasking. All you can do is listen to your partner and respond. Period. Having a running commentary going in your brain simultaneously means you are not 100% committed to listening and responding, and the scene will reflect that. And I've seen plenty of scenes that were going great until one of the improvisors starting judging themselves. Then, sure enough, the scene became lame and stupid, even though it hadn't started that way.

I will go out on a limb here and suggest that the same is true in real life. Being self-judgy can undermine your confidence, inhibit your creativity, stifle your willingness to take risks and make it damn near impossible to make decisions. And that's no way to live! Learning not to judge yourself can truly help you accomplish more in your work, and become more confident in your abilities and choices. And the only way I know of to learn NOT to judge yourself is to take Held2gether improv classes. I mean, you could try hypnosis I suppose, but with improv classes you also get to make friends and laugh your ass off weekly, and I just don't see that happening with hypnotherapy. Just sayin'.

*Thanks to Lisa for coining the phrase "self-judgy." I'm not saying she has too much time on her hands, but when was the last time you had an hour to sit around and make up words?

Friday, July 1, 2011

Trust Me

By Sonnjea Blackwell

It's good to have goals. Setting goals is sort of like creating a roadmap of where you want to go in life, and I don't know about you, but I can pretty much get lost on my way to the bathroom if I don't have a map.

So I applaud having a goal in mind. But here's the thing. Sometimes on the way to attaining one goal, something even better presents itself. And you don't want to be that person who is so damn determined to get the brass ring that he fails to notice there are gold and silver rings all around him. Although I personally find it difficult to understand how anyone could overlook anything that shiny.

In any event, the same principles apply in improv. You might have some general improv goals like:
  1. Connect with scene partner
  2. Remember to agree!
  3. Let them talk too
  4. Don't forget to do spacework
  5. Have an emotional reaction
What you don't want to do in improv is have a goal of where you want the scene to go. If you are driving the scene in a particular direction, you can't be in the moment and you will not be reacting to your partner's information. You'll just be constantly steering the conversation and action back to that goal of yours, determined to reach the brass ring and ignoring all the wonderful gold and silver rings of information your scene partner throws you.

This is bad for a couple reasons. One, when someone forces a scene, the scene feels, um, forced. The audience can sense it and it simply isn't as funny as a scene that unfolds organically. And b) it irritates the hell out of your scene partner because nobody enjoys feeling ignored and/or railroaded into something.

Improv is called improv because it's improvised. If it was meant to be pre-planned we would just call it acting. If you want to be a good improvisor, you have to let go of your goals and trust. The only reasons people force an agenda in improv are because they don't trust their scene partner or they don't trust themselves.

We understand that politicians have made it nearly impossible for people to trust anyone these days. So Held2gether offers fun and safe ways to learn to trust others and yourself. Once you learn that, you'll have way funnier scenes, and way more fun doing them.

It works. Trust me.