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:
- Connect with scene partner
- Remember to agree!
- Let them talk too
- Don't forget to do spacework
- Have an emotional reaction
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.
