(Held2gether improv is the "right" way of doing it.)
That being said, there are a few core tenets that make up all improv, and we've talked about them before: agreement, information and commitment.
Darren and I are just about polar opposites in our natural skill sets: he is all about commitment, big energy and emotion; I am the calm, cool, collected Queen of Information. So if you put the two of us together, you'd have one perfect improvisor.
At least we agree on agreement.
Recently, we've each come to appreciate the others' strengths even more. Taking classes at a place that does very different improv (ie, not the "right" way), I've seen firsthand how B-O-R-I-N-G scenes without big energy and emotion are. Oh. Friggin' yay - two people talking. Yawn-o-rooni. So, along with the determination I've made to be more charactery and bigger and all that for my own personal reasons, I really see the need for it if I want to perform the "right" kind of improv.
And because Held2gether improv classes are designed for everyone, not just actor-y types, some of the shyer, more inhibited people like to see a quieter, less over-the-top performer such as myself who can still "bring the funny," to quote Andy, Co-Dependent.
What really makes improv amazing, is that all the players have their own strengths and putting them together makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts. It's true. Even when I'm one of the "parts."
See y'all tonight at The Many Faces of Frank!
By Sonnjea Blackwell
