The Waggles Are Late!

So far I've written about 160 blog posts this year. I'm not looking for applause or anything; I'm only mentioning it because 160 ideas about how improv is like real life / the benefits of doing improv / how to get the most from improv classes is kind of a lot of ideas from someone whose ideas typically run the gamut from "I'm hungry" to "I'm starving."

Today, I'm fresh outta ideas. Luckily, being out of ideas is a subject that applies to improv. Ha. You thought I couldn't do it.

Sometimes, having no ideas is a good thing. After all, you don't want to have an agenda or a plan or a script - that's called writing, people. Writing is a great thing also; I happen to be rather fond of it myself. But it ain't improv. So having no ideas in improv can be beneficial in terms of having the freedom to react to your partner's actions and comments.

But sometimes having no ideas is a problem. Audience suggestions often have some tie-in to pop culture, which can be problematic if you don't know a Kardashian from a knish. Occasionally, your scene partner says something that you just have no clue how to respond to, like "The waggles are late for the popcorn treaty." Or perhaps it's been a long day, and the nuances of the English language elude you, making you want to respond to everything with "Ugh."

If you were writing and you had that problem, you could turn off the computer and come back another day. With improv, you don't have that luxury. You can't tell the audience, "Um, sorry, I don't know what Frank is talking about, so let's start over."

All you can do is stay in the moment, take a deep breath (or 2 or 10), make eye contact with your scene partner for as long as it takes and say something. Remember, you're in this together and your partner will help justify whatever you say or do. The most important thing is stop judging yourself and DO NOT BAIL. The audience wants you to win, and if you stay in it, you will. Honest.

If you do improv long enough, you'll have plenty of moments where you think you have nothing. But what you learn in improv is that, as long as all the players in the scene are committed, there are no mistakes. Sometimes the oddest bit of information (or non-information, as the case may be) turns out to be the thing that the whole scene turns on.

So don't give up. I just wrote 500 words about the fact that I have no ideas. If I can do that, you can come up with a response to, "The waggles are late for the popcorn treaty." Naturally, H2G improv classes are a great place to learn. In fact, I'm going to one just as soon as the sparkles finish fooding the nightmare.

By Sonnjea Blackwell

The Opposite of Funny

By Sonnjea Blackwell

Today is one of those really annoying days that makes me want to swear inappropriately (seriously, I know I look like a soccer mom, but in my normal life I swear like a friggin' sailor. I actually tone it down for you guys. A lot). Anyway, whatever the opposite of creative is, that's what I am today. No problem, except that I get paid for being creative, not for being the opposite of creative.

Why is this our problem, you ask, and when is this post going to get funny? Excellent questions. When you learn the answers, can you let me know?

Okay, okay. See, sometimes you just don't feel funny. Maybe you're tired. Maybe you're hungover, or sick, or maybe Mercury is friggin' retrograde again. Who knows. It's just that some days you really don't feel "on." Sucks if you're a writer or a graphic designer (sorry, it's all about me today). But luckily, if you're an improv-er, you're not all alone. Maybe you don't feel funny - but there's a good chance the whole class doesn't feel the same way at the same time. So you just remember the rules, agree with whatever your funny partner has to say and try to add information. That's the beauty of improv - it's a team sport, and your partners are more than happy to help you out on days when you are the opposite of funny.

The other thing about improv is, you learn that everything can change in a moment. You might be the opposite of funny for half a scene, and then something clicks and you're on again. It's like that in life too. Just deciding you're going to do the best you can with what you have at any moment can give you the impetus to keep going until you find your mojo again. So try a Held2gether improv class - we'll help you get through the days when you are the opposite of whatever you're supposed to be, and we really don't care how much you swear.