I was just thinking about improv. Are there improv groups you can join? Sorry if I sound uneducated, but I'm just exploring the options.
I was just thinking about improv. Are there improv groups you can join? Sorry if I sound uneducated, but I'm just exploring the options.
You would need to take classes before joining a group. No improv team in a major center is going to accept a new person in who hasn't done improv before. Usually, the people you meet in classes are people you eventually "troupe up" with.
Last edited by sharilyn; December 28, 2009 at 6:52 AM. Reason: Spelling fail.
Sorry man, but do you ever do any independent research of your own?
I want to reply to this thread, what should I do?
You can join improv classes, and maybe you'll meet people you could create a troupe with. Or just find funny people in general and create one. Or keep showing up to a place where a troupe performs and slowly get to know them, and then kidnap one of the members you share the most common physical traits with and lock them in your basement (or attic, whichever works for you) then start wearing his clothes and showing up acting like you are him. They might try to tell you that they know your not him, but just keep pretending you are. Plus maybe that guy has a cool collection of clothes.
ok
Last edited by Thor Smash; December 28, 2009 at 4:17 PM.
Thank you. Just thinking about it.Originally Posted by sharilyn
You wouldn't even want to join a group without taking classes. Take it from me, I did. But this is a college improv thing, not like an adults-in-the-improv-scene kind of deal.
Speaking of, I have my first performance with this group this upcoming Wednesday. I've never performed without prepared material before. I can't imagine this is going to be very productive but does anyone have tips for dealing with this pressure/fear of failure? There's going to be like 85-100 people there so I'd really love to not fuck/freeze up.
We do short-form, if that helps.
Hey Alexmce, as someone who has dealt a TON with performance anxiety I have at least a few tips:
Keep all your focus on stage. Once you start to wonder "Is this funny?" or "Does the audience like it" you pull yourself out of the scene and it's VERY hard to get back in
Think of it as if you HAVE prepared the material: After all, you've prepared it in the sense of practicing and learning the art. Try to use that when you start worrying that nothing is prepared.
Fear of failure has worked for me on a comedy stage (as opposed to a musical stage, where I spend most time), because....people failing is funny. Watch The Room. Obviously you'll want the laughs to come from the funny thing you are doing, but if you actually DO freeze/fuck up, just remember that it's hilarious
Eyes are the losers in the skies.
Right on, Caroline!
These same old improv cliches?:
-You can trust your partner, s/he'll take care of you, and you'll take care of them.
-When you're performing, there are no wrong choices in a scene [Really!]
I find them really comforting, they're simple and they helped me.
Like what Caroline said about using failure, own it. Fail big. Don't let fear stop you from making choices. If it fall flat, it's not a big deal AT ALL. Shake it off, get to the next scene. Audiences remember your good work.
Break a leg!
^
double-fact
I always found scripted/standup stuff more nerve racking than improv. If you've ever done a good scene you're all set. You have essentially all the tools you need. Just go up there, do what you want to do and have fun.
Topic: I'd go whatever route gets you doing it. Classes are nice if you have any around. If not (or if you think you can do it without dropping the coin) just see if you have any friends interested in doing something. You can do pretty much any kind of improv you like with just one other person.
If you go to high school/college they probably have a group, and if not it wouldn't be that hard to start one!
From there just do it as much as you can. See if you can put shows together, see if you can collaborate with other groups or get a work shop and yadda yadda yadda.
I'd hesitate to say that classes are a necessity. Improv can be taught REAL shitty and if so all it does is give you a lot useless crap to worry about. I've been in a college group for awhile and A LOT of people do some of their best stuff at auditions, and then struggle for a pretty good while after. Why? I'd say a lot of it's because at auditions their brains havent been filled with all that crap, and they haven't been taught yet that there's alllllll this stuff to worry about, or even that something as simple as adult-pretend is something they should even be worried about at all.
but yeah just do it. Improv is one of those few things that's just as stupidly simple as getting in a room and doing it.
If you wanna get SOME good ideas i'd reccomend IMPROvise. by Mick Napier. Great book.
I've done the first two levels of classes that UCBNY offers, and it's been great. I could go on stage unprepared and do a bunch of stuff that's fun for me but UCB really teaches you how to put on a good, funny show. I just set up a group to practice for the next couple months and I am going to sign up for 301 in a couple weeks.
I agree that, aside from the basic butterflies you get pre-show, there's no pressure to perform improv because every time you do it you get better. If you are acting in a play and blow it, you don't learn anything, but if you fuck up a scene, there's always a lesson to be learned.
As far as "a bunch of shit to remember," there really is a finite amount and once you get the basics it's just finding every little situation that can be an object lesson in one or more principles. It's completely true that I experienced severe dips in confidence in the middle of both classes, but if you don't have any standard to work towards then there's no tangible achievements. Once you know what to work towards you can look at past performances and rate them easily rather than dissecting every choice and move.
Yeah, I mean I assume at the UCB you've been taught well.
I'm just talking about the stupid rule-based "Don't ever negate, don't ever ask questions, don't ever negotiate etc etc" form of teaching improv and others like it. Stuff like that is honestly worse than worthless imo. And you'd be better off just coming to things naturally than sifting through garbage.
But yeah if you're in a place like NY or Chicago, anywhere there's clearly good teaching to be had, than absolutely.
thanks guys - i especially like the fail big lesson. we're lucky to have a crowd who is generally completely on our side so i think the main thing i'm going to keep in mind is that so long as i stay bold and interesting a fuck-up can entertaining for the audience -- no one enjoys a timid performance.
i've found that those rules are actually super helpful as long as you recognize that they're not meant to be followed explicitly. like the pirates' code, they're more like guidelines.
holy shit i just realized there are a ton of parallels between the pirates' code and improv tenets.
Just listen.
And respond/react to what you just heard.
If this is the only thing you do, you will be fine.
And if you take a class, don't be afraid of being challenged. The only thing worse than a bad teacher is a student who blames other students/teachers/theaters. And if you do find yourself the victim of a teacher or theater that pervades and commercializes your art, living well and being a great improviser is always the best revenge.
it went great, consensus is apparently that i had the line of the night, thanks for the help.
Great! Congrats!
okay.
I've always been hesitant to throw down the cash on a class without knowing what I was getting myself into, so when io west offered a free workshop, I jumped at it.
It was definitely fun, however, I'm more interested how different schools (second city, ucb, groundlings, io) differ in terms of teaching. Has anyone here had the opportunity/cash to spend to get a feel for the different classes?
You'd think I'd jump at going to UCB given my proximity to the venue, but I'd like to hear other opinions on the matter.
UCB is laid back and fun (be yourself! be witty! say funny things!). The other students are usually in their mid-20s and listen to cool music. Groundlings is a little more strict with their improv training (be emotional! do spacework! get invested!). Their students range in age/demographic a little more (young people who have never seen Mr. Show, 40 year olds who used to write for Walker Texas Ranger) and the focus is way more on acting and performing, which could be great or terrible depending on what you are looking for. Personally, my favorite teachers were at the Groundlings. I got really specific one-on-one notes and I never had a class where the teacher still didn't know our names after 8 weeks (I had 2 classes at UCB where that happened. It can be kind of deflating to the room vibe when on class 7 "you and you" are called up to do a scene). I haven't taken classes at IO but I hear good things. Best thing to do (if you have the cash) would be to take a basic/101 class at each school and decide for yourself.
Thanks for the input, as much as I like anonymity, I don't like it in class environments so maybe groundlings might be a good fit, although the instructor, derek miller, at iO was great and made everyone quite comfortable. Although they offered a discount, he didn't pitch the free class like a improv time share to sucker you into signing onto their Level 1.
It looks like Second City LA is offering a little taste of their classes in 2 hours samplings for $20 a piece, so I'm going to check out their writing and improv classes. Perhaps Groundlings offers some kind of similar offering.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
