Turns out they settled on Carr Mill Mall and started building the new permanent stage there. This excited me in ways I have trouble reconciling with my preference for writing over acting. So in early August, in a moment of weakness, I saw a Ross White blog post talking about a level 1 improv class.

There was one spot left, and the first of six classes started a day or so later. It was like finding an ebay auction you're mildly interested in, but it's two minutes 'til the auction's end, and you get caught up in the moment, ending up with a Darth Vader yo-yo that you know your wife won't let you keep. So I conjured up enough clarity of mind to check with Fun-sized first, making sure it was realistic (money-wise and time-wise), and then I signed up.

Much of improv is based on agreement. If one person in an improv scene says, "We're stuck in a giant cereal bowl," the other person isn't going to say, "No, we're in a zoo, you stupid-head," because that's not part of the complete breakfast the first person posited. Instead, the second person agrees with the first person and adds something else to the scene. We call this "Yes And."

I'm kinda introverted, and when I first read about actual improv techniques a few years back (after years of fooling around with improv games like "Freeze" in college), the "yes and" really taught me the basics of human interaction. Not that I'm always agreeable, but I do understand how acknowledgment and validation move discussion--and ultimately relationships--forward. It was a big step for me. I figured the class should help me come out of my shell even more. I was right.

Improv is the act of creation in front of other people. My writing and other creative work--even performing in plays or film--have the benefit of preparation and refinement before anyone sees the finished product. Even when I send an impulsive email or write a journal entry like this one with minimal revision, I can reread it at least once before it's released, which settles some of the nervousness about how much or little it sucks.

Improv is scary to me the same way all human interaction is scary to me. Only moreso because there's expectation involved when you're the one in front of everybody. But it's also fun. And I guess necessary when you have a job so devoid of human interaction, though I am surprised how many people want to make demands on my time as it is.

And sure enough human interaction and improv go hand in hand. The class members are people I enjoy "working" with, and then enjoy interacting with afterwards. Just hope I'm not too grating to be around when we hang out after class, when I've spent all my extroversion points for the evening on the lesson plans and have nothing left for Zog's.

What have I gained from the class? Well, I'm less frightened than I used to be, I think. This doesn't come easy to me. And more importantly I've made some new friends and potential collaborators. (I mean check out Ted Hobgood's Randominator; I already have plans to party with this cat.) In short, I'm really glad I took the class. For once my impulsiveness led me in a good direction...

The improv challenges ahead? I am more of a physical actor and I am very comfortable with silence in plays or film, with listening and responding nonverbally. The reason improv and me don't get along, see, is that I am not comfortable with silence when someone's depending on me to create with them. I feel if I don't respond verbally then I am not being a giving partner; I'm not helping to move the story along as well as I might. So the result is I feel I'm all verbal on stage and so I should probably work on that, since I'm not playing to my strengths.

Much of the class is moving on to level 2 after our final session this week. I'm tempted if only for the fellowship, but I really can't justify it timewise right now. Doing level 1 was difficult enough to find time for. At any rate...

The Dirty South Improv in Carr Mill Mall (entrance on the outside ofthe building, between Elmo's Diner and the CVS) opens October 7. Classes all the time to help make you funny. Give them some love.

Filed under Acting, Carrboro Area, Journal, Peers & Peerless
Comments: Discuss this entry at LiveJournal

Posted by: Dave at September 13, 2005 11:06 AM

Posted by: alex at September 13, 2005 12:19 PM

Posted by: Daveted Hobdavegood at September 21, 2005 1:23 AM