What is Improv, anyway?
Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers.
On the spot. On the stage. Unscripted. Imagine.
And Why Is It Supposed To Matter?
I read extensively on the internet about the concepts that can be taken away from improv comedy, and their preparatory games, and put to use in the way we think about our everyday lives. There is so much here that can be applied to everything from personal development to parenting to improving our relationships.
Putting everyday life and ideologies on trial, imagining variations on reality, and questioning the things we take for granted—all of these are more or less the same and very important strategies to widen our horizons and stretch our perspectives.
I don’t really remember how did I start reading about improv, but I guess, it’s only by following along these tangents that we can get to an awakening, right? Follow these tangential concepts, ride on the rainbow, and you’ll get your pot of good luck.
The One Single Takeaway: The “Yes, And” Approach
If someone were to ask me to mention ONE single thing to take away, then without a doubt my choice would be the “Yes, and…” Ideology. It is the most basic rule of improv.
“Yes, and…” thinking is a rule-of-thumb in improvisational comedy that suggests that a participant should accept what another participant has stated and then expand on that line of thinking.
No matter what your partner says during a scene, your job is to build on that, by agreeing with (“yes”) and adding to (“and”) their statement. To do improv successfully, you need to establish characters and plot through collaboration (“yes, and”) rather than negation (“no, but”).
Now how can we apply this to our relationships?
The primary rule is to see yourselves as two collaborating individuals. Yes. And then work towards something that would stretch your brains and broaden your possibilities.
Listening to and being receptive towards the other person—be it your scene partner or your lab partner or your life partner—is really important. Actively listening to them, fully investing yourself in the moment and conversation. Because as Susan Messing said,
If you’re in your head then you’re not here with me.
Susan Messing
Further Reading:
Book recommendations from my side!
1) Training to Imagine:Practical Improvisational Theatre Techniques for Trainers and Managers to Enhance Creativity, Teamwork, Leadership, and Learning (by Kat Koppett)
2) Truth in Comedy: The Manual of Improvisation (by Charna Halpern, Del Close, and Kim Johnson)
(psst, if anyone would like to have the pdf versions of these books, I’d be happy to oblige! Let me know in the comments, or hit me up on email or Instagram.)
Bonus Quotes!
My fav improv quotes that apply to life:
No one looks stupid when they’re having fun.
—Amy Poehler
The rules of improvisation apply beautifully to life. Never say no – you have to be interested to be interesting, and your job is to support your partners.
— Scott Adsit
I love improvisation. You can’t blame it on the writers. You can’t blame it on direction. You can’t blame it on the camera guy… It’s you. You’re on. You’ve got to do it, and you either sink or swim with what you’ve got.
— Jonathan Winters
The thing about improvisation is that it’s not about what you say. It’s listening to what other people say. It’s about what you hear.
—Paul Merton
Improv groups get stale when the members stop surprising each other.
—Greg Triggs
Just say yes and you’ll figure it out afterwards.
—Tina Fey
If we treat each other as if we are geniuses, poets, and artists, we have a better chance of becoming that on stage.
—Del Close
The fun is always on the other side of a yes.
—Martin DeMatt
Improvisation is the art of being completely okay with not knowing what the f___ you’re doing.
—Mick Napier
TL;DR: Say yes, have fun, don’t worry!
Or as he said once, when we were playing a game of chess and I was stressing over each move:
Enjoy karo, blunder karo, mast raho!
My Boyfriend
Until next time! Take good care of yourself! Drink water! ❤
:Dhriti.
Dhriti Patel 