Since DSI began doing shows, I have always tried to be at as many of them as I could. I generally only missed shows when I was sick or out of town. My attendance was so regular that when I missed one, someone would usually call or im me to make sure I was ok.
One reason I made it a point to go to every show I could was to support my friends and the theater. My friends came to see my shows, I wanted to go to theirs. Support is not just something teammates share, it is a big part of what our whole theater is built on.
The other reason I always went to shows was that if I missed something golden, it was gone forever. I didn't want to miss anything. EVER. I want it all. Every little bit of DSI improv there is and has ever been. Every wonderful thing that is said, every priceless pause, every hilariously expressive facial expression, everything.
The opening last weekend was glorious. It was the realization of our dreams. We all had good shows. It was so much fun and so much improv. It was improv gluttony. And I was exhausted.
The only other times I've gorged myself on that much improv in a weekend have been festivals. I would compare improv festivals to Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone eats (watches, plays) way too much, often to the point of discomfort, but it's awesome, and we know we only do it once a year, so it's ok.
Last weekend I realized that if I continue my habit of going to every show, I would be gorging myself on improv every single weekend. There is no way I could expect myself to do that and not burn out. I resolved to stay away unless I was working or playing. It is a healthy decision, I believe. I know all too well what a burnout feels like, and I don't want to repeat it.
But damn it.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Monday, October 10, 2005
I am so smart, S.M.R.T.
As young children learn new skills, they often seem to forget the skills they already had. For example, a child who is struggling to master potty training will often seem to lose speech skills she had already mastered.
In fact, the child has not forgotten her speech. She is using all her learning abilities on the new skill and putting the old skill on hold for a time. Once the new skill is mastered, the child then exhbits the previous proficiency, and even progress, in the "forgotten" skill.
I could google that to have a reference for you, but I don't feel like it. Trust me. I know it to be true.
Working with Zach as both a teacher and a coach, I am approaching improv from different directions than I ever have before. It is blowing my mind. It is making me feel like I'm forgetting everything I ever learned. I have to remind myself that I have not gotten stupid, I'm just putting the old skills on hold until I learn the new ones.
I look forward to the fun I will be having when I integrate them.
Boom.
In fact, the child has not forgotten her speech. She is using all her learning abilities on the new skill and putting the old skill on hold for a time. Once the new skill is mastered, the child then exhbits the previous proficiency, and even progress, in the "forgotten" skill.
I could google that to have a reference for you, but I don't feel like it. Trust me. I know it to be true.
Working with Zach as both a teacher and a coach, I am approaching improv from different directions than I ever have before. It is blowing my mind. It is making me feel like I'm forgetting everything I ever learned. I have to remind myself that I have not gotten stupid, I'm just putting the old skills on hold until I learn the new ones.
I look forward to the fun I will be having when I integrate them.
Boom.
I am so smart, S.M.R.T.
As young children learn new skills, they often seem to forget the skills they already had. For example, a child who is struggling to master potty training will often seem to lose speech skills she had already mastered.
In fact, the child has not forgotten her speech. She is using all her learning abilities on the new skill and putting the old skill on hold for a time. Once the new skill is mastered, the child then exhbits the previous proficiency, and even progress, in the "forgotten" skill.
I could google that to have a reference for you, but I don't feel like it. Trust me. I know it to be true.
Working with Zach as both a teacher and a coach, I am approaching improv from different directions than I ever have before. It is blowing my mind. It is making me feel like I'm forgetting everything I ever learned. I have to remind myself that I have not gotten stupid, I'm just putting the old skills on hold until I learn the new ones.
I look forward to the fun I will be having when I integrate them.
Boom.
In fact, the child has not forgotten her speech. She is using all her learning abilities on the new skill and putting the old skill on hold for a time. Once the new skill is mastered, the child then exhbits the previous proficiency, and even progress, in the "forgotten" skill.
I could google that to have a reference for you, but I don't feel like it. Trust me. I know it to be true.
Working with Zach as both a teacher and a coach, I am approaching improv from different directions than I ever have before. It is blowing my mind. It is making me feel like I'm forgetting everything I ever learned. I have to remind myself that I have not gotten stupid, I'm just putting the old skills on hold until I learn the new ones.
I look forward to the fun I will be having when I integrate them.
Boom.
Saturday, October 8, 2005
Still trying to find words
Tonight DSI realized the dream. It was beautiful. It was everything it should have been and more. All but one of my original Level 1 (101) teammates were there, either on stage or in the audience. You think I'm gonna' sleep now?! Pffftttt!
Wednesday, October 5, 2005
Sensei Zach
This Level 2 class is blowing my mind. The first week was pretty much what I expected, though I learned a lot because I have not really had Zach as a teacher since the 03 summer intensive, and because this class is full of amazing talent.
Last week was just intense. We really had to open up, and Zach pushed us hard. Having visited some scary places in my psyche in Ross's early classes, I was reluctant to delve too deep, but I shared. Others in the class really gave so much of themselves, and I wished I had shared more.
Tonight was really the one that blew my mind. We were working with our environment in a different way than I ever have before, and it took most of the class to understand where we were going. Once we got there, though, it was pretty cool. The closest thing I can compare it to is "Wax on, wax off."
Last week was just intense. We really had to open up, and Zach pushed us hard. Having visited some scary places in my psyche in Ross's early classes, I was reluctant to delve too deep, but I shared. Others in the class really gave so much of themselves, and I wished I had shared more.
Tonight was really the one that blew my mind. We were working with our environment in a different way than I ever have before, and it took most of the class to understand where we were going. Once we got there, though, it was pretty cool. The closest thing I can compare it to is "Wax on, wax off."
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Thoughts on "game"
Quote:
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." - John Lennon
Isn't it something that the game we're all looking for happens when we least expect it? Sometimes we work so hard to try to find something fun to play with, and the things we say and do while we're looking, while we're working instead of playing, are the things that wind up being fun. If we're paying attention, we figure it out and stop trying so hard and just start playing.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Meditations on improv
I get a My Daily Om email every day. Sometimes I skim them and yawn. Sometimes they’re really helpful. This one was particularly interesting, in that it was unintentionally about improv.
So often I find myself searching for what my character would say, not because I’m looking for the funniest line or the most brilliant game move. Those things are usually way out of my reach. No, I just have trouble knowing what my character wants to say. The answer is simple, and something we use every day: eye contact. Scott Jennings emphasized it during the recent Level 2. “The next line is in your scene partner’s eyes.”
Eye contact lets you and your scene partner know each other, and when you know each other, you know what you want to say. Once I make eye contact, I discover that my next line is, indeed, right there. More importantly, it is often something completely unexpected and delightful.
It is also important to listen and pay attention to what our scene partner is giving us, instead of spending the time while they're talking thinking of what we're going to say next. We can't do that. Whatever we're going to say next hinges directly on what our scene partner is saying now. We need to know what that is in order to respond.
We need to not only hear words, but also to read body language and understand feelings. The posture and attitude of our scene partner speaks volumes about who we are and how we are feeling about each other. When you're out in the world, watch people interact with each other. Watch their body language and learn what it means. Learn how to use it in your scenework to express what your words are not necessarily saying. And pay attention to your scene partner’s body language and listen to it. Give it the same weight as you do their words.
As improvisers, we do have to agree with each other about the reality of the scene. We can’t build anything together if we don’t. But we don’t always have the same idea coming into a scene. Sometimes we have very different ideas. Without one of us completely dropping our thing, which is jarring to the players and also the audience, how do we reconcile our two different ideas and agree on a reality? The way we build the reality is by listening and respecting each other’s idea, and accepting and incorporating it into our own. In this way, two seemingly different realities can become one.
Listen to the words your scene partner is saying and acknowledge them. Don’t spend all your energy and attention on the nuance and forget to hear the actual words. Respond to the thing that was just said according to the reality you are creating together. No matter what else has gone on in the scene, no matter what the subtleties of body language and eye contact tell us, the words are out there now, and they must be responded to.
It seems so complicated: read the eyes, read the body, hear the words, play the game. In real life we all do it every day. In real reality. When we improvise, we should just think about the fact that we are creating a reality, and we can communicate with each other in that reality in exactly the same way we do in real reality. If that makes any sense at all.
Quote:
Being a good listener means being an active listener by being fully present when someone is talking to you. Making eye contact when someone is speaking helps to connect us to one another. It also keeps us focused on what is being said, rather than what we are thinking. We need to not only hear words, but also to read body language and understand feelings.
So often I find myself searching for what my character would say, not because I’m looking for the funniest line or the most brilliant game move. Those things are usually way out of my reach. No, I just have trouble knowing what my character wants to say. The answer is simple, and something we use every day: eye contact. Scott Jennings emphasized it during the recent Level 2. “The next line is in your scene partner’s eyes.”
Eye contact lets you and your scene partner know each other, and when you know each other, you know what you want to say. Once I make eye contact, I discover that my next line is, indeed, right there. More importantly, it is often something completely unexpected and delightful.
It is also important to listen and pay attention to what our scene partner is giving us, instead of spending the time while they're talking thinking of what we're going to say next. We can't do that. Whatever we're going to say next hinges directly on what our scene partner is saying now. We need to know what that is in order to respond.
We need to not only hear words, but also to read body language and understand feelings. The posture and attitude of our scene partner speaks volumes about who we are and how we are feeling about each other. When you're out in the world, watch people interact with each other. Watch their body language and learn what it means. Learn how to use it in your scenework to express what your words are not necessarily saying. And pay attention to your scene partner’s body language and listen to it. Give it the same weight as you do their words.
Quote:
We don't have to agree with everything or anything that is being said, but listening with an open mind is respectful to the speaker and it allows us to understand the other person and ourselves better. By letting go of assumptions and hearing what is being said, as well as the tone of voice the speaker is using, we can better understand our differences and perhaps find some similarities.
As improvisers, we do have to agree with each other about the reality of the scene. We can’t build anything together if we don’t. But we don’t always have the same idea coming into a scene. Sometimes we have very different ideas. Without one of us completely dropping our thing, which is jarring to the players and also the audience, how do we reconcile our two different ideas and agree on a reality? The way we build the reality is by listening and respecting each other’s idea, and accepting and incorporating it into our own. In this way, two seemingly different realities can become one.
Quote:
Reflect back to the speaker that you understand and empathize with their feelings of happiness, anxiety, and/or sadness. Ask questions if you don't understand, but respect boundaries if the speaker seems uncomfortable. Sometimes, being a good listener means listening to the silence in between words. Being a good listener is easy - simply listen with your ears, as well as your heart.
Listen to the words your scene partner is saying and acknowledge them. Don’t spend all your energy and attention on the nuance and forget to hear the actual words. Respond to the thing that was just said according to the reality you are creating together. No matter what else has gone on in the scene, no matter what the subtleties of body language and eye contact tell us, the words are out there now, and they must be responded to.
It seems so complicated: read the eyes, read the body, hear the words, play the game. In real life we all do it every day. In real reality. When we improvise, we should just think about the fact that we are creating a reality, and we can communicate with each other in that reality in exactly the same way we do in real reality. If that makes any sense at all.
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