Improv for Everyone

1. Intro: Hello, I'm Sean Hogan and a welcome to improv for everyone. I call the class fat because I believe that basic improvs skills can enrich anyone's life. The class will benefit performers who were curious about what improbable bring to their acting skills. As well as non performers who might have different goals. Like you want to become better at conversation. Maybe you want to be more comfortable with public speaking or overcome shyness and self-consciousness. Where maybe you'd like to increase your ability to create freely without your inner critic getting in the way. I performed improvisation and sketch comedy in the ground lings main Company for eight years and have taught basic him province sketch comedy writing there for 25 years. That's a bit surprising because I am an extreme introvert and was very, very shy until I took my first improv class. It was so hard to work up the guts to take that class. But I'm so glad I took the leap because it changed my life. I was finally able to rescue my true self. After so many years trapped in extreme self-consciousness and self-doubt, I'll be offering technique that is taught to professional actors. And then explain how these skills can apply to anyone's life. If I can help you become your true self, that would make me very happy. So let's start with the most fundamental technique that there is in improvisation. 2. Improv GPS: So in improv, I guess you have to be really quick. If didn't think fast on your feet and you have to be able to think Funny. And that's a talent and I don't have it. And so I guess I'm just terrified of improv. I think I would look foolish. I would freeze up, I would shut down, I wouldn't know what to say or do. This is very common for someone who is not experienced, are trained in improv to have that misconception. So let me try and clear that up. There is a technique that guides you all the time in improv that keeps you from getting lost. That helps you come up with what to say and do next in a scene when it's your turn to add some new information? It's called. Yes. And so it's true across all platforms of improv that those two words sort of sum up the basic engine that makes scenes work, but also makes it possible for human beings who we all have an ego and we all can get in our own way by being hard on ourselves or you're judging what we're creating at any given moment, will yes. And gives you a way out of getting stuck in that kind of thinking. I like to call it your prob, GPS system because in a car, if you're trying to get to your destination and you start to go the wrong way, your GPS system will guide you back on track. And yes, and does the same thing. So let me give you an example of an exercise that we do in the first day of improv class at the ground lings, which is called sympathetic listener. We have two students face each other sitting in chairs making eye contact. We designate one of them is sitting and going to tell a story of what they did yesterday to their best friend, who is the sympathetic listener. Now, the story that the storyteller is going to tell their best friend. We pretend it's a story that the sympathetic listener has already heard. That way, each improviser can add information to what happened yesterday to the person telling the story. But first we need a suggestion from the audience. So we might ask for a location if they shed out the beach. What I like the initial first line to include from the storyteller telling their sympathetic listener is to add an emotional intention for why they went to the beach yesterday. So you've got to use the words yes. And to begin every sentence, as well as maintain eye contact, those are two key parts of doing sympathetic listener. So it might start with a storyteller talking to their best friends saying yesterday I went to the beach because I wanted to try and get over my fear of drowning. And the sympathetic listener could come back with, yes. And that's why you covered yourself in all kinds of flotation devices. That was not difficult information and come up with because all I was doing was a first agreeing with what they said. And then I tried to add something new that supports it or heightens it. And I didn't try to add a lot and I did not try to be funny. That takes all the pressure off. So it was very, very easy and that's what you want. You want improv technique to help. You feel like improv is easy and not scary. So after the new information that you recovered in floatation devices, the storyteller might say to their sympathetic listener, Yes, and I brought a tank full of helium so I could fill my flotation devices with that instead of air. So i would be more likely to float and not drown. And then the sympathetic listener might say, yes. And you filled your flotation devices with so much helium that you actually lifted off and started to float into the air. Now, this story is getting interesting right away. I think it's going in a direction that no one really could have predicted. If all you said was, this is going to be a story about someone who went to the beach. So neither improviser, even though the story got interesting, was trying to add something bizarre, funny. They didn't have a preconception of like, oh, I know. We're going to end up, it's going to be like the movie. Before you even start. There's none of that. You just trust that if you listen carefully to your scene partner, pay full attention while they are adding new information, rather than start making up what you're gonna do while they're doing it. So you get a little head start and you can kinda make sure that what you're gonna do or say is going to be good by sort of pre-planning or freeloading it. That's never a good idea and it's a habit you soon break when you see how ineffective it is. You learn from practice that if I just listen and I agree, and I add a little bit of information, that heightens what was just said. And both of us keep doing that are seen will become interesting and usually very, very funny. 3. Better Conversation With Yes, and: Now, I was very, very shy in junior high and high school and I had difficulty making conversation. I think it's one of the most important life skills that there is. And I wish that it was taught in school. I mean, min you could replace algebra. If you have difficulty making conversation with strangers or you just want to have better conversations, you can use listening and yes, and to make conversations easier and more interesting for both you and the person you're conversing with. See if this is u. We often listen to others waiting for something they say that triggers one of our tried and true stories or just things we like to say. This is conversation out of a can. It's not fresh, spontaneous, or exciting for you. And I think the person you're conversing with picks up on that. You know, as you're saying something you've already said before, now it can feel safe, but it's not very interesting for you. Chances are, your listener checks out after a few sentences and starts thinking what they're gonna say once you relinquish control. I think signs of that are they start nodding and saying, Aha, over and over again. I really take those as signs that the person I'm speaking to is not really listening anymore because they're just not interested and they're trying to hold on and remember to what they want to tell me once I relinquish control. Good improv is when both improvisers use yes and to create their choices and then just add a little bit of new information that heightens the last thing said or done. I think putting too much pressure on yourself in conversation to say a lot is one of the things that makes it difficult. And I also believe the good conversation has a similar dynamic to that. Yes. And technique we use in improvisation. It's back and forth quickly, like Tennis. No one is monologues or storytelling. Both participants are listening and then just adding a little bit and being stimulated with new thoughts. That's what's exciting about talking to another person. What new ideas are stimulated in you by their words? It is sometimes said that good conversation means showing you are interested in someone by asking lots of questions. Get them talking about themselves, because we all like to talk about ourself. But is that really true? That means that one person is doing most of the talking and they're saying things they already know, which is actually not that interesting for them. Use that back and forth template of yes, and to keep conversations on track in a more balanced and spontaneous mode. Of course, there are times when asking questions is necessary. Just keep a check on if you have a tendency to create monologues rather than balanced conversation, either by saying the same old stuff you always say or making the other person answer lots and lots of questions. Now, you might be asking yourself, okay, but part of what you're suggesting is that you always say yes. So does that mean that when someone offers an opinion, I have to agree with it? No, it does not. But I will say that always looking to counter and argue with information, especially when you're meeting someone for the first time. It doesn't often encourage them to offer more new information. They, they start to feel like they're taking a risk that their information is going to be judged and they sort of shut down. You really can pull information that's interesting out of another person by being supportive of the courage that they're showing to offer it. We would all like to be listened to and we would all like people we are speaking to, to at least try and be open to what we are saying. 4. Low % choices: So you have yes and which you do not literally say in a scene or in a conversation. You think it and you use it to inspire what you choose to offer. But there are what we call the do's and don'ts of improv as well. Or a better way to refer to them is as low and high percentage choices because no one's going to stop you from doing anything when you're up there. We just want students to know that there are certain things they might choose to do that feel like really smart things to do that actually are hurting the chance of this scene success. Number one is denial, which is the opposite of yes and number two, arguments. All That's when both improvisers are denying each other. Nothing gets built. It can feel like an exciting scene, but it's really boring and unpleasant to watch to people who can't agree on anything. So nothing gets built. Asking questions. Now we don't allow them in our scenes because it's a missed opportunity to add new information revitalized scene, and give your scene partner something to work off of. We also say that when you ask your scene partner in question and you're putting them under pressure, you're saying to them, aha, you added new information. Now add some more. Not as easy as back and forth statements using yes. And to guide what you choose to say. Planning is another, don't. Thinking up what you're gonna do or say before you do it ruins what improv has going for it, which is that it's completely spun, Aneas and therefore very exciting controlling. Now, scenes can seem a little scary. So one way to seize control would be to talk a lot and not let your scene partner did in there. That way. You don't have to worry about anything they do are saying coming at you that you can't handle. That makes seems really boring for the audience and for the person who is controlling. Now a specific way of controlling is to identify the emotion, but your scene partner is having and decide to try and change that emotion by giving them new information. If they're sad, you try and make them happy. If they're too happy, you try and tell them calm down. We don't allow students to do that. You have to build on whatever is present in a scene. And I do think this is applicable to non performers in conversation. We often have sort of a knee-jerk reaction, especially when someone is feeling down or upset to try and get them to change their emotion. But what we're doing when we do that in effect is saying, you know, that emotion you're feeling right now. It's not okay with me and I'm gonna need you to change it for me. Now if you like what? I'm just trying to cheer someone up. How about let them feel the way they feel and be supportive, but don't give them the feeling that the way they're feeling is wrong. Now, these are more specific to performance. When you come up with y, two people are writing a song, playing a song, you or anything, or carving pumpkins. The reason is not, it's a contest. It's not a pumpkin carving contest. It's not a guitar playing contests, contests or about winners and losers. And who cares? We at the ground lings would like to see human nature. We wanna see personalities, characters. We don't care who wins or loses a contest. Also, creating a situation where two performers are practicing for some future events. Not very interesting because if things go wrong or if things go right, doesn't have much import because there was only practice, it wasn't the performance. We also ask our students not to play characters who don't know each other or who are strangers because then they don't know anything about the other person, so they have to ask questions right away, that's not great. And then also, then the interaction between strangers is usually not nearly as watching interaction between two people who have a long history with each other. Teacher and student as what you are labeling the relationship as often leads the character playing the teacher to dominate and control the scene. So we asked students to avoid that one. We also asked them to stay away from playing little children because they don't have as much interesting information as adults tend to do. If you have to play a child because you were labeled that way by your scene partner or the audience asked him to play a really smart child. Don't be crazy, don't be really drunk or stone. Those are states of being that are difficult to work off. Don't go for jokey jokes. Trusted human nature is funny when you play the truth of human interaction. And also try and avoid blue humor. It's a cheap way to get a laugh by farting or, you know, whatever, just sort of lowbrow toilet humor. It's not very sophisticated or intelligent, and it's a little bit insulting to your audience when that's what you're offering. 5. High % Choices: Now the Khyber sentence choices are topped by value listening. So much about impressing his video about talking. It isn't, it's all about listening. You'll know what to do if you're paying full attention to your scene partner and your offerings will feel more like reactions than something you have to work really hard to come up with. Make lots of eye contact. You immediately make your seem more interesting. Because the two characters in this scene must be doing something very important to them. Or why else would he be making so much eye contact? Try to keep your information about what's happening in the present moment rather than the past for the future. A little bit of past or future XN, okay? But get back on track to the present moment and you'll make your seeing much more exciting. And I would argue that conversations that are more about the present moment are better conversations than stories from the past or ideas about what might happen in the future, which of course rarely does. And the most high percentage choice is to commit 100%, no matter how badly you think you're seen as going, audiences always respond when they see improvisers commit and never bail on a scene that's not working. It's very impressive to see performers be that break. Now these are specifically for performers, these do's. And this one I'm going to start with is be specific, meaning don't call it you're holding your drink or a beer. Call it. I don't know and amp spell light because now you're seeing partner knows you're trying to lose weight, for instance. So they have something to work off of. There's something about specificity to that makes an audience laughing. I don't know why. Next, raise the stakes whenever the stakes are. So you have, you can add information that make what is happening far more important. And finally, take risks. There will be moments and scenes where you're not gonna wanna do what this scene wants you to do. So if someone labels me as the world's greatest break dancer, I don't want to break dance. But guess what? I'm gonna break dance like e1 and the best break dancer in the world has ever seen. And the look on my face will say that I think I'm great. And that will actually delight the audience far more than if I actually was a really great break dancer. After all, they're seeing performers put in situations they're not prepared for. And they want to see what their skills are in dealing with what would scare them if they were up on stage. So you always win when your grave and you head in the direction of risk. 6. 5 Ways To Add New Information: Now if you're a performer who is going to do improvisation on stage, it would be helpful for you to know that there are actually five ways of adding new information to a scene using yes. And so we all know about talking and that's sort of obvious, but what are the other four ways? So one of them is called space work, which means pretending to hold objects that aren't really there. The groundings insist that seems have lots of space work and that you always begin as seen pretending to have something real in your hands. This is very valuable for actors because they've learned in other acting classes and stage work, that if you have an object, it's much, much easier to show the inner life of a character. For instance, if you're drinking a cup of coffee in your hand is shaking. That's a better way of showing that a character is nervous rather than just always having to say, I am nervous. So it makes seems more visual wolf to have space work. Another way of adding information is emotion. Now, we'd like to start our scenes at a high level of emotion. So once you hear this suggestion from the audience, you choose an emotion and then you decide you're in that emotion at a very high level that makes scenes start out in a much more exciting place. And actually, you always will have somewhere to go. There's no worry that, well, if we start at high emotion where we're peaking right at the beginning. And that's simply not true. We like to play characters at the ground links. It's because most of the students that come to the ground lings are actors and they like to play people other than themselves. So this is what defines the style of improv at the ground lings as opposed to the UCB or second city. They are more premise based style improvisers, which means what can happen in a scene that sort of bizarre and crazy and interesting is more of their focus. And they focus on what they called the game of a scene. With the ground lings focus on is, who are these people were watching and what are they like? Sort of like when you people watch and you see someone exhibit interesting behavior. Well, in a two person seeing the audience is watching two people who know each other, behaving in a very specific way. And that human interaction is what's interesting. Another way of adding information is movement, which is a way that facilitates more space work. It can display a motion. It can also help you define your character by how they move. So I think of movement as a way of augmenting the other first three ways of adding information that I've already mentioned. And finally, bringing up the rear is dialogue. While we know our students are going to talk. So we really make sure that the other four ways of information or as used so that an improviser is being visually interesting and you're staying aware that the audience is seeing you. And they would like to take in information from their eyes, as well as barriers. 7. Scene work Step by step: Okay, so you have yes, and you have the high and low percentage choices in improvisation. Things that make scenes work, things that cause seems not to work out so great. You have five ways of adding information to be aware of. So you're not just talking, So you're a more dynamic and interesting improviser. Great. But how do you do a scene? So let me break down a two persons scene into baby steps. And none of those steps are difficult. Which means if you follow the steps in order, scenes are easy. And if you keep this Azure technique for how you approach every scene, you make doing improv so much less scary because you know, you have this tried and true technique of how you approach a scene to fall back on. The first thing I suggest is that you control your thinking before you do a scene and you not allow yourself to scare yourself and stress out and put yourself into the flight or fight response that's going to release adrenaline and cortisol into your bloodstream, which puts you in the worst possible state for creativity, especially improv. So to block that from happening, develop what I call your improv mantra. This is a statement that you repeat inside your heads silently to yourself over and over again. Like I'm here to support my scene partner. That will block you from coming up with scary thoughts to match any sort of beginnings of nerves that start to rise up. That puts you in the ideal state for improv. Because now you're focusing on your scene partner. You're focusing away for yourself, which is frees you up and makes it more likely that you'll take exciting risks and will make you a better improviser. It also makes it more fun because I have never thought improv felt fun or acting felt fun. I was full of a lot of stress and fear. And my hands would shake and my nose would sweat. And that feeling of adrenaline makes me feel like I'm losing control of what I'm doing on stage. I have a lot less control of it. And that only scares me more, which only gives me more adrenaline. So it really is a snowball that can really just pull you down before seeing him and begins, have an improv mantra. Make sure that doesn't happen. Once you get onstage. Try not to fidget. Try not to move without motivation. You're stressing the audience out when you do that, they can see you. And even though the scene hasn't started yet, what you're doing on stage is affecting them and putting them in a certain state. The next thing that's going to happen is the director will ask the audience for a suggestion for this scene. You've got to do that because since a, a suggestion to start the scene comes from the audience, that proves that they improvisers are making this up for the very first time and are not doing something they've already done before and worked out and made perfect. Also. The first piece of information that begins as seen, sort of the keystone of the scene comes from the audience. Now they're involved in the creative process. And they are on the side of the scene. They're invested in it. They want it to work. They feel like I'm up there too. So I always remind myself to listen and visualize whatever this suggestion is, which might be a location or an emotion, or a character, or an activity, or a first line. And there are a lot of other ones. But whatever the audience suggests to begin our scene, I make sure I listened very, very closely to it. The next thing that we do in our heads is make three choices. We decide if that's a suggestion. Like if we said, oh, we need a location audience and they say it's a scary graveyard. The first thing I would think of is, OK, so what's going to be in my hand? What's the best object to pretend to be holding if the suggestion is a scary graveyard. So that's always step one for me. If that's the suggestion, you could pick a lantern or it is a graveyard. So maybe a shovel for digging graves are digging up graves. What about a crucifix though? Because it is a scary graveyard. And when someone is holding a crucifix, it suggests that they're terrified and maybe warding off something evil. So I like that choice best though there's nothing wrong with a lantern or a shovel. I just think a crucifix is an actually a more exciting and better choice given it's a scary graveyard. You also want to pick your emotion. Now with that suggestion, it's easy. You should be terrified. So I'm holding a crucifix and I'm terrified, I'm not doing it yet. I'm deciding that that's how I'm going to look when the lights come back up on arsine and starting, never think past your first impulse. That is so important. If you are thinking, my emotions should be terrified. No, but everyone would do that and that's not going to be funny. So I'm not going to pick a motion. I'm going to pick actually the opposite. I'm going to pretend like the audience that were on the beach. And what not is never a good idea. What sided, Oh, it's a scary graveyards are for MySpace work, meaning my object I'm going to be holding, I'm gonna be holding what the cushion or a saxophone, or it doesn't have anything to do with a scary graveyard. So you're not honoring the audience suggestion and you're making improbable, jokey and difficult. I also decide who am I going to be meeting? What character can I transform into Given the suggestion is a scary graveyard. Now I've seen lots of Gothic horror films. And if I'm holding a crucifix and I'm terrified, who have I seen in films that plays that sort of character than I can sort of model my voice and my physicality on. So I'm not me anymore. And I think of Peter Cushing and the old Hammer horror films with Dracula. So I just will sort of, you know, change my voice and to a British accent and pretend that I'm wearing clothing like I've seen in those scenes. And right away the audience gets excited on lights up and they hear me speak when they realize, oh, he's playing, someone other than himself and he had no time to prepare. But look at how he just leapt into playing a different person. This is amazing. So now I've made those three decisions, but I haven't done anything about it yet. You wait until the lights go out. Once they do, that's when you pretend to hold that crucifix. You get really emotional and terrified. And you pretend that you are this character that you decided you are. Now this is happening in the darkness, so no one can see you, not the audience or your scene partner. So they're not going to be basing their choices off of your three choices. They're just using scary graveyard due to the same thing you were. Character, emotion, space work in the dark. That's what makes it improved. Very exciting when the lights come back up again after five seconds of total darkness, is that both improvisers are in character, in a high state of emotion, and they're holding objects in their hands. And there is an interesting stage picture that must mean where catching this scene in the middle of something very exciting going on. Our job as improvisers is to wait to add information with dialogue until we've fully read and thought about our entire stage picture and decided, what does it mean if both of us are doing what we're doing? 8. The Foundation of a Scene: So you have now arrived at the moment of the scene where it's time to introduce dialogue. But improvisers shouldn't be thinking. I'll just say or do whatever I want. Know, there is a job that must be done. A foundation of this scene must be established. That foundation consists of four pieces of very important information. And ideally, the improvisers with dialogue, label and make choices for what each of those four elements are. Within about 45 seconds. If you're talking about a typical 3.53 minute improvise, see those elements are who, what, where, and why. Who means what is the relationship? Is it brother, sister, father, son, doctor-patient? That has to be labeled with dialogue. So does the what or what is the activity that you're doing and what are the objects that you're using to do that activity? Like you're carving a pumpkin, right? But is the knife year using a hunting knife? And so that would say something about the character who's using it. Perhaps they're psychotic about carving pumpkins, or maybe they're just into a hunting. But by labeling it as something specific, it gives you somewhere to go in terms of pulling details and specifics of character based on what objects they choose to use. Where means exactly where are you and the more specific you are, the better. So aware is not a country or a state, or a city, or even here in this house, it is. Where exactly are you standing? For instance, you're in the garage of your house that will determine what objects are around and will help you come up with a much clearer and specific idea of why you are where you are, because we go into the garage for certain reasons. Whereas if we're in our kitchen, maybe those are for different reasons. So saying exactly where you are can give you very specific spacewalk choices to add, which is great new information. And also helps you come up with a last part of the foundation, which is why, why are you where you are with who is standing next to you? And why are the two of you doing what you're doing? So let's say this suggestion was carving a pumpkin. So you could say, this is the relationship of the two of us, each carving our own pumpkin, is that we are married to each other. So what are we doing? Well, we're carving pumpkins. Let's just say we're carving them with, you know, you don't want to change it. We're carving it with a knives that were given to us on our wedding as a gift. This is like the fine cutlery that we were given as a gift from our gift registry. That right, that'll add some interests and also maybe give us a way to smoothly labeled that were married to each other. Where are we? Wherein our living room. So we're carving the pumpkins on the living room table. Why are we carving the pumpkins? It's not to win the big pumpkin carving contest, and it's not to practice so that we get good for carving pumpkins later. Could be carving pumpkins to put them out for hollow lean that night. It's not terrible, but it is about a future event. So what if instead you made the why about the relationship? To make it an interesting scene about what is going on between this husband and wife. So we're not just watching them carve pumpkins, which isn't that interesting. And the two improvisers won't panic and start carving really goofy, silly pumpkins and make the scene really jokey. We want it to be about like human life. What is it like to be a human being on this planet? So perhaps the Y could be. Their marriage counselor suggested that they each carve pumpkins to express how they feel about their significant other. And that way when we talk about our pumpkins, will learn what's going on in the marriage. So that is a scene that focuses our information will pull information out of us. That is about who we are, not, what we're doing being a crazy wacky thing. Because what we're doing is really just a tool for what we really want to explore. And that is, Who are these two people? And what is their marriage all about? 9. Final Thoughts: Alright, well that was a lot of information I know. Just know it takes lots of practice, lots of reps to master improvisation. My goals were to introduce what improv is to those who were just curious. Maybe that will encourage them to explore it further. I wanted to offer skills that non performers can apply to improve the quality of their lives. And I wanted to introduce actors to the ground lings style of improv and hopefully create an interest in taking class there. Or at least in some other improv class, you will no doubt discover that you are far more capable of handling stressful situations that you were unprepared for. And you'll end up believing more in your ability to adapt on the fly, which is a wonderful life skill for anyone. If you enjoyed this class, checkout, my mastering sketch comedy writing class, that is also unskilled share. And if you'd like more information about anything I taught, whether it's this class or the sketch class. You can email me at Sean Hogan, 27 at gmail.com.