Improv apparently started in Chicago back in the 1950s.
The core idea is surprisingly simple:
If this… then that. And then…
It also apparently doesn’t need to be funny. It just needs to not be boring.
That alone probably explains why so many comedians and actors end up doing it.
Some famous examples:
- Martin Short
- Coach Beard from Ted Lasso
- Seth Meyers
I started doing an improv class last night.
The classes are run through Midlands Comedy and take place weekly in Cúige Studios from 7:30pm to 9:30pm.
There are eight classes in total:
- 27 / 05 / 26 ✅
- 03 / 06 / 26
- 10 / 06 / 26
- 17 / 06 / 26
- 24 / 06 / 26
- 01 / 07 / 26
- 08 / 07 / 26
- 15 / 07 / 26
And after that: an Improv Showcase for friends and family to come see. Which is mildly terrifying.
The Class:
The Nicknames came from one of the games where we had to pair ourselves with adjectives.
The Teacher
- Burly Brett
The Group
- Random Ria
- Me… Morbid Mike (I probably would have picked something else if I knew I was getting stuck with it.)
- Kung Fu Ken (My old Kyokushinkai sensei. Weirdly picked “Kung Fu” despite actually being a karate black belt.)
- Cuddly Colm
- Apathetic Alan
- Anxious Anthony
- Magic Mike
- Confident Carl
- Ridiculous Ronan
Exercises:
Most of the class was built around reacting quickly, staying engaged, and not freezing when your brain wants to.
Vent It Out
Pretty self explanatory; This was a sort improvised Stretch, along side an Introduction to who we are.
Zip, Zap, Zop
Passing sequences around the circle while maintaining rhythm and focus.
Patterns
A harder version of the above where multiple sequences overlap and your brain starts buffering.
A little bit of challnge for Dyspraxia but in a fun way…
Mirroring
Copying movements, emotions, and sounds from another person.
Objects
Interacting with imaginary objects while accepting whatever reality the previous person created.
The final object got passed back to me. I crumpled it up and threw it out the window.
Apparently it was a puppy.
What Are You Doing?
One person performs an action. The next person asks what they are doing. The answer becomes the *next- action.
Simple concept. Surprisingly easy to break your brain with.
Adjectives
Passing dialogue and reactions around while exaggerating expression and delivery. This is where we got our nicknames from.
Bunny Bunny, Ticky Tacky
This one felt like multitasking while under attack.
A coordination exercise where different patterns and responses overlap at the same time.
FREEZE
A scene exercise.
Someone yells “freeze”, swaps into the exact physical position of one of the actors, and changes the entire context of the scene.
Probably one of the most fun parts.
Three Line Scenes
Exactly what it sounds like:
- line one sets the scene
- line two responds
- line three ends it
No time to overthink. You just commit and go.
Techniques:
Shoot the Deer
Get to the point.
Apparently subtlety is dangerous if the audience has no idea what is happening.
Giving Gifts
Providing useful details to the other person:
- traits
- relationships
- specifics
- characteristics
Basically giving the scene something to work with instead of forcing the other person to invent everything.
Formulas
This was the interesting part to me.
Improv looks random from the outside, but there actually seems to be structure underneath it. I’m sure I will figure this out with time.
Almost like syntax rules for generating ideas quickly without freezing up.
Setting The Scene:
A scene usually needs:
- characters
- items
- relationships
- events
- locations
Without those: people are mostly just standing around saying random things. We need to be constucting a narrative for the audience to be able to follow.
Overall it was an interesting experience.
Definitely got me out of my comfort zone.
A lot more mentally exhausting than I expected too.
It feels less like “being funny” and more like training your brain to:
- react
- commit
- accept input
- build on ideas
- stop hesitating
Which honestly is probably useful outside of comedy too.