Changes and Being Changed

The ability to be changed by your partner and to change your partner is the core of improv theater. 

(Dan and Rachel from Liquid Mind- Pan 2011)

We try to live moment to moment in the imaginary circumstances.

Improv theater is also based on the ability to be changed by the imaginary and emotional circumstances that evolve.

Change is a difficult thing. The ability to create a scene is usually based on commitment—committing to the game, relationship or pattern of the scene until it heightens and transforms.

If you commit to the first moment and never let go, all while being changed in each moment—

We instinctively seek to find stability, a known path, order in the chaos.

We seek to make things safe for our characters and perhaps for the actors playing the characters. 

We avoid emotional change, or sometimes avoid allowing ourselves to feel the emotion of the character.

The avoidance of the real emotion sometimes creates the funniest moments. But a gag can also undercut the deeper meaning of the scene. Sometimes that isn't such a bad thing. 

Sometimes it’s bailing.

Scenes grind to a halt when characters and the actors stop allowing themselves to be changed.

One of the things that improv teaches, something that is less talked about, is the ability to commit to an action and to be deliberate rather than hesitant.

It is difficult to do improv when you constantly second guess choices, moves, or other parts of a scene.

Every scene is as good as it could be at that moment. Every scene could be better in a different moment. Both of these moments are different moments.

It is vitally important to celebrate every scene, to give it honor and respect. The act of creating takes courage. It is also vitally important to be willing to accept the scenes that are learning experiences rather than works of dramatic or comedic art.

Change is the only constant. Suffering is the condition of our characters. We suffer for the audience’s laughter, delight, entertainment or excitement.

How wonderful, and how rare, when scenes are happy and celebrate characters’ victories. Angry scenes, crazy scenes and bizarre scenes are relatively easy.

Controlling scenes, teacher beats, first-time scenes all quickly bring us to safety—and often the audience to boredom.

Scenes where real people experience simple things and explore them are not so common. Scenes where the character and actor aren't so removed and the acting celebrates the uniqueness and wonderfulness of the actor are also rarer and so special.

I've been thinking a lot about third choice lately. We’ll save third choice for another day. Perhaps it is time for a change.

Life is about change—and being changed