Claim OwnershipThe SoCap Improv Comedy Podcast
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© Ralph MacLeod 2023
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Hosted by Ralph MacLeod. Owner and Artistic Director of SoCap Comedy Theatre in Toronto. A bite-sized, 5-20 minute show on improv. This show is less about improv as performance (though that will be in here) but more about how improv can improve every aspect of your life.
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In this week's episode Ralph talks about one reason everyone should take improv even if they never plan to get on a stage. In improv, you can roleplay different scenarios from your real/imagined life but also practice techniques that will make you a more effective communicator. One of those is ceasing to try to control what you can't control.
Falling in love. Hanging with good friends. Being in a moment. These are all times when we tend to lose ourselves, get over our self-consciousness, and forget about our selfish needs and serve an experience.
Whether on stage or in life real, try not to gaslights others. In improv, it often leads into the argument trap. In life, it escalates tension, shows others you're not listening, and more. Instead, treat the opinions of others as legitimately theirs and deal with it except in one situation.
Scenes in which the characters are strangers to each other come with an extra added level of difficulty. For that reason, I encourage improvisers to stay away from them. But, when they do happen to try and figure out what's at stake.
Having a process in a scene will help in a multitude of ways, however, there are also a couple major pitfalls with which to be aware.
A discussion of the third exercise I use when starting almost every class I teach. I Am A... is a game of patterns in which three people are elements within a certain pattern, category, etc. The more recognizable the pattern and elements, the better it is received.
Being process oriented, or systems based, allows one to make modifications if their goals aren't being realized. Conversely, relying on magical thinking to achieve a desired outcome can leave one at the mercy of a stochastic, unfeeling universe.
Improv has changed a lot in the 35 years since I started. One thing is that we are much more sensitive to people different than us and no longer mock people based on generalities about them. However, two areas have escaped that scrutiny and I have no idea why.
Dissonance is a powerful tool that can grab your audiences attention and make them laugh whether that's on stage or at a dinner party.
When in scenes, there is the actor and the character the actor/improviser is portraying. Sometimes, their goals are aligned but often they are not.
There are many reasons a scene, or interaction, may be boring. Here are the top two reasons why scenes can be boring and make you want to gouge out your eyes.
Stopping the action, or business of the scene, is generally destructive for a number of reasons. Even if your character doesn't like what they're doing or being asked to do, finding a justification to let it happen, will usually serve you well.
If 'A' is true, the opposite is also, likely, true. Improv allows one an opportunity to role play different options to stimuli thus giving you a chance to 'try the opposite'. Maybe you'll like it better.
If someone, or another character, says or does something that doesn't make sense to you - ask them to clarify it.
Laughter, especially laughter in your gut, is much more about bonding than appreciating the humour, or cleverness, of a line or situation.
What does it mean to 'Yes, and...'? It goes with what we're trying to actually DO when we improvise on stage and in real life.
As improvisers/storytellers, we get to create tertiary characters - people, animals, etc - and you will be judged based on how you treat your creations.
Playing with other human beings requires us to get out of our heads - give up our selfish needs - and serve the interaction/moment/relationship developing between and among us.
There are two general ways to create content whether in the format of the improv scene or 'out in the world'. There is a more solo act of invention or writing and the collaborative act of discovery or 'uncovery'. While both have their place, the latter usually leads to richer, more satisfying creations.
It's a good practice to start scenes - or interactions - with something already going on. One way, is to think up a line of dialogue or part of a context however these practices have certain pitfalls. A better choice is to pick something you can play and maintain independent of the situation in which you, or your character, find themselves.
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