Improv Comedy

Improv Comedy

This is happening in the moment. There’s no plan, and it’s so spontaneous it even the people creating it are thrown off their guard at times! Improvisational comedy, or Improv, as its fans call it, is a form of theater in which everyone on stage is inventing their lines as they say them.  There is no script; there is no memorization.  Quick-witted performers have to stay on their toes to deliver hilarious (and sometimes heartbreaking) lines and time them so that an audience stays on board.  

Over the years, I’ve seen some great shows. One group that I have enjoyed consistently over the years goes by the unwieldy name of Parallelogramaphonograph (P-Graph for short).  They consist in four members – three of whom are co-owners of the Hideout Theater – and they perform long-form shows that last around one-and-a-half hours.  The setting and genre are often determined from the beginning; I’ve seen shows ranging from family photos from the 1950s to Victorian comedies of manners to a Sci-Fi space movie parody.  They study and plan for the character types, time period, location, and other broad-brush genre characteristics, but the action and dialogue of the play are completely improvised.

Another popular style involves a host who introduces actors to short challenges or scenarios.  Maestro is the Hideout Theater’s incarnation of this, but many people have seen this style of performance on the television show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”  These short pieces often involve audience suggestions, and the actors have to incorporate the audience’s idea while playing a two-headed monsters or pretending to speak and/or interpret non-sense gibberish.  Often there is some method for scoring these short performances; the judge may gauge audience applause or may use his or her own preferences to rate the performers.  At the end of this style of show, one performer emerges as the winner, although I don’t think there are any real prizes; the competition aspect seems more of a gimmick for the audience.

So, how does improv work?  What allows a scene to continue and flourish rather than slump and die?  The principles known as “Yes, and…” has a lot to do with keeping the momentum of a scene. This guideline encourages actors to always affirm what the other actors have stated; improvisers never shoot down ideas, but rather build on what their collaborators have created.  If one actor says, “Look at this amazing guitar – Jimmi Hendrix played this guitar at Woodstock!” Don’t kill her mojo by saying, “No it’s not.  That’s stupid.”  Welcome her suggestion, and add to it.  “That’s right – Mr. Hendrix gave it to my grandmother that very day, and she has had it in our attic ever since!  Would you like to play it?” In this way, the actor moves the action forward and gives the others something to work with to make the story continue in a creative way.

Voice seems to be a really tricky piece of Improv, and acting in general.  None of us has a perfectly consistent voice; we change our approach and our patterns depending on our situation and whom we’re talking to.  However, for a character in a play, the audience needs to believe that you are one person.  The voice needs to be consistent enough to be convincing.  That’s a good reason to be very cautious when trying to do an accent that is not your own.  If you start it but can’t keep it up, the failure will be very noticeable.

However, improvisers say that failure is opportunity.  They welcome failure as a lesson in humility and in resilience.  Everyone flops on stage sometimes, but the ones who are able to resurrect the performance are the ones who really amaze an audience.

Improv comedy can be found at the Hideout Theater, Cold Towne Theater, Salvage Vanguard Theater, and many other locations.  I highly recommend checking out a show and trying a class.  You will meet very creative people of all personality types, and you’ll get a chance to exercise your own creative muscles.  It’s also a great way to get over stage fright or insecurities about speaking with strangers.  I hope you’ll give Improv a try!