Improv 6-15

For this first class we did a 90 second improv which lead into the primary lesson, be believable. We got a couple of notes on performance which I kind of shorted to the following: Don't talk your way in, silence isn't bad, contrast is needed, and believability is the most important thing to achieve. Following this we went over several guidelines/goals.

1. There is a specific connection between acting and improv. Life is improv, so to appear lifelike we must be connected to improv.
2. Acting is the obligation to function as closely to a human being who actually lives in a world of randomness, while still embodying the construct of the script (which lacks randomness because it's written down).
3. Improv engages the sensibility of never locking in.
4. We are here to leanr how to remain in a state of randomness while being mindful of Conflict, Crafting, and Contrast.
5. Your ability to develop an intelligent improv versus an aimless stream of consciousness performance is based on: identifying who you are, who your partner is, your partner's psychoemotional state, and letting these inform you on how to provide contrast and conflict.
6. There is no place for indication in improv. Indication is doing something you don't feel. Achieving something consciously is NOT the most important thing, there is no obligation to achieve anything.
7. Immersing in the sensory realm of improv takes you into a consciousness not connected to anything real, this allows things to happen to you in real time.
8. Experiencing sensory elements lead you to somewhere not found through anticipation or planning.
9. To live under the lines requires improv, to understand the lifeworld of the character.
10. We are here to build our inner belief to where we can hold things as if they're there.
11. The goal is HOLD sensory information to know who we are, where we are, what our environment is, and how we live in it.
12. The inner battle is to hold something tangible and relax into it to give yourself context.
13. Being specific with sensory objects is important on any set, to establish a lifeworld. The object of these exercises is to focus on the goal as if it's everything. We are not here to "perform"

During this session Jon had one of those one liners that is obviously true but I've never considered it. It was something like "there is a disparity between what we say and what we feel", but there was a lot of writing and I was rushing so I may have misquoted that. This was a fun class overall and it was nice to see some familiar faces as well as new ones. Looking forward to the next few weeks!

Yes, there is a disparity. I’m glad you got that.