Burning Out

How many Yes Ands is too many in live?

Forming A Team - Podcast Episode

The latest Improv Chronicle podcast follows on from last week’s newsletter and looks at things to consider if you are forming a team.

Burn Out

When making this week’s episode, talking to Chris Lock reminded me that one of the big potential drawbacks of forming a team - especially if you are organising it / doing the admin - is burnout.

Yes, And can be great if you do it sparingly and appropriately, but you can’t Yes And everything in your life. It’s a lesson I’m still trying to learn. I formed a musical improv team, am in multiple duos, teach classes, co-run an international improv festival, write a newsletter, make a podcast and that’s aside from the other job I work, the political party I’m a campaigner (and election candidate) for, and the choir I sing with… did I miss anything there?

I’ve just looked at that last paragraph and I’m fully aware it’s ridiculous. I burned out very badly at the end of last year and was incredibly grateful for exceptionally patient, understanding friends who helped me get back up when I fell over.

I know I’m not the only improviser who puts unreasonable pressure on themself, and while burnout isn’t unique to improv, there are fewer safeguards in most improv groups than there are in established workplaces. Learning to spot the signals in yourself and others is important. As Chris says in the latest podcast episode, learning to spot the signs is tricky, because we aren’t paying attention to them.

I’m very busy at the moment. There was a time I would feel proud of that. These days I don’t admire ‘busy’. I am in far greater awe of balance. I’m working on that, and if you have tips for finding balance, put them in the comments.

I’m lucky, I’ve a great support network. The biggest thing I’ve learned from burnout (mine and the burnout others have suffered) is building a support network is vital. It might even be more important than building an improv team (yeah, really!) and the skills required to build both aren’t all that different.

What else is going on?

Edinburgh International Improv Festival is back at the end of February. From Feb 29-Mar 3 we're taking over the Scottish Storytelling Centre on Edinburgh's historic Royal Mile for four days of workshops, shows and jams. This year World's Greatest Improv School's Will Hines, Sarah Claspell and Jim Woods are bringing their team The Bozos over, alongside fellow LA improvisers Casey Feigh, Suzi Barrett and Ronnie Adrian of Holy Shit Improv. 
Tickets for festival shows are on sale and available from edimprovfest.com/shows

The London 50-Hour Improvathon is back for the first time since 2019 and it’s wedding season at Everafter Manor - the UK’s hottest spot to tie the knot. The London 50-Hour Improvathon: The Wedding Party is at Wilton’s Music Hall, from 7pm Friday 8 March continuously until 9pm Sunday 10 March. https://www.improvathon.co.uk/

The New York Times has done a piece on the new Second City venue in Williamsburg, NY https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/arts/television/second-city-brooklyn.html

Workshops and Shows

Torch Songs
Come learn how to sing your heart out in New York with this one-off elective I’m teaching at The Magnet Theater on Saturday 16th March. This emotion-filled workshop looks at songs of unrequited love. A torch song in musical theatre (and beyond) is a song about a someone you can’t be with or something you can’t have. Picture yourself lying across a grand piano in an underground bar at 2am with a scotch in your hand and a picture of your unrequited love in the other! https://magnettheater.com/class/electives/11380/ 

I am back playing with Katy Schutte this Friday in our improvised Sondheim show, Brand New Musical in London, UK at the Omnibus Theatre. 

Have a great week,

Lloydie