Don't Go With The Flow
In a world of short-form content, do we capitulate or do we carve out our space.
“People just don’t know how to behave in the theatre anymore” - so reads an article in The Guardian, New York Times or similar publication about every six months. There’s some truth in it. We live in a world of short form content; TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts all supposedly contribute to shorter attention spans. I’ve spoken to parents who have tried to watch movies with their kids but they simply can’t sit through the whole thing and they have to either break it down into chunks or be doing something on a second screen instead.
For those of us who improvise, we are faced with the question of whether we cater to that or not. Maybe I’m just a polarity responder but I say, let’s not. Here’s why…
When we ask folks to turn off their phones as we dim the house lights, we are doing something special. We are taking folks away from the pressures of day to day life and allowing them escape. It has always been thus, but I think this escape is even more profound in a world where folks are glued to the screen they carry around with them.
That doesn’t mean it’s easy. People still need to learn how to interact with the experience we are giving them, but when they engage, magic happens.
I was playing a show last Friday night which had a group of ‘lads’ who came in to watch at the last minute. They had come up from the bar and I suspect they were all at least ‘two pints deep’. There were about seven of them, and they were chattery. Part of me felt (wrongly) that they didn’t really belong in the room. They were talking during some of the first act, especially at the beginning, and I really hate that.
At the interval I fully expected them to leave but they didn’t. They went to the bar, were overheard discussing how much they had enjoyed the first act, and they came back. At that point, the duo I’m part of, The Clones, was playing. Again, there was talking during the opening of the show, but slowly the noise faded. By the end, only laughter and silent attention during the scene work. Afterwards I was told they had mentioned at the bar that they had to go for a meal at 9pm and asked if could they creep out quietly. Our show finished at 9.30pm, and they were still there.
I’ve seen this go the other way plenty of times too, but the first act held this group of guys, made them laugh and made them want to stay. It didn’t pretend to be anything other than what it was - an improv show that needed to be watched; no second screens, no scrolling, just good improv. I’m so grateful for my friend Owen and his team because their work on stage made everything Liam and I did that much easier when we came on stage. They had won them over - not by compromise, but by showing them something new, done really well.
Of course, the above also relied on the open minds of the people who chose to give an improv show a shot. Not everyone is going to love what we do, and not every story will have someone like Owen and co entertaining an audience so that you have the privilege of getting on stage to a crowd that’s already been won over. However, in a world that seeks to shorten attention spans, we offer an escape and a chance for both performers and audience to be in the moment. I think that’s worth leaning into.
Shows and Workshops
It’s almost time - The Robin Hood International Improv Festival begins next week on Wednesday 3rd September. Nottingham really is the place to be for improv this September with five days of shows and workshops from an international array of awesome improvisers. If you’ve not booked a workshop place yet, check out the line-up HERE - but hurry, almost all the workshop places are now sold. And while you’re at it, check out the line-up of shows HERE!
Want me to come teach a workshop where you are in the world? I’ve got some time in November that I have free and I’d love to spend some time with you. Feel free to hit reply and get in touch.
If you got this far, I’m hoping you enjoyed this post. If you know someone you think would appreciated as well, feel free to share it with them.
Have a great week,
Lloydie
Well said. See you next week!