Scene Hog?
How do we leave space for others but still act on our improv instincts? The latest Improv Chronicle podcast tries to figure it out.
What is success in improv?
I might have mentioned before how I find it vaguely amusing that when improv theatres put up pictures of their ‘successful’ students, they are often people who have made it big in TV or movies. Personally I think it’s great that folks have made a big career in broadcasting or the big screen and I also think it’s fantastic that improv may well have been a factor in getting those people there. What I find vaguely amusing or curious is that some schools elevate ‘most successful’ in improv to mean ‘got a career doing something that isn’t improv’.
I’ve worked in broadcasting for most of my life. When I was starting out in the industry you would send a five minute compilation of yourself on air to prospective employers, hoping that you would get a show on a bigger station with a bigger audience and a bigger salary. Each job was you ‘levelling up’ a bit. While I now work in management, I’m still in the same industry working to achieve similar aims that I did as a radio DJ.
In improv, what is success?
Firstly, to me at least, success is a personal thing. There is nothing inherently wrong with doing improv because you want to be on TV. In fact, while working in radio I’ve met plenty of people who wanted radio shows just to have it as a stepping stone to doing TV. In one of his books, Mick Napier talks about knowing why you want to do improv. It’s handy to know. It could be because you want something fun to do out of work, to meet new people, to help you with your writing. When I started it was certainly all of those things.
Right now, ‘success’ in improv is to be a more consistently fun player to be on stage with. For me, that’s what I want. I’ve always loved a good audience response, and that’s still important to me, but I want to be an improviser who is adaptable and who can bring the fun no matter who I’m playing with.
How we define success will probably have an impact on the sort of improviser we end up being. The same goes for improv institutions. Their goals might not always align with those of improvisers because an institution has to stay afloat. They have to sell courses and shows. Knowing how your view of success and their view of success differs, how it might intersect and how you navigate that is also useful info to have.
I’d love to know how you view success in improv. I think ‘success’ is a personal thing. It’s ours to define. It can be useful and motivating. And in improv, it doesn’t need to mean your own TV show - unless you want it to.
New improvised radio plays launched
I’ve had the honour of being the producer for “two improv masters” (not my words but those of the New York Times). Louis Kornfeld and Rick Andrews of The Magnet Theater in New York have long been favourite improvisers of mine. They now have new improvised radio plays coming out every week on a Thursday. The first three have already dropped and I’d love for you to hear them. I might be biased, but I think they are a really good listen. Check them out.
What else is happening
Following the Improv Chronicle episode on Brooklyn Comedy Collective’s teaming up with iO, and me talking about The Magnet Theater in the piece above, The New York Times has done an article about how improv is coming back in New York. It’s a very interesting read.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/24/arts/improv-comedy-new-york-return.html
This is a great article on how a D&D improv show is getting audiences in Sheffield, UK.
Have a great week,
Lloydie