Taking Risks
There is often talk of ’taking a risk’ in improv training and this week I’ve been wondering if I really walk that talk.
When you start learning improv I suspect you are taking some of your biggest risks in improv. You are taking a chance, doing new things, trying something out and have no idea if it’s going to work out. Doing anything new is a risk and I think booking onto any sort of taster or beginners course is a big risk to take.
But once we have done the basics, had a good degree of stage time and started to get “good”, how many risks do we really take?
When I look around the world at what is being performed, there are plenty of folks performing The Harold or doing Armandos - there’s nothing wrong with that. What I do find odd is that there haven’t been more forms that have ‘cut through’. Some individual innovative shows have for sure, but what about forms? I don’t believe things stopped with Harold. Surely that was just a jumping off point for a lot of people?
Risky: My cat, Yoda, playing Jenga
I like a good risk. There’s a wonderful coach called Michael Neill. I’ve been lucky to do coaching training with him in the past, and he has a wonderful program where he invites people to create the ‘impossible’. He gets people to think of something they would really like to achieve, but that they think they have less than a 50% chance of achieving. He then guides folks through this program and, from what I’ve experienced, the success rate is well over 50%.
The things that stand in the way of us taking risks are fairly obvious. Fear of failure, ego, effort… but as improvisers, we know that ‘failure’ isn’t something to be afraid of. It usually teaches us something or creates a new opportunity that we would never have thought of otherwise.
I love and appreciate professionalism and excellent shows. However, excellence isn’t born, it’s honed over time. Some of the best success stories start with someone taking a risk. My reminder to myself over the next 12 months will be to be a little more daring, and a little less ‘safe’.
Podcast
The latest Improv Chronicle podcast gets technical and reveals some new thinking about how your show can look spectacular!
What else is going on?
The future of the venue used by Hoopla, the London UK improv institution, is under threat. Current plans for redevelopment in the area where The Miller pub (used by Hoopla) would mean the total demolition of The Miller with no firm plans to replace the theatre. There is a consultation where people can give their views on the proposed development here: https://snowsfieldsconsultation.co.uk/join-the-conversation/.
US improv veterans Tim Meadows, Matt Walsh, Brad Morris and Joe Canale bring the UK and European premiere of EXPATS to Soho Theatre this January, for one week only. EXPATS starts with a short chat, launching the performers into a fast-moving, fully improvised first act, featuring irreverent characters and heightened spins on recognisable situations. For the second half, a local mystery guest will join them onstage, pushing the show further and breaking new ground. Performances run 8-13 January 2024.
https://sohotheatre.com/events/expats/
An interesting article in Publishers Weekly about someone who filled their time taking an improv class, and found that it helped their writing in some very specific ways.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/soapbox/article/93910-how-improv-made-me-a-better-writer.html
Upcoming Shows
Not my show as such, but this is the end of term show for the group I teach at Nottingham Playhouse. “Making It Up” runs for three 10 week terms every year and every term the quality goes up a notch. I’m incredibly proud to know this term’s group of improvisers and if you are anywhere near Nottingham in the UK, I’d love you to come see them perform at 7.30pm at Nottingham Playhouse’s Neville Studio. Tickets are free and available here:
https://nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/making-it-up-improv-group-sharing/#book
Have a great week,
Lloydie