Hello improvisers!

More improv resources for you! This week I put out a new episode about things you can do when your mind goes blank when you're doing a scene. If you think a process to have on hand is useful - keep reading (or you can watch on YouTube).

Mind Blank in a Scene? A 3-Step Reboot for Your Brain

One of the most common fears for any performer is that moment in a scene when your mind becomes a white, empty room. Your scene partner says a line, you open your mouth to respond, and there is absolutely nothing there.

Advice to "just say something" can feel impossible when your brain has shut down. But this experience is not a sign that you are bad at improv or that you lack ideas, it's a biological response. Your brain is experiencing what is called cognitive load, much like a computer with too many programs open at once. It has frozen, or crashed. And instead of fighting against this response, we can work with it using a simple process.

Note: Before you do anything, the first and most important step is to just pause and breathe. A moment of silence is a perfectly normal human reaction. It adds depth to your character. Stay in the scene, as your character, and just be present in that pause. If that alone does not reboot your brain, you can move to this simple, three-step system.

Step One

First, force your attention outwards. When we panic, our focus turns inward. To break that spiral, look at something outside of your own head. Really look at your scene partner’s face, or an "improv" object in the room that you have established (or haven't!).

Pick one thing and put all of your focus on it. Then, simply comment on that thing. You could say, "You look exhausted," or "This is an old couch." That is all. This simple act might be enough to get your brain back online.

Step Two

If you are still stuck, move to this second step and add an emotional reaction. Ask yourself, "How does my character feel about that old couch?" Then respond with that feeling. You might say, "I love how comfortable it is," or "I can't believe your mother left this to us." This instantly creates a relationship and a point of view, deepening the scene. Both very good improv things to do!

Step Three

The final step is to make a related statement or ask a good question. This gives you another moment to breathe and gets your scene partner involved. If you love the couch, you could follow up with, "We should never get rid of it," or ask, "Think we could find another one like it for the cabin?"

This is not the kind of open-ended question we are taught to avoid early in our training. Questions are fine when they add new information to and move the scene forward.

This simple process can turn a moment of panic into a moment of rich character work. And if all of that fails? Your scene partner is there. Trust them. We have all been there, and they will have your back.

Watch on YouTube

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Listen to Podcast

Mind Blank on Stage? A 3-Ste... Jul 14 · Your Improv Brain 19:17   ​

Other Recent Improv Things

Last week's episode was about how difficult it can be to learn improv as a new skill. Or heck, even one that you are layering on top of similar related skills. It's not easy for most of us! The Pain of Learning Improv: What to Asses, How to Respond explores a framework to assess where these pain points are coming from, and what you can do about them.

You can watch it on YouTube (below), or listen to the podcast and read the overview here.

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And my improv podcast, Grack Public Access, released a new episode. This show is essentially an hour-long monoscene recorded in a single take and then I add fully immersive sound after the fact (including background characters).

This one was pretty fun as we got into a tangle with Canadian geese.

You don't need to listen to these in order. You can pop in at any point and get the gist. And there's only one teeny tiny short (real) ad in the hour long audio drama for my podcast production newsletter. Sick of ad-laden podcasts? Listen to this one! :)

Lake Corncrop Jul 10 · Grack Public Access 57:52   ​

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Improv Community News

Brian James O'Connell, aka BOC, has a great opportunity to learn improv skills, speaking of which - and you can learn from him wherever you might be located since it's online. You can take one class or sign up for multiples and save money.

Class: Summer Online Drop-in Extravaganza

When (PST): July 28 7pm, July 29th 11am, July 30th 9am, July 31st 5pm, Aug 1st 2pm.

Length: 3 hours each

Cost: 1 class: $30, 2 classes: $40, 3 classes: $50, 4 classes: $60, 5 classes: $70.

I've taken BOC's classes online and they are amazing - he is a generous teacher and full of decades of knowledge to learn from. So check it out and get yourself signed up! Here's his email to learn more or get registered: bocworx@gmail.com​

​Post on Instagram (bio here)

Thanks for being here!

Thank you so much for following along. It's so much fun talking about improv stuff.

If you found anything useful here, please let your improv friends know about these resources! It helps me know what kind of things to make.

Take care,

Jen