Improv Update - Your Improv Brain Podcast & Show
Articles and episodes about learning, coaching, and performing improv and comedy. Some of these articles will specifically consider the cognitive aspects of performing improv & comedy (stage or digital).
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Greetings fine improvisers! More exercises in this weeks episode of Your Improv Brain. I'm having fun remembering some of the exercises I enjoyed doing and running in jams and sessions. So this week I'm bringing you some of my favourites that have helped with physicality, voice work, and space work. The Power of Silence: Three Exercises to Improve Your ActingMany of us got into improv because we like words. We love witty banter, sometimes a clever little monologue in the middle of a scene, and the fun of building a story through conversation. But sometimes, that strength can also be a crutch we use in lieu of good acting. It is so easy to rely on dialogue to do a lot of the heavy lifting in a scene. When that ends up happening, our performances can start to feel a little flat. We end up telling the audience everything instead of showing them. This is why practicing taking the words away helps us become better actors. When you practice scene work with limited or no dialogue you are forced to slow down. You have to live inside the scene, breathe as your character, and communicate in other ways (that aren't dialogue). You have to use your physicality, your emotional reactions, and your environment to build the story. This is the very essence of "show, don't tell." You create a world through action and reaction... so when you finally do speak, your words have so much more weight and meaning. In this episode, I share three exercises designed to help you get reps using these skills:
These exercises might feel strange or uncomfortable at first, but they are a solid workout for your acting muscles and will make you a more grounded, compelling, and versatile performer that can get in that skin suit (watch the episode for more about... that). I also discuss how whether or not these are useful to players who do not process subtext, tone, or physicality at all or quickly. Do they help or work for those of us in that demographic? (spoiler: yes, yes they do) Listen or WatchThe podcast and the youtube episode contains exercises that help you become a better actor by reducing or eliminating dialogue. They work for those of us who don't do well with subtext or physical cues, too. Learn more about that in the episode below, and get all the exercise directions. And come ask questions or share your own tips in the Improv Update discord general improv chat channel.
Resources mentioned in episode 34
3-Step System & Exercise to Manage Self-Criticism in ImprovThat voice in our heads, the inner critic, can be pretty relentless during improv scenes and sets. It might be telling you your idea was bad, or you're not being funny enough. Maybe that you just ruined the scene or show. For a long time, I thought the only way to deal with this voice was to squash it, but that's kinda hard. But then I wondered... can we actually use it? Watch or listen to the episode below, or check out the article here for more.
Free Improv WorksheetI just uploaded a free worksheet you can use to productively reflect after an improv session (practice, class, show, etc). Here it is, and I'll leave it linked in the footer of each newsletter, too. You can print it out, and I added input text fields to this so you can keep it all digital if you prefer.
Okay that's enough words and improvs for now. Take it easy, Jen. |
Improv Update - Your Improv Brain Podcast & Show
Articles and episodes about learning, coaching, and performing improv and comedy. Some of these articles will specifically consider the cognitive aspects of performing improv & comedy (stage or digital).