Improvisationally Ever After
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was led to believe that her voice wasn’t important.
dallas comedy house
articles on improv wisdom and how it enhances our collaboration and co-creating together in the face of the unknown
We were always improvising
'I didn’t expect this' and 'Now what' are precisely the spaces where improv arrives again and again. As improvisers, we’re never expecting this; we arrive to the unexpected. We willingly take it on, delight in it, craft with it. What is mishap to the grief-stricken is the method of the improviser.
Unmasking
"your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find
all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."
- Rumi
but merely to seek and find
all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."
- Rumi
Look at Me
Look at me.
No glance. She’s notoriously defiant. I wait.
Look at me.
She continues ignoring me, eyes fixated on the world around her.
Scout, look at me.
She gazes up and begins to lick my nose.
No glance. She’s notoriously defiant. I wait.
Look at me.
She continues ignoring me, eyes fixated on the world around her.
Scout, look at me.
She gazes up and begins to lick my nose.
Plotlines and Pilgrimage
Improv teaches that it’s not necessarily where we end up that matters the most, but that how we go will determine where we arrive, and who we become.
Yes, and flood waters
We bring our ideas, our creativity, and our skill of working together; we create in the midst of absence and space. As it does in the Okavango, life floods abundantly onto the improv stage.
Soulmates and Scene Partners
‘Do you want a puppy?’
A dreaded, hipster couple had found two abandoned puppies wandering the streets; the man held a sleeping, snuggly, tiny beige and chestnut bundle.
‘No, I can’t,’ entering the bathroom.
But when I emerged, without hesitation I scooped Riley up in my arms and walked back to the hookah bar to rejoin my group.
‘YES.’
A dreaded, hipster couple had found two abandoned puppies wandering the streets; the man held a sleeping, snuggly, tiny beige and chestnut bundle.
‘No, I can’t,’ entering the bathroom.
But when I emerged, without hesitation I scooped Riley up in my arms and walked back to the hookah bar to rejoin my group.
‘YES.’
Without A Shield
They open up, they drop their shields, they know that no matter the tears, flaws, or struggle moments, their vulnerability is a beautiful and human thing.
Supporting the Scene
Whether we are tapping out, walking on, or simply creating the scene, ‘yes, and’ wisdom encourages us to use our gifts, strengths, and ideas for the sake of ‘serving the scene’, rather than merely serving ourselves.
Follow Your Feet
Our teachers encourage us: follow your feet. They seem to have a wisdom of their own; we lurch forward as if about to fall off a ledge. Coming up to our toes and then back down to our heels, something within us had an idea...
The Importance of And
I believe ‘yes, and’ is the best act of support and revolution I have ever encountered.
The Culture of No
Such a terribly unpleasant word to any improviser.
Even worse, when the no isn’t said, but it is felt.
Even worse, when the no isn’t said, but it is felt.
You Are Welcome Here
It’s my first Student Lottery. The lights come up after our suggestion of Popsicle; I hesitate. My mind is a complete blank for any initiation ideas. I freeze. I have nothing to offer.
The Discipline of Play
"Our ability to embrace laughter and joy, especially in community, is key to our well-being."
Create and Release
"If I can release some space in my day plan to embrace some interruptions, I become a calmer, more present, and kinder human."
Small Steps
"Life is usually built in the small steps, the day to day journey towards an unpredictable destination."
Listening
"What if by listening we can nurture one another into stronger, more alive selves?"
Embracing Failure
“Embracing failure opens us up to a world we wouldn’t discover if we didn’t fail headfirst into discovering a new room of knowledge.”
Practicing Yes
On stage, yes nurtures the fantastic and bizarre, the silly and playful and ridiculous.
Off stage, yes steps into the beauty, messiness, playfulness, and adventure of life.
Off stage, yes steps into the beauty, messiness, playfulness, and adventure of life.
Creating the Container
In improv, we are creating a container where people can grow, where bravery can be possible and practiced.
Understanding Empathy
Empathy at its heart is the root of every move towards justice. If I let your experience and story impact me, I’m opening myself to be changed, moved, affected, and challenged.
Liking Each Other
So we choose to like each other, support each other, and have each other’s backs. From that soil we create comedy and magic. Collaboration, and even likeability, begins to emerge.
Befriending Fear
We step in without knowing what we’ll say, we leap in and make eye contact to find the answer will be in what we co-create with our scene partners.
Creating Belonging
In contrast to so many other spaces that hold belonging at the cost of achievement, appearance, or accolades, improvised comedy begins with belonging, celebrates showing up, and encourages leaning into and learning from failure.
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