How to be okay with forgetting stuff and having fun

I don’t really know why I use piano as the example; I do more improv than music. In classical music (so I have heard), you EXERCISE the notes when you practice, and you PLAY when you have a recital. The chords should be so ingrained in your finger mechanics that you don’t have to worry about them anymore; in the recital you can focus on movements and emotions.

Likewise in improv, that’s why you have workshops and you have shows. In the workshop, you build your muscle mechanics, and in shows you forget about them and just enjoy your own show.

In fact: in workshops, you ONLY need to focus on the ONE point of the exercise (maybe saying “Yes”, or repeating the last sentence, or doing object work etc.). Forget anything else, you don’t have to think about them.

While in shows, you forget EVERYTHING you learn about improv. Be as blank a sheet as possible when you start a scene. We need to remind ourselves that improv is an art in the realm of possibilities, not rules. We do anything we want to do, not do what we are supposed to do. We don’t want to get it right.

So why do we train, then?

During the scene, there will come moments where we make choices. This is when, maaaaaybe, the thing you have practiced over 100 hours automatically kick into gear. Your training will make you take bolder, more fun choice than someone with less improv training. Note that I put it as “maaaaaybe”, because, if nothing comes into your mind, that’s no worry.

That’s why beginner improvisers seem looser in their first scenes. They don’t have anything to remember*. They have no worry. It’s only after we learn improv, that we psyche ourselves out to remember “how to do good improv”. Forget about them. Trust your training.

(*Maybe same thing why short form can be easier, or fun. You only need to remember ONE thing, what the game is, and forget everything else.)

I know players who recite all the rules of improv backstage right before hitting the stage. Personally I’m not a fan of this method. I think that puts me in a bad headspace where I want to hit multiple milestones in my shows rather than having fun. This is improv, not grocery shopping.

That’s why in our beloved Impro Neuf backstage, we have one sign, and one thing to remember (written by Terje Brevik)

“SPEAK UP. FUCK UP. HAVE FUN!”

Dedicated to a question by Jayant Chopra.