Should Short Form be Taught at All?

[mikefluence]

I am going to play Devil's Advocate here and say that Long Form should be the only theater format that is taught.

Short form is great for a quick laugh, but Whose Line has definitely bastardized it and made it too predictable and gimmicky.

I think the only way improv can redeem its roots is through teaching things that would make great long form. You can practice short form, but only as a means of doing better long form.

Besides...anybody from the Drew Carrey camp has already done it to death.

Please tell me what you think. I just want to get a discussion started.

Also, if you like this discussion, I have more on my fan page www.squidoo.com/scared-scriptless

 

[Roy Janik]

hahahaha.

 

[Roy Janik]

Longer version: There's tons of different types of improv out there, including shows that blur the line between shortform and longform. The terms are almost meaningless to me. For instance, my theater does a show based on PostSecret split into acts, wherein each scene is its own self-contained piece based on a secret. Technically? It's a shortform show.

But even assuming you're meaning shortform to mean improvised games, there's still tons of shortform shows that are not gimmicky or predictable. TheatreSports at its best fits this bill... a show where anything can happen.

 

[Lord Hatsumi]

Yes. Shortform has it's place. It's easier to understand for the common man walking off the streets. As a business I think it is easier to run a successful shortform theater than a longform one.

Outside of that, shortform taught me GAME before I knew what GAME was. It doesn't teach you to look for the unusual thing, but it teaches you to find that funny thing and blow the shit out of it. I kept a lot of my SF skills with me when I moved onto LF. It also helped me be able to button a scene.

And I'll Doo Run anyone to death!

 

[jayrevis]

I think what you're really asking is, "Should bad short form be taught at all?" I would say not if you can help it. And if you're wondering, bad long form probably shouldn't be taught either.

 

[Hawkins]

Shortform is great for pace, group games, and learning to invent information on the fly

 

[DanAbrams]

I'm going to argue that if no improv of any kind were taught, the world would be a better place, far more productive, and one or more of us would have started the next google and created thousands of jobs. Probably Corey Brown.

 

[burns1]

I think what you're really asking is, "Should bad short form be taught at all?" I would say not if you can help it. And if you're wondering, bad long form probably shouldn't be taught either.

I think what is really being asked is 'Will you please come to my website?'

 

[Adali Stevenson]

Corollary: Should albums other than "In the Aeroplane over the Sea" be sold at all?

Short form teaches you to start in the middle and get to the point.

 

[Mr. Stampede]

There's nothing wrong with making a living doing improv, it's a great thing. Long form doesn't really do that for very many people, short form does. In addition, all the best long form performers I know cut their teeth in short form training and still rely on its tools. In addition, long form and short form are not the same thing, even though they're related. Long form doesn't replace short form like the telephone replaces teletype. It's as if you're saying eliminate markers because we have paint. Well, there's a purpose for both markers and paint. We don't need to eliminate anything.

 

[proofred]

Well put Stampede!

I was too tired to think of those words when I saw this a couple of days ago, but you put it well. Now I'm too tired to compliment you properly.

Sense a trend?

Todd Rice
ProofRed
----------
Zzzzzzz.

 

[Holmes]

Short form is great for a quick laugh, but Whose Line has definitely bastardized it and made it too predictable and gimmicky.

I think the only way improv can redeem its roots is through teaching things that would make great long form. You can practice short form, but only as a means of doing better long form.

Besides...anybody from the Drew Carrey camp has already done it to death.

Pop Music is okay if you want to enjoy yourself, but Rebecca Black basically ruined it.

Music should all be alt-country. You can study pop music but only to get better at making alt-country.

 

[h0h0h0]

You guys! We are missing the point! We're supposed to be having a conversation!