Yeah, time.
- Thread starter jillybee72
- Start date
My first exposure to improvisation was during my high school years watching "Whose Line..." on Comedy Central, and I was one of those people who thought, "No way they're making that all up." All I knew was that if they were in fact making that all up, then I had to know how to do it. Coincidentally I had just gotten into theatre, and in class our teacher had us doing some improv excercises, and boy did I feel like a big shot.
'Course, I had no idea it would become the bountiful wellspring of loveliness it is now.
Kisses.
John.
'Course, I had no idea it would become the bountiful wellspring of loveliness it is now.
Kisses.
John.
The very first time I got up in my HS at one of our annual talent shows. I chose to do a lipsink to a song I knew well. I had a few props but the rest of the 3 or 4 minutes I was doing stricly improve antuics/dancing never rehearsed it except in my head. Everyone loved it and I receved imence praise. Soooo even if it wasnt purely off-the-hip, it still wasnt scrippted and rehersed like usual theater, allowing me to get that great tase of improv that I keep coming back for.
I used to go into Philadelphia a lot in the mid-1980s to see (what I later came to realize was) a pretty crappy short-form & sketch troupe called "Comic Relief." I thought they were pretty amazing, but thought "wow, I'd love to do that but no way could I ever be funny on my feet like that." It wasn't until three years later that I took a one-day Theatresports workshop 'cause it was only 10 bucks, and found out that a being could actually learn some rules and improvise.
The rest is procrastination.
The rest is procrastination.
I was first introduced to improv by a theatre teacher in high school (around 1987). It was fun to do and definitely created support between cast members (this was her reason for employing these exercises, and it worked).
Around the same time, my dad took me to see a touring group from Second City. I remember thinking that the improv segment was not that good. But it could have been an off-nite, I don't know.
Then I decided I was not a good actor and quit doing that in favor of visual art.
But I always had a profound respect for improvisation.
When I moved to Chicago, in 1999, 12 years later, I was broke and unemployed. My roommate and I scoured the paper for anything free and cheap to do for entertainment. We found improv olympic had a free harold night and the Cagematch was also free at the time.
We went.
A lot.
Then, about a year later, we decided to jump in head first and take classes, as a lark.
I haven't stopped and have no plans to stop. It is the most incredible thing in the world. I love it!
Thank god I was broke!!!!
Around the same time, my dad took me to see a touring group from Second City. I remember thinking that the improv segment was not that good. But it could have been an off-nite, I don't know.
Then I decided I was not a good actor and quit doing that in favor of visual art.
But I always had a profound respect for improvisation.
When I moved to Chicago, in 1999, 12 years later, I was broke and unemployed. My roommate and I scoured the paper for anything free and cheap to do for entertainment. We found improv olympic had a free harold night and the Cagematch was also free at the time.
We went.
A lot.
Then, about a year later, we decided to jump in head first and take classes, as a lark.
I haven't stopped and have no plans to stop. It is the most incredible thing in the world. I love it!
Thank god I was broke!!!!
the circle of belonging
I first started improvising in college with some friends, one of whom who had taken improv classes with a local troupe. I felt like I belonged instantly (I, too had been watching the British Whose Line). but my circle of reference was rather small.
Then my friends and I formed a troupe and got more involved in the New York scene. We got involved in showcases and tournaments. And we felt like we belonged instantly, especially after winning what we thought was a prestigious local tournament of improv.
From then on my improv career has been a series of growing circles and each time the circle makes a jump in size, there is a feeling of automatic belonging.
Most recently, I started teaching nationally. I held out on teaching for a while because I wasn't sure what I would offer as opposed to all the other great teachers out there. Then I turned a corner philosophically and went for it. And I felt that it was meant to be all along.
I first started improvising in college with some friends, one of whom who had taken improv classes with a local troupe. I felt like I belonged instantly (I, too had been watching the British Whose Line). but my circle of reference was rather small.
Then my friends and I formed a troupe and got more involved in the New York scene. We got involved in showcases and tournaments. And we felt like we belonged instantly, especially after winning what we thought was a prestigious local tournament of improv.
From then on my improv career has been a series of growing circles and each time the circle makes a jump in size, there is a feeling of automatic belonging.
Most recently, I started teaching nationally. I held out on teaching for a while because I wasn't sure what I would offer as opposed to all the other great teachers out there. Then I turned a corner philosophically and went for it. And I felt that it was meant to be all along.
Short answer: about 5 years.
Long answer: I first saw improv when I saw some TheatreSports when I was in high school in Australia. A friend of mine asked me to be on a high school TS team she was putting together for a tournament, but I declined because I was shy.
In college, a friend of mine kept bugging me to join his improv group because he thought I would be good at it. After a few months of bugging, I joined as a sort of Junior-Cadet member. For a couple of years improv was just a 'thing I did that was fun' .
And then one day I woke up and I was at a festival (ImprovStock in Athens, GA) and I was producing shows and I couldn't imagine not doing improv. I'm not sure when the transition happened.
Fuzzy
Long answer: I first saw improv when I saw some TheatreSports when I was in high school in Australia. A friend of mine asked me to be on a high school TS team she was putting together for a tournament, but I declined because I was shy.
In college, a friend of mine kept bugging me to join his improv group because he thought I would be good at it. After a few months of bugging, I joined as a sort of Junior-Cadet member. For a couple of years improv was just a 'thing I did that was fun' .
And then one day I woke up and I was at a festival (ImprovStock in Athens, GA) and I was producing shows and I couldn't imagine not doing improv. I'm not sure when the transition happened.
Fuzzy
When I took my first improv class, I was a freshman in college. My mom, as a gift (and I bet she is still kicking her self for it), paid for a 1 week intensive improv class for me. I remember being TOTALLY intimidated by all these aspiring actors and such in the class. I remember some of them were taking it SO seriously. The class ended in a performance, and half of them were thinking they were going to be DISCOVERED in this little show.
Anyway, I was all discouraged because I wasn't doing so well. Then I think the second or third class we did this emotional escalation excersize. Buy the end of the scene you had to be at level 10 of whatever emotion you might be doing. And I was struggling with this excersize, when my character really started flipping out. There was this folding chair on the stage, and I kicked it in my mirth. It was truly "in the moment" and everyone lost it. It was an amazing feeling. And I've been hooked ever since.
Anyway, I was all discouraged because I wasn't doing so well. Then I think the second or third class we did this emotional escalation excersize. Buy the end of the scene you had to be at level 10 of whatever emotion you might be doing. And I was struggling with this excersize, when my character really started flipping out. There was this folding chair on the stage, and I kicked it in my mirth. It was truly "in the moment" and everyone lost it. It was an amazing feeling. And I've been hooked ever since.