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 Why Improv Classes? By John Frusciante for Possible Side Effects Hello, and welcome to the first of what will be a weekly column on subjects ranging from improv technique to fiction to art to complete nonsense written at the last minute in order to meet the deadline. This week I'll be pontificating on the age-old question, "Why does anyone need to take classes to learn how to improvise?" First, allow me to elaborate on this question. Many people feel about improvisation (as they do about acting) that if you need to take classes you shouldn't be doing it at all. Some assume that taking classes in something that is unscripted and fully organic is unnecessary, and would somehow detract from the spontaneity of the art. However, let us first understand that improvisation is an art; some would say the highest form of art, and this author would agree. It is an art and a discipline, and absolutely must be studied. Just because it is unscripted and all the material is created on the spot, does not mean that there is not a technique to it. Though each individual improviser will have their own individual technique and style, this style is one that must be honed over years of performance and study, and can be gleaned not only from observing other improvisers, but also from taking classes from other improvisers. Say someone wants to become a plumber. Certainly this person has seen plumbing before (as we all have). Now suppose this person approached you and said, "I'm gonna go to school to study plumbing." Would you dissuade them from any formal study of plumbing with the reasoning that, "If you need to take plumbing classes, you shouldn't be doing it at all."? Of course not. No one has ever chastised anyone for wanting to study plumbing, so why should it be that improv classes are not looked upon as equally valuable? I for one would not want an untrained plumber tinkering with my pipes. Certainly there are many people who have a natural talent for improvising, as we all improvise every second of our lives it's a safe bet to say that most everyone has a natural talent for it. But unfortunately we have all picked up an inhibition or two during our lives, and one of the things that you will learn from studying improvisation is how to interact honestly in an unargumentative manner with your scene partners and teammates. This will help you to cut through the fat of improvised dialogue and get right to the meat of the scene, which is the issues that are really affecting your relationship with your scene partner. You will also learn to recognize and repeat patterns in scenes, how to identify the basic elements of a scene right away (names, location, relationship), how to find games, and many other things that make an improv scene an improv scene. These are things that, though they seem obvious, simply cannot be mastered without proper training and discipline. Del Close says the following regarding improvisation as it compares to martial arts: "There are a few squares in our society that think Kung fu is about kicking people's heads in, but we know differently. It is something else. It is a martial art. You don't walk into a dojo and say 'Good morning, master, I'd like to learn how to kick somebody's head in, please.' They'd throw you down the stairs! It would be like going to Jesus and saying 'I'd like to learn how to walk on water, please.' I mean, there are more important things to do!" In summary, the study of improvisation is as important for an improviser as the study of painting is for a painter, or law is for a lawyer, or cooking is for a chef. I am currently taking classes in improvisation, and I expect to be studying it all my life. That's it for now. Next week I'll be discussing the correlations between improvisation and life. |
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