
How to Suck at Improv
I wanted to do a lot of things in high school.
Act in plays.
Compete with Acadeca.
Run track.
But I didn’t do any of those things in high school, simply because I was afraid. Sometimes I told myself it was because of dumb reasons, like I didn’t think I had enough time to work a part-time job and get good grades and also go to practice or rehearsal or whatever.
But mostly I avoided the Authentic High School Experience™ because I knew I wouldn’t be great at whatever it was when I started — or maybe ever — and that I’d embarrass myself.
Pretty dumb way to live if you ask me.
Luckily, life doesn’t stop after high school. Risk-adverse scaredy-cats like me get a whole six decades or so to figure out that a little public exposure won’t, in fact, kill you. So about a year ago, I committed myself to a goal that really sucks, but has led to a lot of “personal growth” and “heightened self-esteem” and other feel-good crap, so I guess something’s working.
The goal: do uncomfortable things that I want to do but am terrified of.
This is a pretty good motto for me, because 1) it’s good to face your fears and 2) what’s life without a little risk?
So now I look for “opportunities” that hit the sweet spot for my goal: something that sounds really fun, but is wildly outside my comfort zone.
Enter improv.
Two things freak me out: public speaking and being vulnerable.
Improv is irresistible, because it means getting up in front of people I don’t know and saying words while doing things with my body simultaneously. So it’s like public speaking on steroids, because you have to act, as well as speak, on the fly.
The horror.
There’s a big chance I’ll fall on my face — literally. It’s a wonderful way to pay for the privilege of not only failing, but failing in public. Without the security of an airtight plan or a rehearsed backup speech, I will feel quite vulnerable indeed.
So for kicks and giggles, I’m going to document my failures here on Medium. Class starts tonight, so if I haven’t posted anything by this weekend, ping me on Twitter or send help.
Hope you enjoy the show.
