Yes, and …

Yesterday, I took my first improv class at The Improv Shop in Saint Louis; Introduction to Long-form with John Langen. You might be asking, what is long-form? If there is a long-form then there must be a short-form too, right? Well, even though the first question doesn’t resolve to being answered in one word, I’m trying to extend this post’s word count as much as I can, so dispose of your semantic convictions and — yes! Unfortunately, I just realized that is the precise answer for question number two, so I could have killed two birds with one stone and most likley 100 less characters. Oh well.

“Long form improv is one suggestion and then you improvise for 25 minutes”. Or, another way to describe it is when an audience member screams out a topic or situation and then they shut the fuck up for the remainder of the show.

There is in fact short-form improv, too! But thats is it — no medium, smedium, or venti.

“In short form you are constantly coming to the audience for suggestions throughout the evening and treating each improv game as its own little three- or four-minute piece,” said Joshua Funk, of SecondCity in Hollywood.

Comedians like Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, and Martin Short all practiced long-form improv. It’s an excellent tool for actors to have on their tool-belt. More often than not, directors like spontaneity of a scene and expect actors to bring it!

Short-form on the other hand was made popular most notably by Drew Carey, Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie, and Ryan Stiles, all of whom headlined, “Who’s Line Is It Anyway” on ABC for many years.

The foundation of improvisation is agreement. One must accept the fictitous reality you and your team are thrown into. If I say “I’m fighting pirates off the coast of Hawaii in my dingy” and my partner says, “No, were somewhere in Iowa shucking baby corn blindfolded”, well, what the fuck are we actually doing — and what just happened to our scene?!

“Yes, and…” is the crux of situational collaboration. “And” adds context. Information is pivotal to idea generation and scene development. Be in the moment and try to be as specific as possible. Elaborate and describe the details. It’s much easier to play off of “This dark chocolate skinny non-fat frappuchino isn’t really knocking my socks off but the barista is a looker!” then “I’m drinking this shitty coffee”. Your teammate can take the better of the two examples and go in so many different directions. Now, they can comment on the drink, atmosphere, or sexual undertones of your dialogue.

So, how was my first day? Exciting, fun, intimidating, but most importantly, it made me feel alive. I didn’t want class to end. I still have tons of work to do — I’m really bad, but repitition is the only remedy. I’ve always wanted to be an actor. I don’t say it much, but its true! I wouldnt say that I am shy anymore, but I most certainly do not have the charisma of ‘James Bond’ either. This experience is one of growth. Not just comedically or dramatically, but personally. The benefits of learning improv proliferate far beyond the stage.

*this is my first blog post ever and in addition to chronicling my voyage into improv, I am also learning how to write better.