Don’t Kill the Magic With Stereotypes

In improv, you can be anyone. Don’t take that from others.

When you ask someone how doing improv makes them feel, you often get answers like “free” or “liberated.” That’s because when you walk onstage, there are no limits to what you can be. In one scene, you’re a fire fighter. In the next, you’re an all-knowing alien. In another, you’re a sentient dust bunny.

Even if you stick with human characters, improv means you’re not limited to the human you are offstage. I could be a teenage psychic, a tech CEO, or a hapless baker. The possibilities are endless and that’s why no two scenes are exactly alike.

But sometimes, you don’t get to pick who you are. Characteristics and roles are often bestowed upon us by fellow improvisers. Part of the “yes and” ethos is agreeing when your scene partner establishes something about your character. But what if a fellow improviser keeps sticking you in the same role because of your race, sexual identity, or age? What if the way you characterize others is revealing the stereotypes and prejudices living in your brain?

Grandma Again

One night, I was at a show that ended with a jam (meaning that anyone could jump onstage and play together). In one scene, a group of people were onstage, including a young…