Make your partner look good
One of the principles that I've enjoyed living in the world of improv is "make your partner look good." My understanding of this is that my job in the work/play of making things up is to inspire my partner and give them a good time. Really I often think of this more as "make your partner feel good" but I'll stick with "look good" since it is partly about removing that observing ego fear of looking ridiculous to others.
This can be a really good mantra - mainly because it takes the focus off of one's own self/neurosis/anxieties and worries about saying & doing the "right" thing. At the very least, we two (or three or however many there are) are in this together. Focusing on giving my partner a good time through inspiring their creativity gives me a specific, albeit broad, purpose. AND the wonderful outcome of doing this is that someone else is doing this for you! So I don't have to worry about me because my partner or fellow ensemble members are taking care of it. I've experienced the joy of this in classes, workshops and performance and been inspired in directions I never would've found on my own.
That is one of the deep pleasures of improvising....seeing your fellow improvisor's eyes light up with delight, experiencing the flow that can happen as we get on the same page and the giggly deliciousness of riding the creative roller coaster together. I especially love experiencing this with beginning improvisors when I'm teaching as we do something impossible (like tell a story one word at a time or speak in one voice or make up an entire opera about watering a plant).
Improvising with kids, especially very young ones, is different.
When LP & I create together, or when I lead a story-group with toddlers & pre-schoolers, my job remains to make them look/feel good, to accept their offers, to say "yes!" and "yes and...!" and "YES!!!! AND!" and "Again!"
They, however, do not need to reciprocate. Developmentally that isn't in the cards (for the most part) so it isn't a realistic expectation. Ah yes, like all kinds of other parts of parenting, doing this with kids is about the giving and enjoying how it is received.
And I do enjoy how it is received and seeing LP or another child light up and engage. I appreciate these moments deeply.
But I miss the reciprocal energy of working in an ensemble of adults. I miss the feeling of someone being responsible for inspiring me.
My hope is to be a part of the ensemble for the next Un-Scripted Theater show - Shakespeare: The Musical! (playing in San Francisco in May) and to get on the ball to teach some adult improv classes before...well, just to set a goal somewhat publicly...to have an adult class going by May 1st. (Suddenly May seems very soon)
Want to see "make your partner look good" in action? Check out this scene from the Un-Scripted: un-scripted show that opened this weekend.....nothing is preplanned, the improvisors are inspired by the history of Rome and Star Wars and by each other. Even though improv on video never really captures the energy of improv live...you can still see those moments of delight as the story is co-created.
This can be a really good mantra - mainly because it takes the focus off of one's own self/neurosis/anxieties and worries about saying & doing the "right" thing. At the very least, we two (or three or however many there are) are in this together. Focusing on giving my partner a good time through inspiring their creativity gives me a specific, albeit broad, purpose. AND the wonderful outcome of doing this is that someone else is doing this for you! So I don't have to worry about me because my partner or fellow ensemble members are taking care of it. I've experienced the joy of this in classes, workshops and performance and been inspired in directions I never would've found on my own.
That is one of the deep pleasures of improvising....seeing your fellow improvisor's eyes light up with delight, experiencing the flow that can happen as we get on the same page and the giggly deliciousness of riding the creative roller coaster together. I especially love experiencing this with beginning improvisors when I'm teaching as we do something impossible (like tell a story one word at a time or speak in one voice or make up an entire opera about watering a plant).
Improvising with kids, especially very young ones, is different.
When LP & I create together, or when I lead a story-group with toddlers & pre-schoolers, my job remains to make them look/feel good, to accept their offers, to say "yes!" and "yes and...!" and "YES!!!! AND!" and "Again!"
They, however, do not need to reciprocate. Developmentally that isn't in the cards (for the most part) so it isn't a realistic expectation. Ah yes, like all kinds of other parts of parenting, doing this with kids is about the giving and enjoying how it is received.
And I do enjoy how it is received and seeing LP or another child light up and engage. I appreciate these moments deeply.
But I miss the reciprocal energy of working in an ensemble of adults. I miss the feeling of someone being responsible for inspiring me.
My hope is to be a part of the ensemble for the next Un-Scripted Theater show - Shakespeare: The Musical! (playing in San Francisco in May) and to get on the ball to teach some adult improv classes before...well, just to set a goal somewhat publicly...to have an adult class going by May 1st. (Suddenly May seems very soon)
Want to see "make your partner look good" in action? Check out this scene from the Un-Scripted: un-scripted show that opened this weekend.....nothing is preplanned, the improvisors are inspired by the history of Rome and Star Wars and by each other. Even though improv on video never really captures the energy of improv live...you can still see those moments of delight as the story is co-created.
posted by Susan at
4:31 PM
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