It's harder than it looks..


Photo by Pixabay


This week in class we touched on the topic of "groups" and then transitioned into the topic of "improvisation or improv." 

Tina Fey, a well know actress, comedian, writer and producer. She is most known for her roles on Saturday Night Live "SNL." Tina Fey says, "The first rule of improvisation is AGREE. Always agree and SAY YES. When you’re improvising, this means you are required to agree with whatever your partner has created." With what Tina Fey explained in her rules of improv is that you always agree and from there you improvise and branch off of what the other person says. 

You can find the whole set of rules Tina Fey has for Improv here. 

Today in class we were asked to form groups and in our groups two members would have go up in class and try out an improv exercise. I was one of those "lucky" group members. Getting up in front of the class was already hard enough but having to act in front of them is even more terrifying. 

Tina Fey says you always have to Agree so you have no idea how it's going to pan out. I noticed group after group that they had long pauses in between each person's lines. I was like "it can't be that hard, just make something up." My time comes along and I get up in front of the class confident enough that I was going to crush it up there! I was so ready. As soon as I went up I forgot everything. Once my partner started I was making long pauses after her lines to try to come up with something to say. It is so difficult to come up with a line when you have no idea where this scene is heading. 

Improv is so joke! It is actually really hard. You have to be quick on your feet and come up with something fast. I credit those people who are quick on their feet and they entertain us while doing it because it really is harder than it looks! 

  

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 8, 2017 at 5:12 PM

    Hi, Lara! Being able to improvise will definitely come in handy in group settings, so I liked that you decided to dive deeper into this topic. In class and professional presentations, I have seen people forget what they are supposed to be talking about, but as their group is able to perform well, they are able to improvise for their lost member. I have also seen instances when a member is sick or cannot be at the presentation because of an emergency and the remaining members help each other improvise to fill for the missing person. As this class is focused around collaboration, I am interested to see where else this topic will come up throughout the rest of the semester, as well as if any students will have to use improvisation techniques, such as always agreeing, in our upcoming class presentation.

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  2. UnknownSeptember 13, 2017 at 1:55 PM

    hi Lara! I loved how you talked about improv and how Tina Fey is able to describe it. It is so awesome to see how improv can be seen through everyday life. I have been an actor most of my life and its so cool to see other people do improv and realize how amazing and fun it can be! I feel as if people might feel uncomfortable at first but when they open up they are able to love it. Its amazing to see how improv and this class correlates as well!

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