Well that was awesome. Attendance was a little low, but the class dynamic was awesome and people have told me they plan to come soon. We shall see...
Stuff we did included: Raw Intervals Character Slip Intervals Nogoodnicks Silent Crossing Basement/unbasement
all with the emphasis on organics.
Notes I took included: Yeh uh huh typical teen timid "Russian" Groceries to Mommy Brian? I no hung up Cheaters! woman Curser Phone Breaker Follow it, each of you
It really was a ton of fun and I think everyone involved had a great time. As usual, I learned a ton, and was able to pass on a few things if I do say so myself.
Two days til Week Three - I am super looking forward to it.
Like I said yesterday, I'm really looking forward to tonight. We're gonna try a lot more stuff, including scenic and non-scenic work (i.e. more exercisey exercises) to get our flow flowing and our weight up on our toes.
I will go ahead and stay that at this early stage of the Pit's drop-in program, class size tends to be smaller than the regular Level 1-5 classes, which means a whole lot more reps for you per class than you'd usually ever get during a 3-hour class with 18 classmates. More than you'd usually get during a New York-standard 2-hour team rehearsal, for that matter. By a lot.
And it makes it a lot more doable for me to work what you want to work on into the class's content, and follow any threads that come up as we work.
Don't worry about getting tired - we take a break in the middle, and if we're really getting worn out we can slow down the physical exertion level, or take a second break, or, hell, split early.
But I don't plan on it.
Three hours is a fantastic amount of time. As far as I'm concerned, it should be the standard length for a rehearsal.
At the least I'm going to make it the standard length of my class.
I hope to see you there, this week or in the weeks to come. You won't regret it. It will be fun as balls.
I've got stuff planned, obviously. Is it obvious? Either way, I've got stuff planned.
We'll almost definitely do some intervals of a few different kinds, pairs work, silent work, deliberately boring work, reactive work, and crisis work.
I want to dip our toes in a couple of short form devices that create the need for instant decision.
I'm also doing some thinking about what warmups and non-scenic exercises will translate well to smaller numbers of people. You know, just in case we get smaller numbers of people. ;)
And as always, my ideas going in are the outline from which we depart as is meet in the moment.
You're paying for the class. It's your class. I'm gonna keep doing my damndest to make it good for you.
I set those notes I jotted down below to video using xtranormal.com.
[Note: I kifed the idea off of Keith Huang, who's been using xtranormal to fantastic effect in the Pit Forums. I did know about the site before that though, so phooey.]
The "script" again: Alpha Sigma Phi? Kerstin <---YES! So wrong we like it better Sob story - Yes! -Reality- If it's weird, you can call it weird Whimsical extremity- solve with quiet + silence, + solemnity YAY F1 Composure - Self-awareness Show us - i.e. tell us, + then live w/ it give us happy Jail! YAY! "You're pissin' in the wind, you try and come after me"
Stuff we did included: Basic Scenes. Raw Intervals. Character slip Intervals. Directed Reaction Moment Scenes. Basement/Unbasement.
Notes I took included: Alpha Sigma Phi? Kerstin <---YES! So wrong we like it better Sob story - Yes! -Reality- If it's weird, you can call it weird Whimsical extremity- solve with quiet + silence, + solemnity YAY F1 Composure - Self-awareness Show us - i.e. tell us, + then live w/ it give us happy Jail! YAY! "You're pissin' in the wind, you try and come after me"
I had a really good time, and learned quite a bit. I hope you guys did too. Thanks for coming out, and I hope to see you coming back.
Tonight's the night, dear friends. Tonight we begin the Pit's Thursday night Drop-In Class: Playing from the Gut.
I couldn't be more excited.
The way I approach improv is with a hierarchy of trust that values the impulses of instinct and emotion over the thoughts of the mind. I trust my subconscious more than my conscious mind.
I believe that every good move of improv should be learned, then practiced until it becomes a habit. The habit, maintained, becomes a reflex. And the reflex, allowed to act over time, becomes instinct. And once good moves are loaded in, "dropped down" as some people say, you can truly get out of your head once show time comes, and let your guts, your instincts, your intuition lead you.
What this boils down to for our workshop is that we're going to practice good improv behavior, but even more so we're going to practice letting loose and letting fly. Abandoning concern and caution and seeing what happens when we get out there and get loose. Timidity is a wonderful trait to portray in a character once in while. But in an improviser, it's to be eliminated.
We will also, fear not, cover all the good stuff that we all should be practicing as improvisers. Commitment, decisiveness, object work, status, editing technique, silence, surprise.
But more than anything else, this class is about the joys (and delightful terrors) of plunging in.
I hope you'll join us, and, having joined us, will return. It's going to be fun as balls.
