The type of improv I tried was not comedy based to clarify.
Here are my thoughts on the Experience; it went beyond being just fun and challenging your imagination there were many more benefits I didn’t expect:
- Critical thinking – There was a circle game almost like the telephone game we played as kids. However our intent was moving energy as warm up game. You had to remember various the commands that could cause the changing directions of response or cause an action like skipping the person next to you.
- Taking initiative– introductory game following the leader; someone would say a sentence and you followed them if your agreed w the statement, stayed in the middle of on the fence or opposite if against. Than it would be up to someone else in the group to continue on and start a new sentence
- Creative thinking– giving a word or phrase and making up a story based on different scenarios. Example sitting on a park bench with a “friend” chicken is the topic and you carry on banter for 5 mins or so. The goal being keeping the convo going and flowing in that I know this person as a friend type of vibe.
- Empathy– picking up clues from the person you are in a scene with responding based on emotion or feelings. I learned improv goals is not always to induce laugher bc you can’t be overly silly still have to ensure the scene will make sense and follow a loos plot or narrative
- Movement– as means to stimulate thinking: a most exercises didn’t keep you idle (Eg on your feet standing in lines). One particular exercise we shook out body parts legs and arms from 10 seconds shake down to 1; as in movement became quicker as the time countdown reduced. There wasn’t a lot of standing around and waiting for your turn we had two different “acting lines” going, sitting scenes group scenes a lot of motion.
The place I went to the Washington Improv Center
They host a free workshop every Saturday 12-2pm in Columbia Heights. I highly recommend dropping in and trying improv.