So Your Friend or Partner is an Improviser…
If you're reading this, you may have a friend, family member, or partner who has fallen headfirst down the improv rabbit hole. Improv addiction can develop at lightning speed, & dealing with the newly obsessed requires a special & specific set of tools. From terminology you’ll need to know, to how to respond in specific situations, we’ll show you how to support the improviser in your life through this wonderful time.
🛑 INTERVENTION
It’s normal for a new improviser to sign up for every class, drop-in, retreat, jam, and show as they fall in love with the art form. If your improviser is missing important life events such as birthdays or anniversaries, try raising your concerns by saying, “Here’s a suggestion for your scene.” If they suggest that you join their improv group in order to spend more time together, the appropriate response is “Yes, and...”
📓 GLOSSARY
You may have noticed your improviser start to use strange new words and references and in conversation. We suggest keeping a list of improv terminology with you at all times, so you can quickly translate their meaning in the moment. They may insist you properly ‘establish platform’ while telling a story, refer to surprising information as ‘the first unusual thing’, or begin to talk about their day in terms of ‘beats.’ Learn to speak their language.
💫 BEHAVIOUR
Your improviser may start to exhibit strange behaviour as they dive deeper into improv. This (although strange to the untrained eye) is all completely normal. Common examples are an increased interest in studying everyday tasks to improve their ‘object work’, reacting with huge and surprising emotions which they call ‘heightening,’ or running across the front of any encounter they wish to end in order to ‘edit the scene’.
👏🏻 SUPPORT
Like and share your friend’s social media posts and make attending their improv shows a non-negotiable part of your weekly routine. Even if the performance leaves you as bewildered as interpretive dance to whale sounds, become their loudest cheerleader. After the show, comments like “I loved your choices”, “The characters were so developed,” and, “Way to heighten the game, you were so in sync!” go a long way.
🪑 SEEK HELP
Having an improviser in your life can be challenging, so joining a support group for fellow enablers might be a necessary step. It’s important to have a safe space to share your bewilderment, and ask all the questions you can’t say to an improviser’s face like “Is it really made up?”, “How can you practice improv anyway?”, and, “What the hell is improv yoga?”
🎢 ENJOY THE RIDE
There’s plenty of great stuff to compensate for the madness. Side effects of improv may make your friend happier, funnier, more empathetic and more confident. They are also far more likely to be in a positive mind-state, so write a list of all the foods you’d like to eat, places you’d like to visit, and extreme sports you’d like to try, and get ready for them to “Yes, and...” the hell out of your ideas!
