Write an Improvised Scene

Sit down at your typewriter, writing desk, or word processor. (Sit down at your computer.) Now, write a two-person scene, but do it in this way:

• Get a timer and allow yourself five minutes.

• Never ever ever stop typing. (It is hard and your fingers will be tired at the end of the five minutes.)

• Do not censor yourself or self-edit or worry at all about punc tuation or spelling. Just keep typing fast.

To go even faster, name your characters A and B. You should hit between three quarters of a page to a page and a half in five minutes, depending on how fast you type.

Do not worry if the scene is bad.

Do not worry if the scene doesn't make sense.

Purpose

This is a writing exercise as much as an improv exercise. If you truly do this without corrections and without stopping, your mind and words will go places that normally wouldn't occur to you. This opens up a different, creative side to your mind that can't emerge if you are measuring what you are doing while you are writing. I really like this exercise because it just gets your ideas out there furiously. You can always go back and apply structure. After some practice, you may amaze yourself with how you can differentiate and heighten two different characters' points of view, at the same time acknowl­edging and heightening what the scene is about. But don't stop typing.

Songs

I do this exercise way too much. I think there's something wrong with me.

While at home or strolling down the street, improvise a song. This is quite scary for some people; for me it is a disorder. How do you improvise a song? Seriously, just start singing. As with impro­vising a scene, you will discover the melody and what the song is about all at the same time. Rhyme or not, but over time learn to rhyme. Also, practice not commenting on a bad rhyme. Just keep in it, and don't pause or comment on it. (The reason I say this is that in performance, improvisers often condition themselves to laugh or comment on the evidence that they can't rhyme, as opposed to finding the fun in rhyming well. Unfortunately, they often get laughs, which reinforces the behavior.)

Purpose

If you keep improvising, there is no way in hell you will escape having to improvise a song. You can either maintain the conversation with yourself that you're not a good singer or can't improvise music and be in pain, or you can start learning how to do it well today. (Psst, wanna 'nother edge in improv? Start taking singing classes this afternoon.) This exercise will also help you if you're called on to improvise a poem.

Counting to One Hundred

Stand in the middle of a room. Pretend you are a great speaker and that 5,000 people have gathered to hear you speak. Instead of words, though, use numbers. Start counting out loud, pretending that the numbers are a great speech. Take your time and continue until you reach 100. Provide as much variety in the presentation as you can, sometimes asking questions, other times making declarations. Use emotional variety as well. Know that you are coming to the end of the speech around count ninety, and use the last ten counts to pro­vide closure to the speech.

Purpose

This hones general performing skills by allowing you to play with com­mitment, emotion, and variety without the burden of thinking of words to say. It is also a drill in finding the importance in the words you say. This is a basic performing idea often lost in improvisation: the notion of actually having what you or your character says be important.

Dance

Turn on some music you like and dance. That's all, dance. And really commit to it. Don't make fun of or comment on the fact you are dancing; as you do when you are asked to dance socially really dance.

Purpose

I can tell a lot about the way improvisers improvise by the way they dance. Sometimes, just by the way they walk. Most improvisers are not in touch with their bodies, especially men. They often believe that improvisation is all about the words and the funny, not about the body or the physical. If you can get to the point where you are comfortable with seriously dancing, you will overcome a lot of the fear and give yourself permission to be a physical being in an improv scene. Today is as good a day as any to really let yourself go and escape the bonds of your perception of your physical self. Dance. Really. You will learn something about yourself. It will also come in handy if you ever get a date.