Is life an improvisation? Even with most of our existence flowing through semi automated, conditioned subconscious actions and reactions, in autopilot so to speak, we still need to juggle situations out of the ordinary that require a good dose of improvisation and skill, and thank goodness for that.
There are 4 people on a made-up stage, 2 are speaking gibberish to each other with exaggerated facial expressions and body language. 2 more are behind and “translate” in turn the gibberish conversation into plain English with comical and unexpected twists.
If you have ever been to an improvisational (improv) theatre class, you’ll be surprised at how creative and funny you can be. How dramatic and conspicuous, naturally childish or amused you become. Some people find the idea of performing a scene with no lines or preparation, in front of others, rather daunting or intimidating.
Don’t worry, an improv theatre class, the way I experience it, grows gradually and leads you into a quasi magical journey of embodiment, facilitates connection with an awesome and maybe surprisingly vital inner self, while bringing lots of flow.
I have been practising improv theatre in Koh Phangan with my teacher Christian for over 2 years, took part in 2 live shows and then started running my own classes. I love it and can’t get enough of it. It makes me feel healthy and alive, raises my energy and brings positive emotions and a sense of wellbeing during and after the class.
We start with simple connecting games where we pass on energy from one to another, call each other’s names and act in simple warm up scenes. This process is very important as participants gradually enter a space or zone where a group energy starts to develop and blossom. Harmonious relating and being in sync with others come natural as the awareness of our own bodies and spirit expand. The result is timeless fun, embodiment and a feeling of presence and being in the moment that boost inspiration and vitality.
Not enough pleasure and play in your life? The moods car, Jerry Springer Show or a soap opera where rivalry and intrigue, conspiracy and passion are unleashed and acted out, will change your day, create fun for the audience and joy for the soul.
As human beings we have a strong desire to expand, grow, develop, evolve and when life lingers for too long with not much new going on, healthy individuals have the tendency to look for more, improvise our way out of mundanity and into a new project or endeavour.
How dull and boring would that be if everything could be predicted, planned and controlled, all of the time. We would literally be just human machines with no free will. This is an interesting topic, free will, and one I might write about soon enough.
The experience of having to make quick decisions on our two feet, to respond to unforeseen circumstances or explore new social realms is part of the flow of life, something familiar to all.
Effectively adapting, learning from and engaging with novelty is an essential component of personal growth. Some people tend to not like the new and unexpected, others feel naturally inclined to seek novelty, are prone to risk taking and as a consequence, require more openness to exploration and improvisation.
I am one of those who often seeks excitement in new projects. I moved to Milan as a teenager, moved to London, travelled the world as a backpacker and then relocated to Thailand.
“You must be the person you have never had the courage to be…” “Nothing would teach me but personal experience…” or the more common “Fake it until you make it” exemplify this innate and very healthy attitude towards discovering the unspecified, the uncharted, which require an ability to let go of certainty and dive into the new and the unknown.
Novelty brings change and no matter your outlook on change, change happens and change requires flexibility and dexterity, mental agility and an ability to think in progressive and innovative ways, to respond and adapt. In this context I am very positively inclined to say life is an improvisation indeed.
We are always and only in the present in theory but, of course, the monkey mind constantly jumps and moves through time and space, never still, never completely quiet. A key to more joy and a great way to really feel alive is through embodiment practices. Quiet the mind, move your energy to the heart and everything gets better already.
Team work and cooperation with fellow humans was the key to build this thousands of years old civilisation. Listening, feeling the energy and accepting suggestions from others on stage is an awesome way to collaborate, unify and co-create. Mutual help and support flows naturally in the class.
Expressing emotions is a form of therapy in itself, would you agree? Embodying anger, jealousy or passionate love in a fictional and contained fashion is a way to playfully connect with real life situations and let go of them. I am often awed by what I am capable of saying or experiencing during improv theatre, the pearls my subconscious is able to deliver, on the spot and while flowing with a scene.
Reconnection with a more genuine and individual side of our being, less conditioned by norms, judgements and standards of behaviour bring respite from the rigidities and frustrations of confomity and, in the long run, actual healing.
There are no strict rules in improv theatre, once people are empowered to express and respect each-other’s stated boundaries. Suggested guidelines to make things happen and create more zest include:
- Say “yes, and…” when someone brings up a subject, story or scenario, don’t block the energy, flow with it.
- Establish the location, a character or persona early on to help frame what is going on and continuously add colour to the caracterisation, contributing new information and so building a larger scene.
- Avoid asking questions, you “know” what’s going on already.
No rules, no time, no space to let the collective imagination grow and expand as we create something beyond the individual people involved, the limited location of the space we are in, the boundaries of a human life.
In improv you can embody a nagging old grandmother obsessed with having butter biscuits with her afternoon tea, an industry chieftain plotting to acquire a rival company or a shy teenager on her first date.
You’ll be surprised how much of you comes out in the scene, how many hidden desires, dreams and frustrations take shape in the characters you play, how much release, inspiration or laughter you can get in the class.
“The moment you start seeing life as non-serious, a playfulness, all the burden on your heart disappears. All the fear of death, of life, of love – everything disappears.” – OSHO.
You might not be ready to leave everything behind and join a travelling circus, ditch your high-flying career for the love of music, move to Hollywood to be a screenwriter or actor.
A good life to me involves the excercise of creativity, time for leisure and play, a way to let go of chores and responsibilities and connect with an often neglected but very authentic side of our being, a spiritual and truly healthy part of what we are.