The Freedom of Improv
“A Game of Bowls, Ightham Mote, Kent”, by John Singer Sargent
One of our community members, Clare Kracht, wrote this reflection on the Acting Fundamentals workshop she took with Missed the Boat Theatre. We hope you are encouraged and uplifted by her words:
Once I was given a character identity and the beginning, middle, and end of a story. With these elements, I was told to complete the story without any further planning. In theater terms, this is called improv. During this method of improv acting, some of the funniest and most enjoyable moments happen. On the outside or to the audience, the actor might seem inherently funny or thought of as one with the gift of comedy. It may seem that the performance was well planned and that the actor freely brought a specific joy to the skit.
However, to help the improv actor be free in his acting while creating something worthwhile to watch, there are actually a few rules to follow. First: get to the end of the story. Every good story has a beginning and an end. Without the beginning, there is no point for the character to grow or complete the story. Without an end, there is no hope of beginning.
Second: have the mindset of “Yes and…” This mindset is the idea that you cannot say no, or decline a partner’s choice onstage. You must agree with them. For example, if one asked an acting partner, “What are you doing?” one could not “not hear” their question. I put the phrase “not hear” in quotation marks because the actor could choose to ignore the question giving the perspective of disrespect or they could choose to answer the question. However, the actor can not go back in time and pretend that the question was not asked. They are to accept what happened with a “yes” and continue the story with an “and.”
Third: the art of improv should be quick and upbeat. This means that each person should respond with a choice instantly. There should not be pauses in the skit where the actors are trying to figure out what to do or what should happen next. This can be very challenging for people who like to plan out what is going to happen. However, if the actors are not making decisions on the fly, and instead are thinking about what they should do or say, the story loses enjoyment. Part of the reason improv is so enjoyable to watch is because it is the closest way someone could stage a real life encounter. A great theater actor knows that the character they create needs to be realistic and someone that the audience can relate to. When having a normal conversation with someone, and asked what you are doing, you would not stop to think: “hmm, what am I doing? I guess I could say I am breathing, I could say I'm thinking, or I could say…” No! In real life, a person would just automatically respond with a definite answer.
As Catholics, we are each called to live “a life of improv.” God is calling each and every one of us to enjoy life and live it freely and fully. We are called to follow the rules of improv that God gave us to help us live as we were created to live. We are given our identity, the beginning, and the end of our story. Our identity as baptized Christians is an identity of a beloved son or daughter of God. The beginning of the story is that God created us in His image to know, love, and serve Him in this life so we can be happy with Him forever in Heaven. The story continued with the fall of man and the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus. This beginning gives us the end that God has won for us the battle of sin and has affirmed our identity in Him. God promised in the end that He will win the battle for us, we have to say fiat and cooperate with His loving plan. If we accept Him, in the end, He declares that we will live eternally.
We can choose to live for eternal, everlasting life with God in Heaven or everlasting damnation in Hell. We have the beginning and end of the story and we get to live in between. We need to live with a “yes and” attitude towards God, just like our Lady’s “...let it be done to me according to your word” (RSV-2CE, Luke 1:38). This “yes and” attitude towards God, will allow Him to steer our ship back on track. It gives us the freedom and detachment from the things of this world and allows us to root our peace and joy in the Truth. Also, because of this attitude and because we each have the best improv partner, we don’t have to worry about our falls because we have a loving Father who will forgive us. He redeems anything that we bring to Him.
We each have a life of endless decisions in front of us and we have to remember the love and mercy of God so that our life can be quick and upbeat. The Commandments and teachings of the Church help us start off on the right foot, keeping us free and rooted in the Truth.
Finally, just like every theatrical work, we are each given a unique life and a story that can only be done that way once. No one can create the same life no matter how hard they try. No matter how much they act off a script, no moment in live theater is done the same way twice. Each and every life is a unique gift to God. Following the rules of improv, the actor acts to the fullest and the audience enjoys the skit. Every individual life matters and God loves each person in an individual way! God gave us each a unique heart that each has the ability to love Him in a specific way. No soul is repeatable, each has a unique capacity to love and be loved. We must remember that living our life to the fullest here on earth is only a moment of the freedom and happiness that God has in store for each and every one of us in Heaven!
The Holy Bible. Revised Standard Version Second Catholic ed., Ascension Publishing LLC, 2001.
Lee, Tori. “Improv, Explained.” University of Chicago News, news.uchicago.edu/explainer/improv-explained. Accessed May 2024.