WHAT IS IMPROV?

Just as important as who is where. The setting and circumstances of where you do improv can define much of what it is. You’re not going to believe it, but below are some examples.  

 

What Is Improv At Short Form Improv Schools & Theaters As Opposed To Long Form Schools & Theaters?

 

When improv started it was short. Viola Spolin ran classes for children and played theater games (exercises) of her own creation with them. Over time they morphed and evolved into what we call short form improv games today. 

 

You know, the stuff you see on Whose Line Is It Anyway? or at theaters like ComedySportz.

 

When I took long form improv comedy classes at the UCB Theatre I was taught that the main difference between long form and short form was not their respective durations. What separated them instead was this truth: When you start a short form improv scene or set, you know why it will be funny before it starts while the same is never true of a long form improv set or scene.

 

I find this definition is almost always true, but only almost. And it may not sound like a big deal, but the difference it defines impacts how you play and the skills you practice.

 

When it is true, it means that the skills developed when studying short form improv will focus more on confidence and creativity than collaboration and listening. The Kitchen Rules that serve as long form’s North Star matter less in Short Form:

 

Play Close To Yourself? You can throw that right out the window for Whose Line Is It Anyway? style improv.

Yes And…? You don’t always have to. Negations can get big laughs and the rules of your game can keep your scene on track. You have to be very creative, very fast though, so Anding or at least Adding is very important.

Make Surprising Decisions? Absolutely, following this rule pays off big in either short form or long form.

 

What about the exceptions though?

 

I have seen short form performed that follows the “rules” of a short form game but is mostly funny because of something ridiculous that is organically, surprisingly discovered between the performers. And I’ve spoken to several educators who passionately argue for short form scenes that “discover” more than they “produce” or “adhere to the game’s rules”.

 

Oh, and there is a very intriguing section of Sam Wasson’s book, Improv Nation, in which he describes Paul Sills coming back to Second City after being away a number of years. He has some of the current cast play First Line/Last Line and is distraught to see them play it for laughs. He wanted them to earn the game they were playing and he wanted them to do that by playing collaboratively and honestly.

 

(If you have firsthand knowledge about the approach to short form that differs from or would enrich this page, please reach out! Contact)

 

Paul Sills notes feel like long form notes to me. They feel like notes designed to let the funny thing emerge from the scene work, rather than force it. This way of working, of building a funny scene instead of executing one, and the collaborative strategies that have been developed to make it possible, is central to what long form is. So this story pushes against the definition I was taught and also my personal experience.

 

(This type of short form is probably worth deeper exploration than I can give it as I set up this page… I SMELL A BLOG POST COMING!)

 

Long form improv is often said to have emerged in the 1960s when there was a desire for ensemble play; a way for 8 people (or more) to collaborate on improv instead of just 2. For this reason Del Close and his long form structure creation, The Harold, are often given much credit for the existence of long form.

 

As any seasoned long form improviser will tell you, The Harold is a very difficult improv structure that greatly punishes certain types of bad play. Over the years, long form improvisers have learned at the altar of The Harold the values of careful listening, collaborative play, a keen sense of patterns within scenes, and a deep appreciation for playing honestly. These values/skills and the type of scenes that result in their implementation are what I mean when I say something like, “Let’s go see a long form improv comedy show,” or “let’s practice some long form improv comedy.”

 

The traditions and values that make this sort of play possible go back further than Del. Elaine May and Ted Flicker’s Kitchen Rules have at their core a prescription for supportive, collaborative and honest play.

 

What Is Improv At A Professional Theater?

 

Theater people often see improv as a subsection of theater, a fun but maybe not all that important subsection. Regional professional theaters may make mention of improv historically when preparing for a play or they might use improv exercises to explore characters and relationships in a production or to train young actors. Sanford Meisner famously used improv exercises that were far from funny to train his students.

 

From time to time such institutions may hold improv nights as fundraisers or as a core entertainment offering. Or they may produce a play which has roots in the theatrical improv tradition of Commedia dell’arte (for example: Scapino!, Servant of Two Masters or The Game of Love & Chance). 

 

Under these circumstances improv study will normally be treated as nice to have time for, but not crucial. For instance, in preparation for a night of improv, a theater may hold a few practice sessions. Or for a production of a show like Scapino! rehearsals may last for several weeks, but the amount of time spent on actual improv will be scant. Ultimately improv can be reduced in such an environment to simple ad libbing.

 

Almost always, when a professional theater mentions improv they refer to short form improv, not long.

 

Professional short form improv theaters, like ComedySportz or ComedyWorx are different in that improv performances are their bread and butter. Here improv is almost entirely of the short form variety. And since the goal is often to sell lots of tickets and drinks, audience satisfaction is king.

 

At such institutions there are often far fewer improvisers (and student improvisers) than in a long form improv space, but they tend to be paid unlike their long form counterparts. These performers are often quite charismatic and gifted and able to provide a fun evening of entertainment. Here improv becomes more of a workaday job for professional actors, though not the type of workaday job you can retire on.

 

What Is Improv At An Improv School?

 

In my experience most improv schools are of the long form variety. There will be a theater attached and sometimes an amazing theater (see UCB), but this theater will normally serve as a laboratory for students and teachers. Unlike short form theaters where the audience is king, a long form theater will typically charge low ticket prices and value the educational experience of the performers over the satisfaction of the audience.

 

This makes sense, since the theater is an extension of the school and the mission of the school is to educate. Because of the freedom from the tyranny of audiences that low ticket prices provide, long form improv schools and their associated theaters can often serve as a dynamic breeding ground for new shows, voices and approaches.

 

Most improv schools will present their classes in 3 to 5 levels that often sport names like Improv 101, Improv 201, etc. After completing their course of study, students are often invited to audition for house teams or mainstage casts so that their education may continue through live performance. I am told that this model mirrors what you find with many Dance Companies, but I don’t really know.

 

What Is Improv At Work

 

Improv is a natural team building activity and improv workshops can be designed to address the development of any soft skill. Corporate America has known this for decades and improv workshops have become as ubiquitous in the workplace as health benefit reviews (ie you can count on one happening in your office maybe every 3-5 years?).

 

While it may seem surprising, American Improv has its origin with Viola Spolin, who created games that focused on supporting teammates, listening, staying in the moment and creativity. Her son, Paul Sills, used his mother’s exercises (and his mother) to train the first ensembles at Second City which explains improv’s deep connection to comedy in our minds. While improv is great at creating comedic scenes, it is also useful as a training tool for anyone looking to improve their public speaking, team work or communication skillsets.

 

What Is Improv At A College Theater Department

 

Improv in this environment can often be quite similar to what you would find at a professional regional theater. Probably short form, not long. Probably studied in reference to a larger production. Possibly used in actor training. 

 

Also, there is a uniquely high chance of someone pulling out Commedia dell’arte masks and suggesting students put them on and do improv scenes, or reenact lazzis, in them. Such experiences can induce a type of PTSD both for performers and audiences who watch them. If you’ve suffered at the hands of these masks, please reach out, I’m here to help.