One change and we all panic.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008 by John Robison.

On stage you do so many different weird things that it’s really important to have a good rapport with one another. Building that kind of trust is extremely important, or you’ll think twice about hopping up on someone’s back to ride them like a prized steed, or you won’t be in tune well enough to be able to believably convince the audience that you’re long lost lovers.
It’s a tough thing to develop… people naturally have all kinds of walls and barriers around the core of their real feelings - they get naturally put up so their vulnerabilities aren’t exposed for the world to see and take advantage of. Getting past some of those barriers to expose some real feeling is really hard for a lot of improvisers, especially those just starting out. In a really good scene, the actors will be reacting in a realistic way, and it’s nearly impossible to do well unless you’re in tune with your own self. Sure, you can do great shows without this level of commitment, but teams that consistently gel have this kind of focus.

It sounds touchy-feely. It probably is. But it’s so important, even in scenes that are waaay out there. The Roving Imps have made a lot of progress toward this goal lately, but still have a ways to go.

Last week, one of our prodigal Imps rejoined the group for one show. She started with the rest of us, but hadn’t performed with us in seven months. Was it really a good decision to throw her back into a show right away? Probably not, but we needed performers, and there was some excitement to have her back again.

It’s amazing how throwing someone into the mix can really alter your whole performance, even when it’s someone that was at one time part of the group. We had a great show, and the audience was laughing, but those great, deep connections were nearly completely absent. This is absolutely not our former member’s fault… she hasn’t had the last seven months to think about this. She had seven days.

However, the rest of us (me included) absolutely forgot all about reaching down deep for those connections and relationships. The characters all knew each other, and had some great lines, but emotional stakes were absent.

Of course, nobody realized this was happening in the moment. That’s the advantage of hindsight. Looking back, I wonder if the reason for the absence was that the high level of trust was no longer there. Did we all feel comfortable opening up our vulnerabilities?  Impossible to tell. We all learn as we go along, eh?

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