Improvise, by M. Napier: A Review

Thursday, May 15, 2008 by John Robison.

Though I’ve been doing improvisation for a long time, I’ve read very little on the subject. It’s been one of those “learn by doing” things, and has worked really well. One of my goals lately has been to actually read more. Here are my thoughts on the first in a series of books I plan to read: “Improvise. Scene from the inside out,” by Mick Napier.

I’m happy to say that this easy-to-read and understand book has changed my thinking a little bit. Even in the first few chapters, which I largely found to be a little too basic for my taste, I found a couple nuggets that have already affected the way I approach my teaching. The most important change for me, is that I’m no longer emphasizing “Improv Rules” as part of the first class. I think the traditional improv “rules” are still important… Say yes to your partner and yourself… instead of questioning, add information… etc. However, Napier asserts that thinking about these rules just results in more thinking… and less living in the scene. Most people have a tough time getting out of their head… so I’ve decided that I’m no longer going to start off people’s improv careers by giving them a list of rules to keep in their heads.

This is not to say that I’m going to let students get away with complete denial, question-asking, stagnant-prov. As we do scenes, if they completely flop, I’ll say something like, “Did you feel like you were having trouble easily finding something to talk about?” When they agree, I’ll say, “Here’s why…” and then tell them that scenes in general go better when you accept what your scene partner says, etc.

Really, this is how things should go. After all, everything that happens on stage is genius, and everything that happens in a scene is correct… so it’s really odd that we’d immediately follow up that statement with a list of rules, even if it’s only three. I’ve been heading this direction for awhile. I’ve started telling classes that what we’ll be learning is how to help ensure improv scenes will be successful more of the time. Does denial ruin scenes? Absolutely. Can real comedy happen from it. Absolutely. So… no more rules for me.

My other favorite parts of the book were at the end - the advanced improvisation section reminded me of quite a few exercises and ways of thinking that had become ingrained within me… and being reminded of the building blocks of your improv is really a great call home. All the time, I find myself either matching energies with the other person on stage or doing the complete opposite. Napier cites this as a technique in the book… and it’s good to be reminded that “Oh yeah… that’s why I do that.”

The other greatest section was the advice and guidelines for improvisers section. Every improviser needs to read this section… particularly the section entitled “The Perfect Actor.” Some of my favorite pieces of advice for the actor:

Make strong choices - do something on stage, and own it.

Shut the fuck up - in rehearsals and notes, just listen.

Show up and be on time.

Try anything.

Don’t interrupt anyone at any time. If you do, apologize.

Jump on stage with enthusiasm.

Sit near others.

Also, as a kind of weird, nearly tacked-on chapter, Napier compares improvisation to thermodynamics. As an old-school nerd from way back, this was really interesting to me. I talk all the time about the “energy” from the audience, because it’s real. I’ve always assumed it was the flip side of my Gemini personality… the side that believes in intangible mystic energy, flowing from person to person. It was really nice to see this kind of audience energy explained in a more scientific way. So many times I’ve been on stage and commented that “I’m not getting any energy back from this room.”

If I may paraphrase and extrapolate, energy goes everywhere, and some rooms cause more wasted energy to occur than others. Perhaps the lights aren’t right for the room, or the air conditioning or heating is adding or sapping the wrong kind of energy. You can even derail your own energy train by unexpectedly changing characters onstage, second guessing, or being afraid. Then again, maybe the room feels good if the audience is responding well, adding energy with clapping and laughing.

At the end, there’s a great chapter with some good exercises to do alone at home. I’ve done lots of these before, and found them helpful.

All in all, this is a really solid book on improv. I think it would be most helpful for those that are interested in the art, but are not yet on a team, or are just starting out. For people with more experience, it’s still a pretty good read, especially toward the end.

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