Everything I Know About Improv I Learned From...My Younger Son

In the interest of fairness, I figured I'd give my younger son, Ryan, his due, too.  (He's a good guy, you'd like him.)

Ryan is still only 1 year old and doesn't have much of a vocabulary beyond "Mommy," "Daddy," and "Apple" (which seems to be his word for everything that isn't Mommy or Daddy).  Due to this, I have learned from Ryan that one can communicate emotion and desire with little to no words.  Quite often, I see improvisors, particularly my new ChImps, talking too much as if talking more will allow them to stumble in to a good line or the bigger meaning of the scene.  I also see emotion being reported (e.g. "I am angry!") rather than shown (e.g. angrily pouring tea).  The mantra of "Show Don't Tell" is often referred to with the big ideas in a scene, but it applies equally to the smaller, and often more valuable, moments in a scene.

In addition, Ryan's minimal use of language is a great reminder to me to be more comfortable with the silence in a scene and not rush to fill it in.  Beginning improvisors tend to do this more often, but we all fall in to the trap sometimes.  Ryan points to the snacks we keep on the counter and I know what he wants, even before he gives me a grunt conveying his want.  Maybe I don't need to ramble in a scene to demonstrate exactly what my character wants...

Thanks, Ryan!  Apple!

Everything I Know About Improv I Learned From...My Son

Once you've done improv for a decent amount of time, you begin to see improv lessons everywhere.  I've decided to begin sharing some of those lessons I see in my daily life here.  So...here's the first:

My older son, Nathan, is almost 4 years old.  Like any little kid, he has his moments but, for the most part, he's a positive guy.  The improv lessons I learned from Nathan are acceptance and heightening.  Nathan is a master-level accepter in many areas.  A song will come on the car stereo, and I say that I like it, and he'll respond with, "It's my favorite!"  I'll tell him I'm making him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, and he'll reply with, "I love peanut butter and jelly!  It's my favorite!"  It doesn't matter what it is, Nathan will exclaim that he loves it and it's his favorite.  It's such a great reminder for me to be positive in my daily life, but for improv purposes, it's a simple reminder to say 'yes' and escalate.  Not only do I like it, but it's my favorite - I don't just accept, I over-accept, and now we have more places to go with the offer.

Thanks, Nathan, you're my favorite!  (Along with your little brother and mommy. )