Improv and Brain Training

In today’s fast paced world there is nothing like improv comedy training to sharpen your mental skills. Who is the person whose ideas most often get heard, the man who sits in a meeting and thinks and ponders or the woman who jumps on the questions posed and comes up with an idea?

I am not saying either way produces a better idea, because in reality either method could be used to come up with the ultimate solution, or more likely the two will be combined to offer the best plan.

So how does one start to develop these skills? To start with, searching the internet one can find loads of information on improv comedy whether you are looking for books, articles, groups or anything else.

The beginnings of improv are a matter of debate, but most would point to Keith Johnstone, the creator of Theatre Sports, Viola Spolin, the “Grandmother of American Improv.” For two great reads on this subject, Johnstone’s “Impro: Improvisation and the Theater” and Spolin’s “Improvisation for the Theater” are chock full of exercises and information.

But for real experience, reading about improv is like watching a movie about taking a bath. You can’t get clean with the latter and you can’t get your hands dirty with actually getting into a workshop and putting yourself out there on the chopping block.

Some would say being on stage is the ultimate test of an improvisational actor, but most people aren’t looking for that level of exposure. And it is exposure. You have to be totally open to complete disaster, and be willing to embrace it and learn from it, if you are going to climb onto a stage. Therefore group work in workshops is probably the safest format for the average citizen looking to sharpen his or her mental skills.

Most improv is based on some sort of ‘game’ where the players are going to assume some sort of role and have random characteristics thrown at them and then they have to create something interesting out of it.

Being put on the spot gets your mental juices flowing, or you can just freeze. The difference is experience and the willingness to lay it on the line.

The first time you have a reaction from those around you, (which doesn’t necessarily have to be laughter, it could be groans or tears) you can become hooked and want to do it more and more. More traditional actors may welcome the scripted role, but I have found the freedom of improv to be exhilarating.

If this interests you at all, I would strongly urge you to go online and search for an improv workshop. You may be surprised to find one within short driving distance of your home, as many community colleges are embracing this new form of brain training.

Brain Training