Art Imitating Life

The life lessons we can learn from improv

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I finally went to my first improvisation class the other day after missing the first two weeks. I needed to catch up quickly, so the teacher greeted me and swiftly went through everything I had missed. For our group, the gist of improv was distilled through a handy acronym, EPIC:

• “E” is for Energy — Always bring it.

• “P” is for Pacing — Relax. Maintain the scene's rhythm, but remember that there's no need to rush.

• “I” is for In the Moment — Be present. Don’t pre-plan what you want to say (affectionately called baking).

• “C” is for Commitment — Commit to the sound, gesture, accent, or character. Whatever you do, commit!

Generally, improv scenes begin with an offer, which is any conversation or action that moves the scene forward. Offers are then accepted by other improvisers, and the scene advances.

Accepting an offer sounds easy enough, however, the opposite (called blocking) frequently occurs among amateurs. An offer is blocked if it is not accepted but ignored or refused. Blocking can hamstring a scene, and in some cases may lead to its early ending. Here’s an example of a block:

Person A: “Wow, look at that huge diamond stuck in the cave wall!

Person B: “What? Anyway, I can’t believe the score of this ball game!

Person B effectively denies A’s reality, and the only way this scene can recover is if Person A is either intoxicated or insane. An improv audience is unlikely to find any of those realities amusing. There are certainly examples of excellent and terrible blocking, but that isn't the point of this post. Because we are all beginner improvisers in this session, blocking is more of an accident motivated by primordial desires than a well-performed technique.

Ultimately, blocking is a defense mechanism induced by anxiety. When it comes to accepting an offer in improv, for example, you may be unsure about what to do or say next. A pregnant pause occurs. Fear builds fast, followed by adrenaline racing through your body and the lighting up of your prefrontal cortex, or the part of the brain involved in planning (baking!), solving problems, emotional response, and motor control. In an attempt to quickly return to a comfortable state, your mind offers up the block. For a brief moment, you have a sense of relief. You are back in control. But the unintended consequence is that the scene is now derailed (at least you’re not the one that’s derailed, though — right?).

Improv is art mimicking life because we are offered a million things by the universe every day, and each offer gives us the option of accepting or rejecting it. Blocking is a lot simpler than accepting, especially when we're afraid, and why wouldn’t it be? It's a psychologically safer option: once the responsibility is passed on to others, your work is done (scene be damned).

But how many of us have truly overcome fear to move into a state of being in which we are constantly aware and always accepting? How many times have we unknowingly blocked offers from the universe or people in our lives? In some cases, we may think that we are accepting when in reality we are blocking.

Here is another example of a block to illustrate this:

Person A: “Wow, look at that huge diamond stuck in the cave wall!”

Person B: “Cool, let me get it out. [Person B pulls the diamond out of the wall effortlessly]

It's a little harder to see how this is a block, but in general, solving a problem in a scene is challenging since you've now closed the loop on an offer that had a lot of potential. Many people fall into this problem-solving trap: a buddy confides in you about a problem or a struggle, and you leap to provide a solution when all he wanted to do was vent. However, if we apply the fundamental improv rules to reality, jumping to give a solution indicates that you are not in the moment.

So, what can we learn from these basic improv principles about accepting everything that comes our way? We may live EPIC-ly by using the same letters in the acronym:

• “E” is for Energy. Bring your true self into everything you do. Seek out people who match your vibrancy and share your zest for life.

• “P” is for Pacing. Allow life to take its course without judging it. Trust each moment as it comes and trust that its timing is perfect.

• “I” is for In the Moment. Be present with others and yourself. Recognize that stillness is your ally, and that the answers to your problems will come to you in the silence of your mind.

• “C” is for Compassion. Be kind, caring, and willing to help others.

Improvisation is the art of letting go; it teaches you to go with the flow, not to take things personally, and to pursue unexpected paths.

It is the art of knowing that you don't really know.

It is the art of accepting fearlessly.