No Script? No Problem! (Part III)

Montreal Improv (top: l-r) Kristen Rasmussen, François Vincent, BJ Walsh 

(bottom) Marc Rowland

*Yes And*

by BJ Walsh of Montreal Improv

(Part III of a series, see links for Parts I and II below)

There are multiple schools of thought in improv and thousands of show

formats, but there is one basic improv principle this is taught the

world over. And it might just make you a better person.

*Yes And*: To create a consistent and coherent world, improvisers

should accept (“Yes”) the fundamental truths about the world laid out

by their scene partners. Moreover, each scene partner has a

responsibility to not only agree, but to add more details to this new

world (“And”).

“I thought we worked well together, but I don’t know

her well enough yet to know what delights her.”

Example:

Player A: “I’m hungry”

Player B: “Yeah, it’s been a whole day since the guards last fed us.”

Player A: “I can’t take it anymore! Let’s break out.”

In other words, improvisers should work cooperatively to share the

scene. This implies the improviser must have a selfless nature.

Improv, after all, involves some sacrifice: agreeing with your

partner’s idea sometimes means shelving your own, not because his is

better, but because his came first.

Once you know your partner well, you may choose to go beyond just

giving your partner details to agree with; you may seek to provide

details that will thrill and inspire him. Recently, an improviser said

of her partner “I thought we worked well together, but I don’t know

her well enough yet to know what delights her.”

When improvisers are busy making each other look good, they forget to

worry about failure...

While there may only be anecdotal evidence to suggest that improvisers

carry their newfound generous attitudes into their everyday lives,

isn’t it nice to think that for a few hours every week, your friends

are hoping and striving to delight you? This in turn will nudge you to

return the favour, and we’ve arrived at the near-utopian concept of

Making Others Look Good.

When improvisers are busy making each other look good, they forget to

worry about failure and their desire to be thought clever, funny and

attractive. They are free to relax, have fun, and commit. And that’s

precisely when they are the cleverest, funniest and most attractive.

Part I of this series

Part II of this series