Diaries of a Wannabe Improviser: You’re Not as Important as You Think→

Look at your partner. Do they seem nervous, happy, tense? Take this into account. Give them something to work with, but give it to them one step at a time. Do the Cha-cha. Move back and forth between the two of you. “Hey Bobby, thanks for coming to meet me in this mediocre coffee shop.” See how they respond.

This is my challenge to you: be more aware of the interaction between you and your stage partner than of what you want to happen next. Forget what you have “planned” for the scene. Keep your ideas, but allow space for your partner’s ideas as well. If you keep moving with this dance, you’ll get to a place that you never could have achieved on your own.

Everything Matters→

All of this is great but especially…

  1. Notice something in the present.
  2. Ascribe meaning to it.
  3. Heighten it.

Don’t worry about finding something important. Don’t worry about finding a game. Just be present and notice.