Improv class

Just today I got a note from my friend Bethany who was once my improv student. She had a dream and my wife and I were in it and were living in her neighborhood and it got her thinking about the great time we all had in my improv class.

Just the other day I was thinking about what happens when a person takes improv to be a philosophy of life. You suddenly let go of all your worries. All you think of is the now, the moment. And when you really allow yourself to do that you see that within each moment is a choice. What do we think, what do we do not later, not tomorrow, not next year, but right now in this red hot moment.

When you sense that there is an amazing opening up of the world of unlimited horizons. That my friends is improv, a philosophy of theater and life, both of which when you come to think of it are one and the same thing.



May the pulse be with you!

Abhay

Image: Philosopher J. Krishnamurti who in his last Bombay talk told the massive crowd gathered to her him for the last time: "All time, past present and future is contained in the now."

Why everyone should study improv!

Improv acting is about creating in the moment. Creating live, in the safety of a warm, comforting group of classmates, a multitude of characters and roles using monologues, physical shapes, vocalized sounds, songs, and even gibberish.

As a new student of improv, there is a decidedly delicious moment you experience when you learn to let go of your inhibitions and simply follow your impulses moment by moment. In the carefully moderated environment created by the experienced teacher the student learns to think on her feet and lets go of the need for preparation, planning, and hence lets go of anxiety.

Improv is accessible to all. One needs no special preparation or aptitude for it. As long as a student is willing to trust the teacher and literally play the improv theater games that provide structure for learning, he or she develops skills of being present more fully in the moment.

The skills learned in improv class are ultimately life skills. How to be confident, express your creative self, think on your feet! I have been teaching improv for fifteen years now and have taught a very wide range of students, from artists to nuns, accountants to photographers, astrophysicists to Zen practitioners. They have all enjoyed the experience of learning improv and been pleasantly surprised to find how much it helped them succeed in their fields of work.

I think everyone should study improv. And if you happen to live close to Berkeley, come check out my class!

May the pulse be with you,

Abhay

Image: Cluster balloonist John Ninomiya's creation.