Go See Improv Shows!

Any good improv instructor in improvisation will tell their students, “GO SEE SHOWS!”  Here are 10 reasons to do so:

1. You will be supporting the local arts/improv theatre scene.  Be a good actor by being a good “actor”.
2. The people you support may actually support you back be attending your shows.  It’s called community building.
3. You will see a lot of improv shows, some bad and a few good ones.  Learn what to do on stage and what not to do.
4. You’ll become more comfortable performing on those stages on which you’ve seen others do their thing.  Nothing like anxiety kaboshing activities before a major showcase!
5. You may see something worth stealing re-appropriating for your own purposes (forms, characters, initiations).  Remember, Pablo Picasso may have said,”good artists borrow, great artists steal”. Put that to work.
6. Ever tried to find a director for your improv show?  Seeing someone else’s show may give you glimpses into what direction they received.  You can then walk into an interview with that director having seen their work first hand.
7. Concepts that you don’t understand at the moment may present themselves in a new light when watching someone else perform.  You may not understand an improv form, e.g. The Harold or The Armando or whatever’s hip right now, while performing it but may get to understand it by applying your knowledge to someone else’s show so things become clearer.
8. A lot of improv actors don’t understand how to host a show to save their lives.  Go see how each performing group opens their show and how the  show itself is closed by the hosting team/person.  This  is a skill often neglected in classes and rehearsals; it can make or break a show in general audience acceptance of what they’re watching many times.
9. Hey!  You never know – you might get invited to sit in with an improv group you came to see!
10. The Hollywood stars of tomorrow are being made today.  Catch them before they hit it big and forget about you.  Who knows – maybe they’ll bring you with them while they move up the ladder of stardom!