Your first time is typically the worst....

So I figured I'd pop a Viagra and give it a second go right away - you know get a rhythm going and a feel for this whole blogging thing (hopefully this time I'll post for a good 5 minutes).

Anyway, this past weekend I lead two classes in improvisation. The first on was an Intro to Improv class (3 hours of the fundamentals - woot), and then the second was an intensive on scene work. Overall I'm extremely pleased with how both workshops turned out - the intro class was seven people strong and went absolutely beautifully, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and seemed to take a lot away from it. The scene work intensive ended up with 14 people (lucky number I know) and went pretty well - we ended up running out of time toward the end a little bit and had to skip or rush through a few key points I wanted to get out there (it was my own fault for letting some of the open scenes run so long), but eh shit happens..

To give all you stalkers a heads up - I've been improvising "seriously" (I put that in quotes for oh so many reasons) for the past 4 years - while in college. During this time I helped start and served as the Director for the best (read: first and only) long form improv troupe at my Alma Mater and (through festivals, and my own initiative tracking down workshops and classes) I've worked with some amazing people in the improv world. Does this make me an expert (or say even journeyman level) on the subject - hell no, not even close - sadly though, in my neck of the woods, this does qualify me more than most (though thank god that is slowly changing).

Regardless it was wonderful to be teaching again. There is nothing quite like watching either people completely new to improvisation as they come out of their shell a little bit and actually start having fun and really start playing (some of the most interesting offers I've ever heard have come from non-improvisers in workshops) or seeing performers with a little experience under their belt learning something new, experimenting with it, and enjoying where it takes them.

I liken it it in my own head to a previously unnoticed door opening (it happens to me every time I've taken a workshop with a really talented teacher) in a house you've been exploring. You thought you had the lay out pretty well mapped out, then suddenly you hear this creak and there is a door you missed swinging open. You go through and it leads to the basement, or upstairs, or a new wing.
Eventually I think you realize that you are actually exploring the Winchester Mystery House back in its heyday, and that there's always another door, or staircase, or window, or room to explore.

Part of me is very saddened by the idea that this town, despite its size and proximity to the mecca of improvisation, has a community where, although there is an interest in improv classes, at the moment (due to some people being overtly busy, others being out of town, some being unemployed, and others being....well I won't go into that in this post) there really aren't many outlets for that interest. I mean we seem to be right on the cusp of an upswing for improv opportunities however, after living here for only five years I've noticed that for some reason our community is such that these come in waves (we are currently in a pretty freaking low dip right now) where there will be some great improv going on (ok maybe not great): a club opens and people perform or offer classes, then something goes wrong (stand up is found to be more lucrative, management screws up, or something as such) and it shuts down. The problem is when these few places shut down (up till now) it seems like the improvisers go into hiding and then there are a few sporadic performances by random groups but nothing regular (and consequently rarely anything to write home about).
Ah well, I'm sure I shall rant about this subject again - but even I'm planning to jump ship soon, so I can't really blame people (if you're serious about improvisation, there's a much bigger market a few hundred miles north - that drive/move is a lot easier than trying to lay down roots here).

Ok, wow - definitely lasted longer than the first time (was it good for you?) - hell if I blog for too much longer I'm going to be over the 4 hour limit and have to see a doctor. In the future I think I'll try and break these "epic" posts up a bit.
Final thought of the day - if the city you're in has an improv (or any sort of theatre really) community, please go support it.