Can I get a suggestion please...

Vagina.

This was actually a suggestion thrown out at an improv show I saw not too long ago at the iO Theater in Chicago. Actually, for those of you not in the "know", suggestions like this (dirty words that drunk people think will be funny to shout out in public) are actually offered up with a frightening frequency at improv shows. What's not all that frequent however, is when an improv troupe not only takes such a 'potty mouth" suggestion right off the bat, but also delivers a show inspired from it that rocks (as was the case that night).

Now since moving to Chicago I've seen a fair number of improv shows (I'm an improviser myself within walking distance of a major theater, that actually allows me into most of their shows for free... go figure) - some have been fan-fucking-tastic (like the one I mention above), others not quite so much. Probably not all that surprising to most people (even in the "mecca" of improvisation) given logic and all, everyone can't be amazing. What is surprising to me however, is that in the shows that tank (and some might as well have had Lori Petty driving them - NB if you get this reference I can really only feel sad for you...but probably not as sad as you feel for me for making it) I notice the same things happening (or not happening) all the time.

Now I could go ahead list off a number of things that, if you ever pick up any decent book on improv they'll mention (hell some list them as the "rules" of improv) and they would all be things that I saw and lead to less than stellar scene work - however, they are really just a symptom of the true problems (at least the ones that I've noticed) not the cause.

One of the things I've been noticing is either ensembles or individuals within an ensemble not meshing. Some of this (from what I've seen) stems from when players make judgments about other people's offers or even worst other players. If you watch enough (or play enough) improv after a while you'll come across this phenomena, it's human nature (though you never see it in the best teams) - but some one will let their ego into the picture and start to get the "I'm carrying this team mentality" or people within a group will start looking at one player thinking "they're holding us/me back" - sometimes it's not even that clear cut.
Often it'll be in mid scene - one player gives up a perfectly good offer - but it's not as good as their partner with this problem would've liked and it shows) - or it doesn't jive with what they were thinking and so it gets overlooked deliberately.
Or perhaps it's right after the scene and you see the player head to the back line and sigh - already judging what they or their partner did (or the back line themselves).
Most often it's a player judging their own offers though and that's the hardest one to recover from sometimes.

This kind of judgment (either of one's own offers/actions or of others) can lead to hesitation, lack of listening, and terrible improv. Sometimes the players themselves don;t even know they are judging anyone, much less themselves - however whenever you try and think of the funniest thing to say, hesitate before making an offer, ignore something cause it seems out of place, etc it stems from an internal judgement - and fear.

The best groups I've ever seen all have a sense of play about them. They don;t ever judge what their partners or themselves offer (at least not while on stage) whatever is said, whatever is done, is perfectly right in that moment. They seem not to care about what the audience thinks - and are just up there playing with each other.

Also they almost never commit the sin of omission (this is one specific thing I'll talk about - as I've seen it so much). If some one's name is accidentally changed, or a person walks through a wall, or any other "mistake" happens, they don't ignore it and pretend it didn't happen (silently cursing the person who did it) they use it - and make it seem like it belongs.
I almost never see anymore someone just flat out telling their scene partner that their offer is wrong, or that the world they've built is wrong/crazy - but I see all the times offers being ignored, or brushed aside - which in fact does the exact same thing.

Ok, I've got to run as this is longer than I meant it to be - later I'll probably clean it up for coherency. Btw - if you only take one thing away from this rant as an improviser - have fun while you're performing (if you aren't having fun, figure out why and change it asap or do something else). If you only take two things - it doesn't matter what you do or say in an improv scene, just do or say something (there's no right or wrong) - and don't ever judge what is done or said.