The Secret Of Improv: Be in a Good Mood

OK! I admit it! For the past two weeks/months/years I've been taking improv way to seriously. 

I've also been spending way too much on facebook and twitter, reading about improv. In fact sometimes it feels like improv these days lives on facebook rather that on a stage. 

For a while I've even been turning up to teach workshops in a bad mood, which is an impro sin for which I should be locked in a room that is slowly filling up with custard. 

It's not a very serious endeavour, it's just for fun. 

However this week has been a turning point and I'm now in a really good mood about impro, and everything. 

Music Box were back rehearsing together this week with some really exciting new cast members. This cheered me up no end. We had a piano, drums, an accordian, bassist, guitar and more. Many thanks to Maria for being an impro ray of light. Also getting to play with Andrew Gentilli again on a regular basis is going to be highly amusing.

Then on Thursday I ran on workshop with one objective - for everyone to have as much fun as possible. Watching Edgar and Rhys together doing a really stoopid pair of characters was the funniest thing ever.

When you're just having fun and playing with it most of the stuff happens naturally. I can't believe I was taking it seriously at all. It's like watching a dog 'trying' to be a dog - just be a dog dammit! So new objective, having as much fun with impro as possible, wooooo!

Impro in London has gone from no improv comedy clubs to lots, and there are now shows almost every day of the week. That's awesome. Impro in the UK is about to go into mega drive. Like that bit in Spaceballs with Rik Moranis.  

So the new Hoopla rules of impro:

Be in a good mood

Have fun

Play

Don't take it too seriously 

I'm also about to go on a full-time clown course with Mick Barnfather for two weeks, so that should help things along. 

Fun times!

Hoopla

www.HooplaImpro.com