Blog
by Steve Roe,
co-founder of Hoopla Improv, courses, shows and improv club. Twitter: @HooplaImpro. Facebook: HooplaImpro.
Website: www.HooplaImpro.com. Email: hooplaimpro@gmail.com.
The things I love most about teaching and doing improv are the basics. I find there's a whole world living in the key prinicples of improv.
So today I'm going to write about Agreement and Support.
Sometimes we think we've got a concept of improv and can move on to other things - "oh yeah, Agreement and Support, that's improv 101, I did that years ago." But actually it's the basics that we should always be returning to and practicing most.
Professional swimmers and runnners spend a huge amount of their time practicing the same basic technique they did when they were beginners. Kenyan elite marathon runners often train by running very slowly around one football pitch in a group, focussing on the simplicity of their technique so that when they are in a race it comes natuarally.
So what is agreement and support in improv?
Bascially someone goes on stage and does and says something, anything. We agree with the reality they have created and support it by playing within that reality, and adding something that compliments that reality.
For instance:
Geremy: "A-ha me hearties, there be land ahoy!"
Arthur: "A-ha Captain Blackbeard, and I made ye a reservation at Ye Olde Whelk Tavern."
In this scene Arthur has agreed with the reality implied by Geremy that they are pirates, on a ship, and that there is land ahoy. Arthur has supported and 'yes-anded' this reality by establishing that Geremy's character is Captain Blackbeard, and that there is a tavern called Ye Olde Whelk Tavern that he is probably quite partial to.
Arthur has got his inspiration from the line he's just been given. His emotion and character comes from the 'Ah-ha' statement. The bit about Ye Olde Whelk Tavern is him 'yes anding' the concept of land.
Within just two lines Geremy and Arthur have worked together to create a cool reality, and there's already a lot to play with: the relationship between the two characters, seeing Ye Olde Whelk Tavern, how the pirates behave when they first reach land, what else they fancy doing on land, Captain Blackbeard's love of drink, Arthur's character's hopes and dreams, the other crew, what's on the ship, the sea, the rowing boat that gets them there.
All of these things would be fun things to explore and play with, all suggested by the first two lines when we agree and support each other.
Some examples of not agreeing and supporting
Here's some alternate responses, that often might happen in shows when improvisers are feeling nervous, frightend, or under too much pressure to be immediately clever or funny:
Geremy: "A-ha me hearties, there be land ahoy!"
Arthur: "Why are you pretending to be a pirate?"
This kind of shatters the reality presented by Geremy, done for a quick (and probably not very big) laugh or to protect ourselves from the unknown. In this case the offer has not been agreed with or supported.
Here's another example:
Geremy: "A-ha me hearties, there be land ahoy!"
Arthur: "Yes"
In this case the offer has been agreed with, but only just, and probably not with any enthusiasm. Geremy can still probably work with this if he plays the relationship and emotional offer of the scene, picking up that Arthur's character doesn't seem very enthusiastic about land.
But agreement isn't a binary 1 or 0, instead think in terms of scales of agreement
For ages I usued to think of agreement as a binary 1 or 0 thing. Either an offer had been agreed with and supported, or it hadn't. But there is a much bigger world to it than that.
It's not just if the actors agree and support each other, but how much they agree and support each other.
For instance imagine the difference between these two scenes:
Geremy: "A-ha me hearties, there be land ahoy!"
Arthur (not in character, no change of voice, no emotion): "A-ha Captain Blackbeard, and I made ye a reservation at Ye Olde Whelk Tavern."
Supporting cast stand off stage frozen to the walls, waiting for on stage cast to do something funny and make something happen.
Geremy: "Great".
Geremy: "A-ha me hearties, there be land ahoy!"
Arthur (pirate voice, full of emotion): "A-ha Captain Blackbeard, and I made ye a reservation at Ye Olde Whelk Tavern."
Supporting cast come in rowing a long boat. Arthur and Geremy climb in and row towards shore. Other supporting cast make seagull and wave noises, without stealing focus.
They walk into Ye Olde Whelk Tavern, where supporting cast who were originally playing oarsman have now set up tables and chairs and playing rowdy drunk locals.
Both scenes have exactly the same words spoken. Both scenes are officially in realms of agreed, supported, not-blocked. But the second scene has full agreement and support, this will really take off and that energy will channel through the whole show.
The first scene the cast might analyse for ages what happened, and make all manner of justifications (don't talk about stuff off stage, should have played the relationship etc etc) but actually it's just as simple as they could have agreed and supported each other more.
Agreement and support isn't an intellectual thing, it's the spirit and beating heart of improv.
Agreement and support isn't a binary thing, it's a scale. Don't just ask did you agree and support, but how much did you agree and support.
The best example I've seen of all this in shows is the group Baby Wants Candy. They agree and support the hell out of everything on stage, it's really fun to watch. They are super experienced and professional, and their shows retain the liveliness of improv because they let themselves make mistakes and rather than judge each other they agree and support each other and jump into it.
Agreement and support should feel like an enthusiastic jumping off a cliff into the ocean, rather than a robotic yes or no.
Agree and Support even when you think it's gone to shit
You might think the scene or story has gone to shit, and want to stop, but actually it only goes to shit when you stop agreeing and supporting. So the problem is in our heads.
So even if you're not sure what's going on, agree and support what's actually happening, and even if it feels like the show is in a rut you'll find something.
Maria Peters (who also teaches with us) is amazing at this. If there's a show where cast are loosing faith on stage, she'll still be there running in to back people up and keeping the energy alive.
The worse idea supported is better than the best idea unsupported. In fact when an idea in improv is fully supported it can't help but look amazing, and that's our job,
to make each other's ideas and offers look amazing. Please note that
this only really applies to improv and not real life. If I said "let's
invade The Isle of Wight" in real life it's probably best not to support
that as it's a bad idea.
When we treat everything as an offer without judgement, we don't see blocks or bad offers anymore just gifts.
You don't have to know what someone is doing to support them
You don't have to wait off stage and only join in once you've got what someone's doing, you join them straight away.
Someone walks on stage, lies on stage, and starts crying. You don't have to know why they are doing this, you can just walk on, be there with them, maybe join in the crying or play a contrasting emotion, and you'll discover what the scene is as you go on.
The Science of Living Things are especially good at this, they really throw themselves into the stage to be with each other, and really thrive on the thrill of doing that.
Your character doesn't have to say 'yes' for you to agree and support
It's the reality of the situation that you the improviser are agreeing with and supporting, even if the character doesn't say yes.
For instance look at the different variations of this scene set on top of the Eifel Tower.
Geremy: "Lucille, I have taken you here, to the top of the Eifel Tower, to ask you, will you marry me?"
Lucille: "Yes!"
Geremy: "Lucille, I have taken you here, to the top of the Eifel Tower, to ask you, will you marry me?"
Lucille: "No!"
Geremy: "Lucille, I have taken you here, to the top of the Eifel Tower, to ask you, will you marry me?"
Lucille: "But we're not on top of the Eifel Tower, this is Blackpool Tower"
The first scene is agreed and supported. But actually the second scene is too. They have agreed with being on top of the Eifel Tower, and have agreed that there is a proposal happening, and have supported by yes anding with the character's rejection of the proposal.
This could make sense in the story, Geremy's character could have been a prick all the way through the story so the audience might actually cheer Lucille finally saying 'No' to him. Geremy might respond by throwing himself off the tower, or throwing her off, or crying. The point is, there is still lots of things that could happen.
The only block is the third one, as Lucille has blocked the suggested reality of the offer. Even then Geremy could treat this as a gift, and make a game out of the fact he has done a cheapened down trip to Paris in Blackpool, and explore other Blackpool versions of French things. If the rest of the cast support this too it could still be amazing.
But make positive your default
Saying all that though, it's usually best to make positive your default if there's no reason not to.
If you get given pilot, choose to know where you are going, how to fly the plane, and be happy flying it.
If you get given doctor, choose to know how to operate.
It's much easier to watch, I think sometimes people choose negative behaviour as a way to protect themselves - communicating to the audience they don't care so they aren't bothered if the scene isn't fun.
Stuart Moses in my current Performance Course is excellent at this, he takes such a positive stance at the top of the scene that he is a joy to watch and people can't wait to get on stage with him. If the audience give you 'office' as a suggestion, why not make it an office of stunt men and have fun doing it?
However you don't have to say yes to stuff you don't want to do
Geremy: "What a lovely walk in a park"
Brian: "Yes. Oh look a dog poo. Let's eat it!"
Geremy doesn't have to mindlessly say yes to this. He can agree with the reality that Brian's character has just suggested eating dog poo, but it would actually be more supportive to explore an honest reaction to this (shock), not go along with it, explore why Brian's character behaves this way.
If the other character is being offensive/sexist/disgusting towards you, you don't have to say yes to what the character is saying. Call them on it. This isn't a block. All the ways you behave in real life can happen on stage, you don't have to dumb yourself down.
It would be an unnatural reaction to just scream 'Yes' and eat a dog poo.
Character says No but improviser says yes
This is best explained by example:
Captain Harvey: "Come on Wilkins, let's go an explore this cave."
Wikins: "But sir I'm scared of the dark, please don't make me go in there" Wilkins slips and falls down slope into cave "Oh gosh sir I've slipped, I'm in the cave, I'll turn on my torch, oh my gosh there are skeletons sir!"
In this the character might be saying no but behind it the improviser is still accepting the offer of 'go into the cave'. I like it when people do this, it's one of my favourite things to watch.
Deep Yes And
This bit was inspired by reading the UCB book.
Again best described by example:
Lucille: Here's an apple.
Geremy: Thanks, it's green.
Lucille: Yes, and shiny.
Geremy: It's a Golden Delicious.
Lucille: It's got a stalk.
Lucille: Here's an apple.
Geremy: Thanks, I love Greek orchards.
Lucille: Me too my love, it's so nice to be on holiday with you.
They lean against the tree trunk.
Geremy: London feels like a million miles away. I love you so much.
Both scenes are agreeing, supporting and yes-anding, but the first scene stays superficial while the second scene uses what I call a more deeper yes-and.
We use yes-and to build deep, rich, vibrant characters and worlds.
Yes-And is a widely used improv term but sometimes people accidentally treat it as 'Yes, And here's something else disconnected', whereas actually it's better to think of it as agreeing, supporting and exploring each other's offers, 'Yes And here's more about this world, characters, and relationship we now inhabit.'
Blog
by Steve Roe,
co-founder of Hoopla Improv, courses, shows and improv club. Twitter: @HooplaImpro. Facebook: HooplaImpro.
Website: www.HooplaImpro.com. Email: hooplaimpro@gmail.com.
Saturday, 10 January 2015
Tuesday, 30 December 2014
Hoopla's Improv Memories of 2014
2014 was a busy year for improv in London. There seems to be more improv shows, more improv nights, more improvisers, more audience. Improv in London is growing and growing and growing.
It felt like that 2014 was the year that improv in London got its own identity. For years we were a bit confused. Chicago seemed to be all about long-form, New York a faster more commedic long-form, IO relationships, UCB game of scene, etc. It often seemed that North American improv knew what it was but we weren't sure.
But in 2014 it felt like the improv scene in London decided we could actually be everything and anything. We have space for short-form, long-form, narrative, musical improv, solo improv, clowning, serious improv. London is perfectly placed with great links to Chicago, LA, New York, Austin and Toronto, and also to Europe and the great theatre tradition of the UK.
London this year has really become a melting pot of all types of improv, open to all schools of thought and all improvisers. Because there isn't one over-riding school of thought performing here has become very open, very experimental, and vibrant.
There's also been a great increase in the number of improv nights. We've been running shows almost every night of the week at The Miller in London Bridge, and there have also been new regular nights opening up like Duck Duck Goose and C3Something.
In no particular order here are some of my favourite memories of improv in 2014:
It felt like that 2014 was the year that improv in London got its own identity. For years we were a bit confused. Chicago seemed to be all about long-form, New York a faster more commedic long-form, IO relationships, UCB game of scene, etc. It often seemed that North American improv knew what it was but we weren't sure.
But in 2014 it felt like the improv scene in London decided we could actually be everything and anything. We have space for short-form, long-form, narrative, musical improv, solo improv, clowning, serious improv. London is perfectly placed with great links to Chicago, LA, New York, Austin and Toronto, and also to Europe and the great theatre tradition of the UK.
London this year has really become a melting pot of all types of improv, open to all schools of thought and all improvisers. Because there isn't one over-riding school of thought performing here has become very open, very experimental, and vibrant.
There's also been a great increase in the number of improv nights. We've been running shows almost every night of the week at The Miller in London Bridge, and there have also been new regular nights opening up like Duck Duck Goose and C3Something.
In no particular order here are some of my favourite memories of improv in 2014:
- The sheer bonkers fun of Lewis Harrison-Barker's Improvision the Improvised Eurovision Song Contest. It feels like he's re-found the glory days of alternative comedy cabaret from the 1980s (an inspiration for me).
- Michael Brunström's The Human Loire, it's been great seeing a friend get nationwide press for something so fun, so silly, and so him.
- Guesting in Glitch the improvised puppet show, this was a tonne of fun and also the most difficult improv I've ever done. Improvising the voice of one puppet while moving the feet of another and then improvising a song!
- Improvising a song for my 5 year old niece at Christmas called 'wear your hat on your feet' and her inventing the next lines 'wear your scarf on your head', 'put a cherry on your car', 'put some cream on your house'. Game of the scene seems pretty natural to five year olds!
- Appearing on stage with my lovely wife, both inside the same costume.
- Busting out an improvised panto.
- The sheer bonkers chaos of Goblins the improvised mask show.
- A beginners course ending with all of us dancing in the workshop studio for an hour afterwards in the summer sun, it felt tribal man!
- Late night improv jams, especially ones with drums and Jake getting fired to the moon on a piano.
- Having a diverse range of people performing at our nights and working together.
- Seeing new nights start up and be so loved by the improv scene, like Duck Duck Goose, C3Something, Shoot from the Hip and more. They have done loads for the improv scene and London is the better because of it.
- Mike taking the best wedding photo every using his phone.
- Lots of great guest teachers at The Nursery.
- People that inspired me to get into all this actually appearing at our venue! Like Paul Merton, Mike McShane and Kevin McDonald from Kids in the Hall. Colin Mocherie if you're reading this you are welcome any time!
- Having a massive improv summer picnic in Hyde Park.
- Watching new groups like The Pina Colliders come out of our Launch Pad nights.
- Watching so many people get into improv for the first time, start improvising more, perform for the first time. Always amazingly brave, always amazing to watch.
- Lots of new shows forming, this is so exciting for me. I love how many opportunities there are to perform in London now and seeing new shows is great fun.
- Having new teachers working with us like Maria, Max, Chris, Katy and more, it's great being able to spread improv and work as a team.
Tuesday, 23 December 2014
Don't Quit. Advice from the late great Joan Rivers in the sitcom Louie.
I've often felt like quitting performing improv, but every time I feel like that something happens to get me back into it, and sometimes the inspiration can come from unexpected places.
Most recently it was from watching the Louie CK sitcom Louie, which is the best thing I've seen all year. At places it feels like the show is talking directly to me, it's really funny, and also features a surprising amount of advice and guidance for up and coming performers.
The scene below in particular I found helpful.
In this scene Louie has just done a shitty comedy gig in the smaller Lounge Room at a casino, and ended up quitting his job there. He bumps into Joan Rivers after the show, who is also performing at the casino but in the bigger theatre space, and here's what happens:
[clink of glasses]
Joan: To comedy
Louie: Thank you very much
Joan: So, you're in the lounge?
Louie: Well, I was
Joan: You were fired?
Louie: I quit
Joan: What do you mean you quit? Nobody quits
Louie: I quit
Joan: Are you crazy? Are you a trust fund baby that you quit?
Louie: No, it's just they got upset because I was saying stuff about the casino, I was making fun of Trump.
Joan: You're in a Trump hotel. You don't fun of the owner of the hotel, are you crazy? He's not going to hire a comedian that's going to say fuck Donald Trump.
Louie: I know but I just I
Joan: You know, this is not an easy business. You want to try my life sometimes? I work at Arizona, how about that? And Indian casinos, you think that's easy? You tell a joke they don't like, instead of a tomato they throw a tomahawk. What do you expect? I mean, you've got a job, how lucky are you for goodness sakes?
Louie: Yeah but come on, you're in the nice theatre here. They've got me in the shitty lounge.
Joan: I was in the shitty lounge sweety puss, two years ago. For all I know I'll be back in the shitty lougne two years from now, and you'll be in the main room. Things change, that's the business. Look at the perks you are getting, you've got a job, you've got a card for the free food in the employee cafeteria. I mean stop bitching and go buy a pocket that's lined with plastic and throw food in when nobody's looking.
Louie: Yeah great.
Joan: You know what's wrong with you guys? You don't know when you're lucky. Appreciate where you are for god's sakes. It goes up it goes down. I thought I had the lock on old. And then guess what? Back from the dead, Betty White. Dusted off her old dumb tits and trotted them out. It could happen to you. You think you're doing so well and then Dane, what's his name, Dane Cook guy that asshole, he could come out and take your job from you. Know when you're lucky.
Louie: Yeah I know. Yeah I know all that. It's just sometimes I get sick of the bullshit.
Joan: Sick of the bullshit?? What is your problem? I am a million years old, do you know that? Do you know what I've been through? I've been in this business for a million and two years, and I'm a woman. It's not easy. Do you know how many blowjobs I had to give to get where I am now? Come one, give me a number, give me a number? How many blowjobs did it take for Joan Rivers to end up in a suite with lots of flowers?
Louie: I don't want to guess that.
Joan: Come on guess, come on. To go from clubs to Carson from Carson to Fox and my own show on daytime and an Emmy and then the red carpet, come give me a number.
Louie: I don't want to guess.
Joan: Guess guess come on, give me a number. I want to hear your number.
Louie: 40?
Joan: Excuse me?
Louie: Around 40.
Joan: What the fuck? How dare you! [she hits and slaps him]
Louie: I'm sorry
Joan: I haven't given any, none! None!
Louie: I'm sorry
Joan: I don't do blowjobs. Smell my breath. I don't do blowjobs!
Louie: I'm sorry.
Joan: That's not what gets you places in this business for god's sakes. God.
Louie: I thought you were saying it was a lot, I'm sorry.
Joan: Don't talk to me anymore.
Louie: I'm sorry.
Joan: Listen, I'm a mother, are you a mother?
Louie: No, I'm not a mother.
Joan: Yeah well I thought you were, the way you whine like an old bitch with fat twins, that's what you whine like. And you listen to me, I have done it all. I have done it all. And the only thing I've learnt, the only thing I've learnt is, you don't quit. You don't quit. You have a job for god's sakes, you don't quit a job.
Louie: You're right.
Joan: Of course I'm right. Listen, you'll be fine. You'll be absolutly fine. Tomorrow morning you go down stairs, and you go tell Sam, it is still Sam right?
Louie: I don't know, I don't remember his name.
Joan: What do you mean you don't remember his name? You work for the guy, you've got to know the guy's name. How can you work with someone and not know their name? You think you only meet these people once? You've got to learn their names for god's sake. You learn their names on the way up, so when you need their help on the way down you have their name.
Louie: His name is Sam, I think his name is Sam.
Joan: His name is Sam, and he is a person. Tomorrow morning you go down there and you say 'Sam, I'm sorry, I was wrong' that's important 'I want my job back'
Louie: Ok, alright
Joan: Listen, I wish I could tell you it gets better, but, it doesn't get better, you get better. You think it's been easy? I've been up I've been down I've been bankrupt I've been broke. But you do it. You do it because....we love it more than anything else. That's why you're doing it. If you want a real job honey, there are a million things you can do, but what we do is not a job. It sounds so stupid, what we do....is a calling, my dear. We make people happy. It's a calling.
Books to read if you feel like quitting
I also find the following books really helpful:
The War of Art
The Artist's Way
Helpful Quotes
"The only way to avoid criticism is to say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." Aristotle
"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." Theodore Roosevelt
“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” Earl Nightingale
"You can fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love." Jim Carey (full video at http://youtu.be/V80-gPkpH6M)
"You are either going to do something, or you're not. Decide what one it's going to be and commit, but don't fuck about in the middle." My Dad!
Experiment. Play. Allow yourself to get it wrong, but keep playing.
Getting it wrong in front of an audience can feel painful, but it's part of the learning. Don't quit, learn from it, keep playing, keep playful. If you're going to have to get it wrong 1000 times before you've finally got it, start getting it wrong now!
"Accelerate your rate of failure" - Keith Johnstone.
Don't wait for permission
Don't wait for evidence that you're on the right track
Don't wait for approval
Don't wait for encouragement
Don't wait for the right time
Do it now
Why people might not give encouragement
Sometimes all we need is someone to say "go for it"! But we have to be able to take action without needing that.
Why don't people give encouragement? Because by giving encouragement they also feel responsibility for you. They care about you, so want to keep you safe.
So learn that the only person who can take responsibility for you is you. The person who can really say "go for it" to you, is you. Whatever you feel like doing next year, do it.
The subtle ways people quit in improv
These are things I've said or done myself over the years and have also seen regularly. Having awareness is helpful!
"I want to perform but I don't want to do all the admin". For me this is similar to saying "I want to get into swimming but I don't want to walk to the swimming pool, and I find the changing rooms a bit chilly". The best performers I know, who also earn a living from performing, aren't in a magical place where they don't do any admin, they do even more of it. But they've learnt to do it more efficiently, and they work, hard.
The slow dissolve. This is pretty common, a group is going really well and then it just kind of finishes, without anyone making the decision that it is finished, and before you know it 2 years have gone by. Be fiercer and more honest with yourself, and ask what are you actually doing each week? Keep on top of what you're doing, and don't let fun things die. And read War of Art, it's good for this.
Dropping the ball. The moment when just as someone has finally 'cracked it' and is stood on the doorway of success they suddenly stop. Their mind will swamp them with loads of reasons, but actually it's that the glimmer of success (which also suggests change) scares them and they jeopardise themselves and give up just when they were about to make something amazing. The good news is that if this happens to you, you can pick the ball up again even if it's years later.
Dropping the ball happened to me with solo performing. I did it a couple of years ago, mixing improv, stand up and characters and loved it so much, received such a loud signal in my head that screamed 'YOU SHOULD DO THIS' that I got totally scared and did nothing for two years! I'm only just coming out of my shell with this now, and about to pick up the ball again.
Best of luck everyone!
So don't quit! I don't even know who is reading this, but don't quit! Whatever creative endeavour you're thinking of doing next year, go for it. It might be hard work, it will be hard work, but it's worth it.
Do something beautiful that wouldn't exist if you weren't there.
Most recently it was from watching the Louie CK sitcom Louie, which is the best thing I've seen all year. At places it feels like the show is talking directly to me, it's really funny, and also features a surprising amount of advice and guidance for up and coming performers.
The scene below in particular I found helpful.
In this scene Louie has just done a shitty comedy gig in the smaller Lounge Room at a casino, and ended up quitting his job there. He bumps into Joan Rivers after the show, who is also performing at the casino but in the bigger theatre space, and here's what happens:
[clink of glasses]
Joan: To comedy
Louie: Thank you very much
Joan: So, you're in the lounge?
Louie: Well, I was
Joan: You were fired?
Louie: I quit
Joan: What do you mean you quit? Nobody quits
Louie: I quit
Joan: Are you crazy? Are you a trust fund baby that you quit?
Louie: No, it's just they got upset because I was saying stuff about the casino, I was making fun of Trump.
Joan: You're in a Trump hotel. You don't fun of the owner of the hotel, are you crazy? He's not going to hire a comedian that's going to say fuck Donald Trump.
Louie: I know but I just I
Joan: You know, this is not an easy business. You want to try my life sometimes? I work at Arizona, how about that? And Indian casinos, you think that's easy? You tell a joke they don't like, instead of a tomato they throw a tomahawk. What do you expect? I mean, you've got a job, how lucky are you for goodness sakes?
Louie: Yeah but come on, you're in the nice theatre here. They've got me in the shitty lounge.
Joan: I was in the shitty lounge sweety puss, two years ago. For all I know I'll be back in the shitty lougne two years from now, and you'll be in the main room. Things change, that's the business. Look at the perks you are getting, you've got a job, you've got a card for the free food in the employee cafeteria. I mean stop bitching and go buy a pocket that's lined with plastic and throw food in when nobody's looking.
Louie: Yeah great.
Joan: You know what's wrong with you guys? You don't know when you're lucky. Appreciate where you are for god's sakes. It goes up it goes down. I thought I had the lock on old. And then guess what? Back from the dead, Betty White. Dusted off her old dumb tits and trotted them out. It could happen to you. You think you're doing so well and then Dane, what's his name, Dane Cook guy that asshole, he could come out and take your job from you. Know when you're lucky.
Louie: Yeah I know. Yeah I know all that. It's just sometimes I get sick of the bullshit.
Joan: Sick of the bullshit?? What is your problem? I am a million years old, do you know that? Do you know what I've been through? I've been in this business for a million and two years, and I'm a woman. It's not easy. Do you know how many blowjobs I had to give to get where I am now? Come one, give me a number, give me a number? How many blowjobs did it take for Joan Rivers to end up in a suite with lots of flowers?
Louie: I don't want to guess that.
Joan: Come on guess, come on. To go from clubs to Carson from Carson to Fox and my own show on daytime and an Emmy and then the red carpet, come give me a number.
Louie: I don't want to guess.
Joan: Guess guess come on, give me a number. I want to hear your number.
Louie: 40?
Joan: Excuse me?
Louie: Around 40.
Joan: What the fuck? How dare you! [she hits and slaps him]
Louie: I'm sorry
Joan: I haven't given any, none! None!
Louie: I'm sorry
Joan: I don't do blowjobs. Smell my breath. I don't do blowjobs!
Louie: I'm sorry.
Joan: That's not what gets you places in this business for god's sakes. God.
Louie: I thought you were saying it was a lot, I'm sorry.
Joan: Don't talk to me anymore.
Louie: I'm sorry.
Joan: Listen, I'm a mother, are you a mother?
Louie: No, I'm not a mother.
Joan: Yeah well I thought you were, the way you whine like an old bitch with fat twins, that's what you whine like. And you listen to me, I have done it all. I have done it all. And the only thing I've learnt, the only thing I've learnt is, you don't quit. You don't quit. You have a job for god's sakes, you don't quit a job.
Louie: You're right.
Joan: Of course I'm right. Listen, you'll be fine. You'll be absolutly fine. Tomorrow morning you go down stairs, and you go tell Sam, it is still Sam right?
Louie: I don't know, I don't remember his name.
Joan: What do you mean you don't remember his name? You work for the guy, you've got to know the guy's name. How can you work with someone and not know their name? You think you only meet these people once? You've got to learn their names for god's sake. You learn their names on the way up, so when you need their help on the way down you have their name.
Louie: His name is Sam, I think his name is Sam.
Joan: His name is Sam, and he is a person. Tomorrow morning you go down there and you say 'Sam, I'm sorry, I was wrong' that's important 'I want my job back'
Louie: Ok, alright
Joan: Listen, I wish I could tell you it gets better, but, it doesn't get better, you get better. You think it's been easy? I've been up I've been down I've been bankrupt I've been broke. But you do it. You do it because....we love it more than anything else. That's why you're doing it. If you want a real job honey, there are a million things you can do, but what we do is not a job. It sounds so stupid, what we do....is a calling, my dear. We make people happy. It's a calling.
Books to read if you feel like quitting
I also find the following books really helpful:
The War of Art
The Artist's Way
Helpful Quotes
"The only way to avoid criticism is to say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." Aristotle
"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." Theodore Roosevelt
“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” Earl Nightingale
"You can fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love." Jim Carey (full video at http://youtu.be/V80-gPkpH6M)
"You are either going to do something, or you're not. Decide what one it's going to be and commit, but don't fuck about in the middle." My Dad!
Experiment. Play. Allow yourself to get it wrong, but keep playing.
Getting it wrong in front of an audience can feel painful, but it's part of the learning. Don't quit, learn from it, keep playing, keep playful. If you're going to have to get it wrong 1000 times before you've finally got it, start getting it wrong now!
"Accelerate your rate of failure" - Keith Johnstone.
Don't wait for permission
Don't wait for evidence that you're on the right track
Don't wait for approval
Don't wait for encouragement
Don't wait for the right time
Do it now
Why people might not give encouragement
Sometimes all we need is someone to say "go for it"! But we have to be able to take action without needing that.
Why don't people give encouragement? Because by giving encouragement they also feel responsibility for you. They care about you, so want to keep you safe.
So learn that the only person who can take responsibility for you is you. The person who can really say "go for it" to you, is you. Whatever you feel like doing next year, do it.
The subtle ways people quit in improv
These are things I've said or done myself over the years and have also seen regularly. Having awareness is helpful!
"I want to perform but I don't want to do all the admin". For me this is similar to saying "I want to get into swimming but I don't want to walk to the swimming pool, and I find the changing rooms a bit chilly". The best performers I know, who also earn a living from performing, aren't in a magical place where they don't do any admin, they do even more of it. But they've learnt to do it more efficiently, and they work, hard.
The slow dissolve. This is pretty common, a group is going really well and then it just kind of finishes, without anyone making the decision that it is finished, and before you know it 2 years have gone by. Be fiercer and more honest with yourself, and ask what are you actually doing each week? Keep on top of what you're doing, and don't let fun things die. And read War of Art, it's good for this.
Dropping the ball. The moment when just as someone has finally 'cracked it' and is stood on the doorway of success they suddenly stop. Their mind will swamp them with loads of reasons, but actually it's that the glimmer of success (which also suggests change) scares them and they jeopardise themselves and give up just when they were about to make something amazing. The good news is that if this happens to you, you can pick the ball up again even if it's years later.
Dropping the ball happened to me with solo performing. I did it a couple of years ago, mixing improv, stand up and characters and loved it so much, received such a loud signal in my head that screamed 'YOU SHOULD DO THIS' that I got totally scared and did nothing for two years! I'm only just coming out of my shell with this now, and about to pick up the ball again.
Best of luck everyone!
So don't quit! I don't even know who is reading this, but don't quit! Whatever creative endeavour you're thinking of doing next year, go for it. It might be hard work, it will be hard work, but it's worth it.
Do something beautiful that wouldn't exist if you weren't there.
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