Dear Reader,
When was the last time that you thought of taking up an activity just for fun? Let me confess that it's been sometime that I gave it a serious thought.
I was presented with an opportunity, a week ago, by a stranger. Yes, a "stranger" who met me for official work on a Thursday and asked me "Why don't you try some theater?". I was as surprised as you are (considering that you are stunned now) with that question and before I could say anything at all, he said, "there's a workshop on comedy this Saturday, would you like to join?".
The next thing I know, I am at the Workshop with a bunch of strangers and all of them extremely creative. The 2-day workshop was called Improvisation on Comedy and was facilitated by Adam Dow. Although the initial intention of me taking up this activity was to only have fun, I ended up learning a lot by the end of the 2 day program, some that could be used in behavioral training (just in case you didn't know, I am into Learning & Development).
You're onstage without a script, relying on your mind and wits to come up with lines and actions that advance the game (I'd rather call it a "plot") further. You have no choice but to trust your fellow-players and they are in the same boat as you. That is Improv. Sounds difficult? Let me tell you it is *super-duper* difficult. And to top it up, I was a rookie at it, doing this or anything close to this for the first ever time in my life.
From my experience, two things seem to be very crucial for creating humor - timing and change. Both of these components bring in a surprise element to the audience and that's what keeps them interested. And trust me, neither of these are easy!! Also, without team-work and contribution, the act is going to fail miserably. Each person in the act will need to work with the group while contributing "detail" to the scene. Adam calls it CROW - Character, Relationship, Objective, Where.
So, yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed myself at this workshop and will keep my contacts with some of the creative souls. So come back here sometime during the next week and I will have a few more updates / news for you.
When was the last time that you thought of taking up an activity just for fun? Let me confess that it's been sometime that I gave it a serious thought.
I was presented with an opportunity, a week ago, by a stranger. Yes, a "stranger" who met me for official work on a Thursday and asked me "Why don't you try some theater?". I was as surprised as you are (considering that you are stunned now) with that question and before I could say anything at all, he said, "there's a workshop on comedy this Saturday, would you like to join?".
The next thing I know, I am at the Workshop with a bunch of strangers and all of them extremely creative. The 2-day workshop was called Improvisation on Comedy and was facilitated by Adam Dow. Although the initial intention of me taking up this activity was to only have fun, I ended up learning a lot by the end of the 2 day program, some that could be used in behavioral training (just in case you didn't know, I am into Learning & Development).
You're onstage without a script, relying on your mind and wits to come up with lines and actions that advance the game (I'd rather call it a "plot") further. You have no choice but to trust your fellow-players and they are in the same boat as you. That is Improv. Sounds difficult? Let me tell you it is *super-duper* difficult. And to top it up, I was a rookie at it, doing this or anything close to this for the first ever time in my life.
From my experience, two things seem to be very crucial for creating humor - timing and change. Both of these components bring in a surprise element to the audience and that's what keeps them interested. And trust me, neither of these are easy!! Also, without team-work and contribution, the act is going to fail miserably. Each person in the act will need to work with the group while contributing "detail" to the scene. Adam calls it CROW - Character, Relationship, Objective, Where.
So, yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed myself at this workshop and will keep my contacts with some of the creative souls. So come back here sometime during the next week and I will have a few more updates / news for you.
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