Day One

I just finished my first improv class at the Skinny, and I am bubbling over with excitement! But earlier today, I was kind of freaking out (almost to the point of not even showing up! Sad, right?). When I got to the theater, I was the first student to show up, which in itself was nerve-racking.

But soon, an older man named John showed up, followed by Beth and Kasey, and then Caleb. Our instructor for today, Jeffrey (because the Jeff who would normally lead our classes is sick) led us through some improv exercises that were kind of quirky, but oh-so-fun when you let yourself just go with them.

We played a name game, where we each say our names with a movement of some sort, and then have to memorize everyone else's. We also played "Zig, Zag, Zog" which is hard to explain in words, but I was totally the champ of that one! Yay!

Most importantly, we learned the one rule of improv: "Yes, and..." Basically what that means is you have to take what the other actors say or do, and then build upon it. Kind of an abstract idea, but it works. I think we can apply "Yes, and...." to everyday life by taking in what others say and not dismissing them right off the bat. When I look at it that way, it kind of seems like life in general is just one big improvisation game....

Overall, it was really interesting to meet some new people and see how well our personalities work together. Even though it was only the first night, I felt we all had a good chemistry and I bet the next seven weeks will fly by.

More updates next week!