Improv is nothing if not awkward

Tonight was yet another night sans Jeff. Well, kinda. Jeff H.--instead of the usual Jeff J.--was our mentor for the evening.

But it's kind of nice to get another expert's opinion on our sweet improv skills. And we definitely got to try a new (but awkward) method of warming up. To start off, we did the usual "Zig, Zag, Zog" game, which I still kick butt at. Then, Jeff had us take turns screaming. Yes, screaming. As loud as possible.

That's not even the awkward part though. Then he had us pair up, face each other, get as close together as possible without touching, and stare at each other. Yeah. Right in the eyes. Then, he told us to scream again. While still staring at each other. Not exactly a socially acceptable activity....

But, believe it or not, I guess the awkward warm-ups worked. I felt like it got me farther out of my comfort zone, which is a great thing for the purposes of improv. Although you want your scenes to be believable, there's something to be said for taking scenes a step too far, and not being afraid to be a little uncomfortable.

As we did some of the games/activities we will do in our showcase, I felt perhaps the most comfortable I have so far. Jeff urged us to react, not think. And I think my reactions, even when they weren't so funny, were more true than if I would have planned ahead. I feel like I'm more able now to put my personality into the "characters" I play. Heck, Jeff even commented on how "sassy" I can be, and if you know me at all, you definitely know that sass is something I can do well.

By the way, there's only one more Level 1 class left, then it's showcase time! More info to come soooooon!!!