Workshop Day 1

Day One When I last left you I almost missed my stop. Thank god I looked up from rambling and saw my stop Holbaek St. I managed to grab my bags and gather up my computer and run off the train before the doors closed. The group of blonde teenagers weren’t too impressed with the discombobulated lady blocking their way onto the train after school. It was 1:30PM and I headed for my bus, the last leg on this never-ending journey. The bus was terribly easy to find and I asked the driver to please inform me when we reached Annenburgparken. I was impressed by how many bikes are all over Copenhagen. Everyone rides a bike and takes public transportation. We have so much to learn from them. They have awesome bikes lanes everywhere (no sidewalks) and people of all ages ride all over the place. I immediately fell asleep and prayed the bus driver would remember to tell me of my stop. He did. The directions said walk down an alley to the theatre. What they call an alley we call a beautiful entrance to a gorgeous park lined with yellow cottage style buildings and trees. The place smelled of cows or freshly placed manure. Not very pleasant, but better than exhaust. I rolled my luggage down the street for a 5-minute walk and finally arrived. Class had started 4 minutes earlier and I walked in late. There were about 30 people in the room and with no introductions (Keith was not interested in me or for that matter any of the individuals) we got right to work. I was dead tired. Walking to the theatre I almost fell face first into the grass and passed out. I had been traveling for 23 hours and the last thing I wanted to do was an improv. Keith held court on a yellow couch as the 30 or so of us gathered around with bated breath. He has, after all, been teaching improv for 50 years. The following are my notes from the days work. Keith’s philosophy on imrpov. I will try to get into more details when I have a bit more time. For now the schedule is chock full and reflecting is saved for the trip home. I will say that I agree and use as my philosophy most of these ideas.

Drama = 1 person changed by another.

The worst thing you can do in an improv is ‘find a treasure’

It’s all about change and relationships

Never forget the moment when you see the ghost

The actor’s job is to be altered, that’s why people pay to come to the theatre. To see what happens when people are altered

Civic duty is to blaspheme – make fun of peoples most cherished beliefs

Don’t stop the car going forward
Don’t fear losing
Don’t try to be the funniest

Fight for survival
Everyone wants to be the winner, everyone if afraid of failing
Risk/danger=improvisation
Don’t do your best
Enjoy your partner’s performance
Improves don’t’ have to start well, street theatre does.
TV starts sadistic to keep people from changing the channel
MC’s are unbearable
Comedians have “hands” Actors don’t (shouldn’t)
Don’t show Have secrets
Want something and do something about it
Kinetic Dance – when one person moves it affects the others
Don’t ACT When you’re busy acting there’s no kinetic dance, nothing is real
When you act you’re thinking too much about what the audience wants, you are not connected to your scene partner
Improv has value for actors.
Improvers are human, they fail in front of you, actors are robots
If you don’t try so hard it will all come easier for you
It’s the fear that kills
Make positive choices. Don’t be a negative improver 
Unfortunately, actors can’t give each other advice – they can’t talk about the work.
Good improvers are able to Don’t do your best. It puts more strain and tension into what you’re doing
Make it effortless – playing Acting=actions Players=playing
When you play it doesn’t matter if you make a mistake.
When you’re acting mistakes matter
Like others around. Be likeable Tension means danger.
You can’t object to anything a mask does
If you study other theatres to learn about the theatre your theatre will be dead.
If you study people to learn about theatre you will have something
Throw away all the rules you’re ever learned about improv – those are for beginners
You are allowed to kill an idea, just have another one.
You can ask questions; they make something happen, move the scene forward
Once you can do improv there are no rules
We want stories
The two rules of improv 1. Fill the theatre 2. Ask yourself is it worth doing
Don’t try to improve, try to know what’s happening.
The only way you learn is by making mistakes – be pleased when you fail.
Be cheerful you had the opportunity to learn.

Invest in the circle of probability – the audience is not passive
Offer something and then do it better than they expect
Think of what people want – the next step and occasionally you do something better than what was expected
Try to make your partner happy, and then you don’t have to work so hard.
A good idea is one that pleases your partner.
Offer your partner things that would give them a good time.
Negatives tend to shut the scene down.
Don’t scare your partner to try to be funny.
Great clowns are traditionally slow.
You don’t have to hurry up.
Make your partner happy
Go on a journey.
Start something. Begin. In, out, up, down, through. Go somewhere. Explore. Meet people. Knock on the door.
Don’t let your brain protect you from exploring.
Interact. Progression.
The human instinct is to shut down when failure is a possibility
The audience wants to see you get in bed with the other improvisers.
Friends become friends by teasing each other.
Acquaintances try to keep their status intact. Make friends.

After class is went to my room and then to bed. I slept for 10 hours and had very strange dreams.