WEBVTT 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:03.759 Hello everybody and welcome back to the SoCap 00:00:03.759 --> 00:00:07.700 Improv Comedy Podcast. My name is Ralph McLeod. 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:10.599 I am the owner and artistic director of the SoCap 00:00:10.599 --> 00:00:13.880 Improv Comedy Theatre at 154 Danforth Avenue 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:18.839 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. My URL is socap 00:00:18.839 --> 00:00:23.260 .ca. That's S -O -C -A -P dot C -A. We do improv 00:00:23.260 --> 00:00:27.039 classes, shows. We have two stages you can rent 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:30.800 and put on your own show. We do private events, 00:00:30.980 --> 00:00:35.000 corporate events, my goodness, all kinds of stuff. 00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:39.359 And this podcast, while it is geared somewhat 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:46.320 to improv for performance because, well, it's 00:00:46.320 --> 00:00:49.420 part of what I teach, but it is also largely 00:00:49.420 --> 00:00:52.700 for people who are not interested in performing, 00:00:52.859 --> 00:00:58.759 but more interested in what improv. Provides 00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:00.939 for people who do not want to be the next TFA 00:01:00.939 --> 00:01:04.060 who do not want to get on stage necessarily and 00:01:04.060 --> 00:01:07.099 perform in my experience a lot of people who 00:01:07.099 --> 00:01:10.560 Start out saying they do not want to get on stage 00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:13.319 actually do get on stage in some of our student 00:01:13.319 --> 00:01:16.760 shows and You know cross that thing off the old 00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:21.439 bucket list Because it is You know by and large 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:23.939 doing something doing things that are tough and 00:01:23.939 --> 00:01:27.640 uncomfortable uh build resilience anti -fragility 00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:31.560 and so for that reason you know if you're not 00:01:31.560 --> 00:01:34.760 if your intention is not to become a professional 00:01:34.760 --> 00:01:37.260 comedian i still think you know having a goal 00:01:37.260 --> 00:01:40.760 of working towards and getting on stage is uh 00:01:40.760 --> 00:01:44.760 worthwhile for uh personal growth you know again 00:01:44.760 --> 00:01:48.060 resilience anti -fragility doing things that 00:01:48.060 --> 00:01:51.700 are tough because once you do them you go huh 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:55.530 i did that You know, one of the things I spend 00:01:55.530 --> 00:01:57.709 a lot of time thinking about, there's this old 00:01:57.709 --> 00:02:00.310 joke about a guy who's walking down the street 00:02:00.310 --> 00:02:03.409 and he comes upon a person who's banging their 00:02:03.409 --> 00:02:06.409 head against the post. And he says to the guy, 00:02:06.450 --> 00:02:08.590 like, whoa, whoa, whoa, why are you doing that? 00:02:08.629 --> 00:02:10.090 Why are you banging your head against the post? 00:02:10.229 --> 00:02:11.969 And the guy says, because it feels so good when 00:02:11.969 --> 00:02:16.370 I stomp. And I love that joke. But I think about 00:02:16.370 --> 00:02:18.090 it now in a very different way. I think, like, 00:02:18.110 --> 00:02:21.729 it's true. I like to do tough things, which I've 00:02:21.729 --> 00:02:24.830 said probably many times on this podcast, because 00:02:24.830 --> 00:02:26.990 it does feel good when you stop. You're like, 00:02:27.050 --> 00:02:32.069 oh, I did that. Oh, boy, it was hard. It fulfilled 00:02:32.069 --> 00:02:39.349 me with anxiety or fear or it was hard or I hated 00:02:39.349 --> 00:02:44.050 it. But, boy, I'm glad I did it. the way people 00:02:44.050 --> 00:02:46.569 train for and do tough things like triathlons 00:02:46.569 --> 00:02:49.069 or marathons or even just going to the gym or 00:02:49.069 --> 00:02:51.770 talking to strangers you know things that are 00:02:51.770 --> 00:02:55.289 tough and you do them and you go okay well my 00:02:55.289 --> 00:02:57.169 fear of that thing was way worse than the thing 00:02:57.169 --> 00:03:05.289 itself often in my experience um yeah so uh every 00:03:05.289 --> 00:03:11.039 podcast has a sponsor uh And today's podcast 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:14.960 is sponsored by Wexler's Beef. Wexler's Beef, 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:18.580 your mouth is in our hands. Wexler's Beef for 00:03:18.580 --> 00:03:21.960 all your beef -related needs. So check them out 00:03:21.960 --> 00:03:25.240 on wexlersbeef .ca. That's a totally made -up 00:03:25.240 --> 00:03:27.259 thing, so don't look it up. Let me look it up, 00:03:27.259 --> 00:03:29.759 see what happens. Maybe it is something. I doubt 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:33.139 it. Now I'm going to have to check. Okay, so 00:03:33.139 --> 00:03:36.080 today I wanted to take kind of a deeper dive 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:41.379 into... Very, in my opinion, misunderstood idea, 00:03:41.539 --> 00:03:48.379 misunderstood concept. And so I want to have 00:03:48.379 --> 00:03:55.199 a chat about two words, yes and. I mentioned 00:03:55.199 --> 00:03:58.259 them before in a podcast entitled The Two Most 00:03:58.259 --> 00:04:01.879 Misunderstood Concepts. And so I won't belabor 00:04:01.879 --> 00:04:05.129 that. uh too much to go over that ground again 00:04:05.129 --> 00:04:09.770 but uh because i do and i do well i mean always 00:04:09.770 --> 00:04:12.250 you know hey go back and listen to them pretty 00:04:12.250 --> 00:04:17.769 good but um just in brief what the idea is is 00:04:17.769 --> 00:04:22.730 um a lot of students come to me and they say 00:04:22.730 --> 00:04:27.089 uh so for okay for example a character a will 00:04:27.089 --> 00:04:32.129 say the character b uh hey Why don't you jump 00:04:32.129 --> 00:04:35.370 off this bridge? And character B will say, okay. 00:04:35.930 --> 00:04:37.850 And I'm like, well, why would you say that? And 00:04:37.850 --> 00:04:40.189 they say, well, I have to say yes. I have to 00:04:40.189 --> 00:04:42.870 say yes and. And I'm like, no, you don't. You 00:04:42.870 --> 00:04:46.670 don't literally have to say yes and. The character 00:04:46.670 --> 00:04:50.310 does not have to say the words yes and. But it 00:04:50.310 --> 00:04:52.810 is conveyed that way, and a lot of teachers teach 00:04:52.810 --> 00:04:56.329 that way. Now, first of all, I am not here to 00:04:56.329 --> 00:04:59.879 say that that's wrong. Right. In my opinion, 00:04:59.959 --> 00:05:03.579 I don't like it. And I'll talk about the reasons 00:05:03.579 --> 00:05:06.779 why. But I understand where that comes from. 00:05:06.860 --> 00:05:10.379 And I'm not here to say that if you teach that 00:05:10.379 --> 00:05:12.660 or if you've learned it that way, that that's 00:05:12.660 --> 00:05:17.240 necessarily wrong. I don't do it that way. But, 00:05:17.379 --> 00:05:23.620 you know, I'm not here to say that. anybody's 00:05:23.620 --> 00:05:26.800 wrong or any school of thought is better than 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:29.120 any other or nothing like it's because everybody's 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:31.100 different and we all learn different ways and 00:05:31.100 --> 00:05:35.819 that's totally cool but for me uh you know when 00:05:35.819 --> 00:05:37.720 a character says jump off this bridge you say 00:05:37.720 --> 00:05:41.220 okay i'm like well why would you say yes well 00:05:41.220 --> 00:05:44.459 because i have to say yes okay well let's talk 00:05:44.459 --> 00:05:47.180 about what this means and this is the way i describe 00:05:47.180 --> 00:05:51.439 it and explain it so on the surface the idea 00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:54.329 of yes and does not exist on the level of the 00:05:54.329 --> 00:05:57.329 character and that is the character may not have 00:05:57.329 --> 00:06:02.110 to say yes so to a suggestion or offer of why 00:06:02.110 --> 00:06:06.389 don't you jump off a bridge uh the yes part is 00:06:06.389 --> 00:06:12.110 that okay i hear what you said and i hear what 00:06:12.110 --> 00:06:14.410 your intention is which is you want me to jump 00:06:14.410 --> 00:06:17.990 off this bridge so to me saying i'm not going 00:06:17.990 --> 00:06:19.889 to jump off a bridge what's the matter with you 00:06:20.250 --> 00:06:23.589 is a complete and perfect yes and uh because 00:06:23.589 --> 00:06:25.889 you're saying yes i understand what you're asking 00:06:25.889 --> 00:06:27.870 me to do and my answer is i'm not doing that 00:06:27.870 --> 00:06:29.889 that's ridiculous what's the matter with you 00:06:29.889 --> 00:06:34.790 uh now if you just said the word no and left 00:06:34.790 --> 00:06:37.149 it there well that's we're kind of at an impasse 00:06:37.149 --> 00:06:40.170 so you do need the and part which is what is 00:06:40.170 --> 00:06:42.470 the matter with you i .e why would you suggest 00:06:42.470 --> 00:06:46.410 that and uh because to just say yes and jump 00:06:46.410 --> 00:06:49.550 off the bridge believes uh first of all it won't 00:06:49.550 --> 00:06:52.350 be funny it'll be just dark and it'll just leave 00:06:52.350 --> 00:06:54.790 in the audience or anybody listening to this 00:06:54.790 --> 00:06:57.589 the impression that well they don't know what's 00:06:57.589 --> 00:07:00.490 going on it's unrelatable therefore the characters 00:07:00.490 --> 00:07:03.790 seem crazy i put that in heavy quotation marks 00:07:03.790 --> 00:07:06.470 but they see they're acting out of the expected 00:07:06.470 --> 00:07:09.569 they're not acting in an expected way and what's 00:07:09.569 --> 00:07:13.370 expected is if someone asked you know an average 00:07:13.370 --> 00:07:16.990 person no that's not normal but an average person 00:07:16.990 --> 00:07:20.509 to jump off a bridge they would say you go to 00:07:20.509 --> 00:07:22.550 hell right they would say no i'm not doing that 00:07:22.550 --> 00:07:24.610 that's and what the hell's the matter with you 00:07:24.610 --> 00:07:26.170 why would you even ask that and that's a perfect 00:07:26.170 --> 00:07:30.529 yes and so um so that's to me what yes and means 00:07:30.529 --> 00:07:33.449 it exists in the level of actors right and this 00:07:33.449 --> 00:07:37.589 comes back to as improvisers what are we trying 00:07:37.589 --> 00:07:41.839 to do that's a question that No one really, I've 00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:45.019 never heard anyone pose that question until I 00:07:45.019 --> 00:07:47.279 started posing it. And maybe other teachers are 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:52.139 now doing it. I don't know. But I, you know, 00:07:52.139 --> 00:07:55.060 I'd never heard it in my entire existence as 00:07:55.060 --> 00:07:57.459 a student, which of course, you know, has ended 00:07:57.459 --> 00:08:01.160 like quite a while ago, well over 20 years ago. 00:08:01.660 --> 00:08:05.019 But I've never heard it mentioned in any, you 00:08:05.019 --> 00:08:07.639 know, my friends who are teachers. This is not 00:08:07.639 --> 00:08:10.759 criticism anyway. It's just like. Boy, that's 00:08:10.759 --> 00:08:12.399 an you know, like when you start thinking about 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:14.620 it like that's that's a good question. What are 00:08:14.620 --> 00:08:18.259 we doing? You know and you'll hear things like 00:08:18.259 --> 00:08:23.000 or making stuff up and that's true and I think 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:26.360 you know the the answer of what is improv has 00:08:26.360 --> 00:08:29.139 goes many layers deeper these YouTube videos 00:08:29.139 --> 00:08:34.220 where You know, there'd be like a physicist who 00:08:34.220 --> 00:08:36.539 will explain gravity on five levels of detail, 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:38.600 like to a person in kindergarten, all the way 00:08:38.600 --> 00:08:42.500 up to like a postdoc student in physics, right? 00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:44.919 And I think there's the same thing about improv. 00:08:45.080 --> 00:08:48.980 You can have many different definitions that 00:08:48.980 --> 00:08:51.559 go deeper and deeper and deeper, but also because 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:55.860 improv is not recorded. like you know on video 00:08:55.860 --> 00:09:00.279 or in a digital media the way like acting is 00:09:00.279 --> 00:09:04.100 or painting or music it doesn't exist in the 00:09:04.100 --> 00:09:05.779 public consciousness in the same way so it's 00:09:05.779 --> 00:09:10.419 very regional and there's you know if if somebody's 00:09:10.419 --> 00:09:13.980 who had no experience in improv put up a sign 00:09:13.980 --> 00:09:17.659 and said improv classes i couldn't say to them 00:09:17.659 --> 00:09:22.500 that's not improv right because there is no accepted 00:09:23.639 --> 00:09:26.019 universally accepted definition of what that 00:09:26.019 --> 00:09:28.100 is so if someone says improv is making stuff 00:09:28.100 --> 00:09:34.600 up like yep okay improv it's uh it's uh messing 00:09:34.600 --> 00:09:39.580 around yep absolutely it's play yes it's so many 00:09:39.580 --> 00:09:43.299 different things but the the definition that 00:09:43.299 --> 00:09:49.120 i like uh the sort of easier one or simpler one 00:09:49.120 --> 00:09:52.490 or one sentence one or one line one really, if 00:09:52.490 --> 00:09:54.769 you need more than one line to define something, 00:09:54.950 --> 00:09:56.809 it's probably not that good of a definition, 00:09:56.970 --> 00:10:01.230 is that we're just trying to play with other 00:10:01.230 --> 00:10:04.850 people. That's it. But that means it's not the 00:10:04.850 --> 00:10:07.090 characters playing, it's the actors that are 00:10:07.090 --> 00:10:09.110 playing. If we have a scene where I'm yelling 00:10:09.110 --> 00:10:11.470 at you, I'm doing that because it's fun, not 00:10:11.470 --> 00:10:15.110 because I have some axe to bear or not because, 00:10:15.129 --> 00:10:18.730 you know, I'm trying to fight for my character's 00:10:18.730 --> 00:10:21.639 position. No, it's like, I'm doing this because 00:10:21.639 --> 00:10:24.440 it's fun. We've agreed to play a game in which 00:10:24.440 --> 00:10:25.700 we're going to yell at each other, or I'm going 00:10:25.700 --> 00:10:27.740 to yell at you and you're going to take it. But 00:10:27.740 --> 00:10:31.519 that's fun. That's why we do it. So the yes and 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:36.159 is, so here's what I want to really talk about 00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:41.220 today. It's like, what does my scene partner 00:10:41.220 --> 00:10:43.379 want to do, or partners? What do they want to 00:10:43.379 --> 00:10:50.220 do? Oh, they want me to be the baddie. Okay, 00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:55.360 I'll be the baddie. Or they want to try to dominate. 00:10:55.799 --> 00:10:59.580 Okay, that's great. Maybe I'll try to dominate 00:10:59.580 --> 00:11:02.340 them back. Or maybe I'll be submissive and we'll 00:11:02.340 --> 00:11:06.460 play that game. But what tends to happen is people 00:11:06.460 --> 00:11:11.620 get into positions, declare positions, and then 00:11:11.620 --> 00:11:15.019 they don't want to move from that position. And 00:11:15.019 --> 00:11:17.120 so we have a lot of tension between the actors. 00:11:18.409 --> 00:11:20.830 To figure out what we're going to do and what 00:11:20.830 --> 00:11:23.649 tends to happen is a lot of no is going on. Because, 00:11:23.730 --> 00:11:25.870 no, I don't want to play that game. I don't want 00:11:25.870 --> 00:11:30.470 to play the game of I'm cheating because that 00:11:30.470 --> 00:11:33.389 would make me look bad. Even though it's not 00:11:33.389 --> 00:11:35.830 me, it's a character. But because I'm playing 00:11:35.830 --> 00:11:38.970 this character, people will associate that with 00:11:38.970 --> 00:11:45.990 me. So if a character comes home and says to 00:11:45.990 --> 00:11:49.710 their spouse, is that lipstick on your call 95 00:11:49.710 --> 00:11:52.649 maybe i don't know maybe not 95 but the majority 00:11:52.649 --> 00:11:56.509 of time improvisers will block will say no no 00:11:56.509 --> 00:12:01.049 no no or you know they'll say oh well you know 00:12:01.049 --> 00:12:05.649 what that was just uh that was just uh an accident 00:12:05.649 --> 00:12:08.669 you know but when someone says is that lipstick 00:12:08.669 --> 00:12:11.210 on your collar what do they want to play they 00:12:11.210 --> 00:12:13.389 want to play the infidelity game they want to 00:12:13.389 --> 00:12:15.570 play the human cheating game that's what they 00:12:15.570 --> 00:12:18.679 want And so for me, yes anding is give them what 00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:23.100 they want. And afterwards, like if you're playing 00:12:23.100 --> 00:12:25.299 with someone and they're constantly making you 00:12:25.299 --> 00:12:27.799 do things or endowing you to do things and you're 00:12:27.799 --> 00:12:29.919 always playing their game, then you have a conversation 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:32.320 because you also want to play your game too. 00:12:33.340 --> 00:12:37.019 So if you fire back, yes, it's lipstick on my 00:12:37.019 --> 00:12:39.000 collar. I've been having an affair. I've been 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:40.879 having this affair because you've been distant. 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:43.779 And that other person says, no, I haven't. No, 00:12:43.799 --> 00:12:46.370 wait a minute. Hold on. Now it's time to play 00:12:46.370 --> 00:12:48.789 my game, the You've Been Distant game. Okay, 00:12:48.889 --> 00:12:52.409 yes, I have been distant. I have. And then go 00:12:52.409 --> 00:12:57.929 on from there. So yes and, to me really, is let's 00:12:57.929 --> 00:13:02.370 play. And how do we play? By saying yes. So at 00:13:02.370 --> 00:13:04.470 the beginning of scenes, when we don't know anything, 00:13:04.629 --> 00:13:09.629 except maybe you can make one or a couple of 00:13:09.629 --> 00:13:13.470 small things like... an attitude about the other 00:13:13.470 --> 00:13:16.870 character or an emotion that you take on or a 00:13:16.870 --> 00:13:21.169 status you know those are good places to start 00:13:21.169 --> 00:13:24.049 and then from there you mean as an individual 00:13:24.049 --> 00:13:26.509 and then from there working with your scene partner 00:13:26.509 --> 00:13:29.529 or partners you develop your context you know 00:13:29.529 --> 00:13:31.690 the who what where if you like the lay of the 00:13:31.690 --> 00:13:35.149 land the starting conditions those are all synonymous 00:13:35.149 --> 00:13:37.250 they all mean the same thing it's letting the 00:13:37.250 --> 00:13:40.429 audience know who we're looking at uh and that's 00:13:40.429 --> 00:13:43.029 much easier to do if you look at your scene partner 00:13:43.029 --> 00:13:47.009 and develop it together uh in my opinion of course 00:13:47.009 --> 00:13:49.570 there is a school of thought of one character 00:13:49.570 --> 00:13:51.450 just comes out and blurts out who i'll wear in 00:13:51.450 --> 00:13:54.509 one line hello darling here we are walking along 00:13:54.509 --> 00:13:56.990 the chancelise on our honeymoon well now we all 00:13:56.990 --> 00:13:59.070 know what's going on but that doesn't involve 00:13:59.070 --> 00:14:02.309 anybody else and it's an invention not a discovery 00:14:02.309 --> 00:14:05.990 which is less interesting but it can be necessary 00:14:05.990 --> 00:14:09.960 so again i'm not saying don't do that or shame 00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:12.200 on anybody who teaches that way that's just not 00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:17.860 the way i teach nor the way i like um you know 00:14:17.860 --> 00:14:20.240 and nor do i think it lends itself to being playful 00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:23.399 it lends itself to being more internal and in 00:14:23.399 --> 00:14:26.720 your head and not out gazing more inward than 00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:29.600 outward and i'm more about outward and using 00:14:29.600 --> 00:14:32.460 all the tools and all the stimuli that we have 00:14:32.460 --> 00:14:36.220 in our hands and saying yes to all of that right 00:14:36.220 --> 00:14:39.080 the way you feel the way your scene partner looks, 00:14:39.220 --> 00:14:42.299 what they are doing or not doing, what they say 00:14:42.299 --> 00:14:44.340 or not saying, how they say it or how they don't 00:14:44.340 --> 00:14:47.580 say it. All of that is information that tells 00:14:47.580 --> 00:14:51.899 you what's going on. And then you discover what's 00:14:51.899 --> 00:14:55.299 happening through the power of yes anding. So 00:14:55.299 --> 00:14:58.440 in that way, even when your partner says nothing, 00:14:58.539 --> 00:15:03.440 that's an offer. Oh, cat got your tongue, huh? 00:15:03.879 --> 00:15:07.000 Yeah, makes sense. you know if i were you i'd 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:10.059 also probably be pretty hush -hush so everything 00:15:10.059 --> 00:15:12.480 becomes an offer when you yes and everything 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:18.019 um but in terms of saying yes to your scene partners 00:15:18.019 --> 00:15:20.779 it's what game do they want to play this is it 00:15:20.779 --> 00:15:23.980 lends to this tends to derail a lot of scenes 00:15:23.980 --> 00:15:27.820 for people who have experience right is i'm not 00:15:27.820 --> 00:15:29.379 willing to play the game that you want to play 00:15:29.379 --> 00:15:31.399 it because i have something in my head that i 00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:33.990 want to play And so in that way, you're not serving 00:15:33.990 --> 00:15:36.690 the relationship and the interaction. You're 00:15:36.690 --> 00:15:39.409 thinking about your own selfish needs. Now, take 00:15:39.409 --> 00:15:42.490 this offstage into the real world. It's the same 00:15:42.490 --> 00:15:46.029 thing. You know, when I meet people, I play with 00:15:46.029 --> 00:15:47.789 them. And I'll play whatever game they want to 00:15:47.789 --> 00:15:50.370 play. And I'll say yes to whatever they want 00:15:50.370 --> 00:15:53.389 to say. Because that is if I want them to like 00:15:53.389 --> 00:15:55.250 me or I want to like them or get to know them 00:15:55.250 --> 00:15:57.830 or have a good time. And having a good time is 00:15:57.830 --> 00:15:59.429 something I'm always very interested in doing. 00:15:59.950 --> 00:16:03.299 You know, I find... very seldomly that i don't 00:16:03.299 --> 00:16:05.600 enjoy talking to people one -on -one i almost 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:10.120 always enjoy it and uh often that is coming down 00:16:10.120 --> 00:16:12.559 to finding a common language you know what do 00:16:12.559 --> 00:16:15.299 we bond over what do we agree about how are we 00:16:15.299 --> 00:16:18.879 similar especially when you meet strangers when 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:22.019 you have like well there's really what why are 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:23.759 we even interacting why don't we just go our 00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:25.860 separate ways and often you do or often you have 00:16:25.860 --> 00:16:27.879 a brief interaction you go your separate way 00:16:27.879 --> 00:16:30.970 but if you treat everybody like that how are 00:16:30.970 --> 00:16:32.830 you ever going to make a new friend or a new 00:16:32.830 --> 00:16:36.009 partner or a new acquaintance right so i'm always 00:16:36.009 --> 00:16:40.250 got my head up and uh talking to people and i 00:16:40.250 --> 00:16:42.909 say yes to whatever they want to talk about and 00:16:42.909 --> 00:16:45.909 you know i tend to be more agreeable you know 00:16:45.909 --> 00:16:47.830 unless they say something horrendous which does 00:16:47.830 --> 00:16:52.289 happen but not very often and when they do say 00:16:52.289 --> 00:16:54.309 things i disagree with i'm much more interested 00:16:54.309 --> 00:16:57.830 in finding out why you know this is this is a 00:16:57.830 --> 00:17:03.019 bit of a a segue but you know this idea of debate 00:17:03.019 --> 00:17:05.599 now is all about trying to convince other people 00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:08.819 that we're right and i don't i don't see debate 00:17:08.819 --> 00:17:11.079 that way at all to me debate is more about learning 00:17:11.079 --> 00:17:13.279 why other people have different opinions than 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:16.240 i do and figuring out why what's going on and 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:17.759 not just assuming that they're garbage people 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:22.180 because we disagree anyway so yes and is the 00:17:22.180 --> 00:17:24.720 foundational principle or a foundational principle 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:27.789 of improvisation Because what it allows us to 00:17:27.789 --> 00:17:31.130 do is when we really do it is play with other 00:17:31.130 --> 00:17:35.630 performers, other human beings in a non -judgmental 00:17:35.630 --> 00:17:39.930 way. We are going to come together, create a 00:17:39.930 --> 00:17:43.549 game, create the rules of that game, and play 00:17:43.549 --> 00:17:48.329 it all in real time. And that sounds daunting, 00:17:48.470 --> 00:17:51.910 but it's a discovery process that we experience 00:17:51.910 --> 00:17:56.009 together. And that... to me is what yes and is 00:17:56.009 --> 00:17:59.809 all about okay that's my time for today so thanks 00:17:59.809 --> 00:18:02.109 very much for joining me on this deeper dive 00:18:02.109 --> 00:18:05.769 into what yes and is what it's all about and 00:18:05.769 --> 00:18:08.730 uh remember we're trying to play and when you 00:18:08.730 --> 00:18:11.509 can play with somebody boy oh boy what happens 00:18:11.509 --> 00:18:15.329 fear goes away where the scene is going goes 00:18:15.329 --> 00:18:20.269 away uh what's the ending gonna be How am I going 00:18:20.269 --> 00:18:22.470 to mind this thing upcoming? All of that goes 00:18:22.470 --> 00:18:25.509 away and everybody's in the moment. And if you 00:18:25.509 --> 00:18:29.250 watch scenes a lot, and I do, that always happens. 00:18:29.309 --> 00:18:32.410 When we're truly playing, everybody is involved, 00:18:32.670 --> 00:18:35.150 including anybody watching. Everybody's having 00:18:35.150 --> 00:18:42.210 a good time. There's no fear. There's no, I guess, 00:18:42.329 --> 00:18:47.230 anxiety, which is fear. Same kind of thing. There's 00:18:47.230 --> 00:18:48.890 no panic about where it's going. It's just, we're 00:18:48.890 --> 00:18:51.950 just existing and living in this moment together 00:18:51.950 --> 00:18:54.390 and playing and having a good time. And anybody 00:18:54.390 --> 00:18:56.589 watching it gets caught up in it. And it's a 00:18:56.589 --> 00:18:59.349 very magical thing. It's one of the magical things 00:18:59.349 --> 00:19:01.730 about improvisation. Anyway, thanks very much, 00:19:01.750 --> 00:19:05.390 everybody. So SoCap .ca, check us out. My name's 00:19:05.390 --> 00:19:08.849 Ralph. And yeah, please, any questions, comments, 00:19:08.950 --> 00:19:12.069 send them along to Ralph at SoCap .ca. Just put 00:19:12.069 --> 00:19:15.990 in the title, Your Dumb Podcast, and talk to 00:19:15.990 --> 00:19:20.299 me. good or bad and i've heard both so uh you 00:19:20.299 --> 00:19:23.140 know more good thankfully but you know you expect 00:19:23.140 --> 00:19:25.579 that all right thanks everybody have a good week 00:19:25.579 --> 00:19:25.960 bye