WEBVTT 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:03.359 Hey everybody and welcome back to the SoCap Improv 00:00:03.359 --> 00:00:06.379 Comedy Podcast. My name is Ralph McLeod. I am 00:00:06.379 --> 00:00:09.919 the owner and artistic director of the SoCap 00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:13.919 Improv Comedy Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:18.320 We're at 154 Danforth Avenue above the Black 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:23.500 Swan Tavern in Toronto, as I mentioned before. 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:28.910 We have, uh, we run or we... provide improv classes 00:00:28.910 --> 00:00:34.350 for all levels uh and our classes are at least 00:00:34.350 --> 00:00:37.829 equally geared towards people who do not want 00:00:37.829 --> 00:00:40.770 to get on stage do not want to be comedians but 00:00:40.770 --> 00:00:44.149 who have heard that improv might help me overcome 00:00:44.149 --> 00:00:48.250 sex things is like my self -consciousness and 00:00:48.250 --> 00:00:52.450 that is undeniably true that it will help uh 00:00:52.450 --> 00:00:56.219 people some people many people Most people overcome 00:00:56.219 --> 00:01:02.079 or help to, on the journey of overcoming self 00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:06.099 -consciousness, I like to say, embrace your self 00:01:06.099 --> 00:01:08.700 -confidence while overcoming your self -consciousness. 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:11.640 Get out of your head and get into the moment. 00:01:11.939 --> 00:01:16.439 That's what I call it. And it's kind of true. 00:01:17.459 --> 00:01:21.159 Every podcast has a sponsor, and today's sponsor 00:01:21.159 --> 00:01:26.040 is, wow, this new dessert shop is taking the 00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:29.439 Toronto by storm. So if you're ever out and about 00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:33.519 looking for some delicious desserts, don't pass 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:37.439 by Custard's Last Stand. That's right, Custard's 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:45.480 Last Stand. It's a little big place. I make myself 00:01:45.480 --> 00:01:49.040 laugh. That's really all I can do since I'm sitting 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:52.239 in a studio by myself. Just make myself laugh. 00:01:53.060 --> 00:01:57.079 Yeah, so this podcast is about improvisation, 00:01:57.120 --> 00:02:03.719 improv comedy, part of it, and how to make it 00:02:03.719 --> 00:02:07.239 work better for you. What's the benefit of it, 00:02:07.260 --> 00:02:10.300 especially, or at least as equally as important, 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:13.599 if you have no desire to ever get on stage? What? 00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:19.159 is improv gonna do for me and boy oh boy it's 00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:22.159 like the ocean the further in you go the deeper 00:02:22.159 --> 00:02:25.560 it gets which is a quote about the doubt uh but 00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:28.360 there is a lot of philosophy and psychology in 00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:33.159 improv at least the way i do it and teach it 00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:36.479 and perform it and practice it and it has become 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:41.259 an integral part of my daily life in fact i live 00:02:41.259 --> 00:02:44.819 my life by the same things That I teach on stage 00:02:44.819 --> 00:02:49.099 in improv. And boy, I can't even, couldn't even 00:02:49.099 --> 00:02:52.979 begin to count or list the number of ways it's 00:02:52.979 --> 00:02:55.479 helped me. Well, I've already mentioned too, 00:02:55.580 --> 00:02:58.759 overcoming my self -consciousness. I hear this 00:02:58.759 --> 00:03:02.699 thing about imposter syndrome. And if it's what 00:03:02.699 --> 00:03:05.419 I think it is, the fact that people will catch 00:03:05.419 --> 00:03:08.120 me being a fraud in some way, then that's, I 00:03:08.120 --> 00:03:12.819 for sure had that. Because I was born in a... 00:03:13.340 --> 00:03:18.099 To say I was born in a small town would be wrong. 00:03:19.780 --> 00:03:22.979 It's like saying an ant is a small insect or 00:03:22.979 --> 00:03:27.139 is a small creature. I grew up very remotely 00:03:27.139 --> 00:03:34.599 away from people. And I mean, I had my family 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:37.639 and I had a very loving, wonderful family, although 00:03:37.639 --> 00:03:41.280 most of my siblings were. getting married and 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:43.060 moving away, not moving away, but getting married 00:03:43.060 --> 00:03:46.259 and having their own lives. Uh, so even though 00:03:46.259 --> 00:03:49.800 I had a nice, lovely family for the most part, 00:03:49.879 --> 00:03:53.259 they were very busy and doing their own things. 00:03:53.300 --> 00:03:55.960 And so I, I kind of grew up by myself. Um, so 00:03:55.960 --> 00:04:00.860 I had big imposter syndrome because I, I always, 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:05.719 I was a hick, you know, and I don't want to be 00:04:05.719 --> 00:04:08.689 insulting to hicks, but I came from a small Very 00:04:08.689 --> 00:04:11.349 small town. And what I really wanted to be was 00:04:11.349 --> 00:04:14.430 an intellectual. I, you know, my, my dream as 00:04:14.430 --> 00:04:17.329 a child or maybe not child, but as a young adult 00:04:17.329 --> 00:04:22.209 teenager was that, you know, uh, I would have 00:04:22.209 --> 00:04:24.050 loved to have parents who were university professors 00:04:24.050 --> 00:04:27.430 because I was kind of a big city kid born in 00:04:27.430 --> 00:04:30.949 a very small, like a farm. Uh, you know, I was 00:04:30.949 --> 00:04:34.750 on a farm outside a remote village outside a. 00:04:35.480 --> 00:04:38.240 smaller village or larger village outside of 00:04:38.240 --> 00:04:41.620 small town. Anyway. Uh, yes. So it's, it's made 00:04:41.620 --> 00:04:43.879 me a better father. Improv has made me a better 00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:48.220 father, a better friend, more attentive. Uh, 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:54.139 the swings in my emotions are way more calmer. 00:04:54.180 --> 00:04:56.399 Like I don't have as big ups and it's crushing 00:04:56.399 --> 00:04:59.920 downs. Um, can't remember the last time I was 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:05.019 truly, truly angry. Um, And, uh, frustration 00:05:05.019 --> 00:05:08.600 wise, you know, if it's not in my car being frustrated 00:05:08.600 --> 00:05:13.519 at people who block intersections, uh, then it's, 00:05:13.519 --> 00:05:15.259 uh, yeah, most of my frustrations are around 00:05:15.259 --> 00:05:19.360 driving and it's just how unsafe and how discourteous 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:22.420 people are. But in terms of like talking to people, 00:05:22.459 --> 00:05:25.920 one -on -one camera, last time I was very angry 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:29.759 or was at a loss for words or felt uncomfortable 00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:34.110 in situations. And this is all. uh stems from 00:05:34.110 --> 00:05:40.170 for me from improv and how it has helped me navigate 00:05:40.170 --> 00:05:44.709 the world and people and myself okay so uh i 00:05:44.709 --> 00:05:49.290 want to talk today about uh why is this boring 00:05:49.290 --> 00:05:53.290 that's uh you know there's and there's and i 00:05:53.290 --> 00:05:55.250 don't want to just say there are only two reasons 00:05:55.250 --> 00:05:58.949 but these are the big two uh when you're watching 00:05:58.949 --> 00:06:03.490 scenes on stage or in class why they're boring 00:06:03.490 --> 00:06:07.670 uh or why you might be involved in a scene and 00:06:07.670 --> 00:06:11.029 be like oh boy this is boring this is so boring 00:06:11.029 --> 00:06:13.370 i want to be anywhere else and a little sidebar 00:06:13.370 --> 00:06:17.069 if you are on stage at a performance or in a 00:06:17.069 --> 00:06:21.290 class and you're thinking that thought of like 00:06:21.290 --> 00:06:24.189 oh this is so boring oh my god oh please hurry 00:06:24.189 --> 00:06:28.439 up and have this end you can be almost Almost 00:06:28.439 --> 00:06:30.459 a guarantee that everybody watching you feels 00:06:30.459 --> 00:06:33.220 the same way. Just please end this. Oh my God. 00:06:33.319 --> 00:06:36.399 How much longer is this going to go on? So if 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:38.319 you find yourself in that situation, especially 00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:42.600 in front of a paid audience, change it. There's 00:06:42.600 --> 00:06:44.680 lots of ways to change it. You want to know some 00:06:44.680 --> 00:06:46.720 ways? Come and take a class with me. I'll show 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:51.360 you some ways to change it. Because your audience 00:06:51.360 --> 00:06:52.879 will just pull their hair out and they won't 00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:57.699 come back. So if you're feeling that way, change 00:06:57.699 --> 00:07:00.560 it. Now, interestingly enough, as this podcast 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:03.160 is about also people who do not want to get on 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:05.939 stage, that is the same in the real world. If 00:07:05.939 --> 00:07:09.480 you are at an event, dinner party, whatever, 00:07:09.699 --> 00:07:12.000 casual place, and you're talking to somebody 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:13.740 and you're like, oh my God, I want this conversation. 00:07:13.839 --> 00:07:16.379 And you can be almost guaranteed they want the 00:07:16.379 --> 00:07:20.540 same thing. In fact, one of the ways I know that 00:07:20.540 --> 00:07:25.379 people like me is I like them. if I'm with somebody 00:07:25.379 --> 00:07:27.040 and I'm having a good time, I know they're having 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:29.620 a good time. I don't even have to question it 00:07:29.620 --> 00:07:32.639 anymore. And I know if they're not and they're 00:07:32.639 --> 00:07:35.000 awkward and I'm trying to, you know, I'm trying 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:37.579 to fake it till I make it. I know they would 00:07:37.579 --> 00:07:39.579 just really rather we just call the whole thing 00:07:39.579 --> 00:07:44.139 off and we move on. So it's the same, like on 00:07:44.139 --> 00:07:46.560 stage, if you're, what you're feeling inside 00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:52.120 is boredom and nervousness and anxiety and you 00:07:52.120 --> 00:07:54.019 want to be anywhere else. The people watching 00:07:54.019 --> 00:07:56.220 you feel the same way. And that's one of the 00:07:56.220 --> 00:07:58.060 magical things that we're proud of, which there 00:07:58.060 --> 00:08:00.920 are many, but that's one of them. What do audiences 00:08:00.920 --> 00:08:05.480 really respond to? Well, sorry, that's not exactly 00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:07.759 what I meant to say. I meant to say that your 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:11.040 audience will pick up on what you as a performer 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:15.259 are feeling the same way that we can subtly pick 00:08:15.259 --> 00:08:17.720 up on the way people are feeling in the real 00:08:17.720 --> 00:08:20.660 world, even if they're trying to fake it. You 00:08:20.660 --> 00:08:25.160 know, it's very hard to fake. enthusiasm when 00:08:25.160 --> 00:08:28.920 you're not really enthusiastic. It's hard to 00:08:28.920 --> 00:08:31.300 fake that you like somebody when you don't really 00:08:31.300 --> 00:08:35.759 like somebody. And while the social niceties 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:40.179 dictate that we do these things sometimes, you're 00:08:40.179 --> 00:08:42.860 not really fooling too many people. Only the 00:08:42.860 --> 00:08:45.740 people who want to be fooled. Anyway, why is 00:08:45.740 --> 00:08:47.779 this boring? That's the question I wanted to 00:08:47.779 --> 00:08:51.840 talk about today. And there are two main reasons. 00:08:53.820 --> 00:08:57.860 why when we watch improv, it's boring, or when 00:08:57.860 --> 00:09:00.879 we're with other people in a social setting, 00:09:01.080 --> 00:09:06.899 it's boring. The first, and I'll probably start 00:09:06.899 --> 00:09:10.240 with the one that's the easiest to probably understand 00:09:10.240 --> 00:09:14.779 from a drama perspective, or when you're watching 00:09:14.779 --> 00:09:19.100 improv, one of the first things that's going 00:09:19.100 --> 00:09:24.139 on is The emotional stakes are not changing. 00:09:24.460 --> 00:09:27.059 So two characters are basically sitting down 00:09:27.059 --> 00:09:31.679 talking, but nobody is getting excited or angry 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:36.679 or scared or sad or interested, curious or proud. 00:09:36.820 --> 00:09:40.159 So nothing is happening emotionally to these 00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:42.679 characters. You see that a lot with just talking 00:09:42.679 --> 00:09:44.600 head scenes where two people are talking about 00:09:44.600 --> 00:09:46.940 things and maybe one character will present an 00:09:46.940 --> 00:09:50.029 idea of. well, maybe we should do something. 00:09:50.149 --> 00:09:53.250 The other character will very quickly give reasons 00:09:53.250 --> 00:09:56.610 why it shouldn't happen. In a previous podcast, 00:09:56.809 --> 00:10:00.389 I think the last one, I mentioned sometimes there 00:10:00.389 --> 00:10:03.870 are scenes where the suggestion will be skydiving. 00:10:04.970 --> 00:10:07.149 And so those scenes always start in the airplane, 00:10:07.429 --> 00:10:10.350 moments away from skydiving, and then the participants 00:10:10.350 --> 00:10:12.269 will never jump out of the plane. And what they 00:10:12.269 --> 00:10:16.850 wind up doing is sitting around talking. basically 00:10:16.850 --> 00:10:18.970 now saying why they have second thoughts or why 00:10:18.970 --> 00:10:21.309 the other person talked them into it and even 00:10:21.309 --> 00:10:23.970 curiously in those situations where they will 00:10:23.970 --> 00:10:30.629 express uh what some kind of frustration or anger 00:10:30.629 --> 00:10:32.090 with the other character why they talked them 00:10:32.090 --> 00:10:34.409 into it they won't follow through on it they'll 00:10:34.409 --> 00:10:36.669 just say that and then they'll go back to like 00:10:36.669 --> 00:10:39.509 well i don't know how much longer we can stand 00:10:39.509 --> 00:10:41.710 here the plane's gonna land soon we're gonna 00:10:41.710 --> 00:10:46.699 make a decision and then they never do um But, 00:10:46.699 --> 00:10:50.200 yes, in those situations, the emotional stakes 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:52.279 never change because we're waiting for them to 00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:54.539 jump out of an airplane and feel some euphoria 00:10:54.539 --> 00:10:58.279 or fear or something, and they never do. So if 00:10:58.279 --> 00:10:59.639 you are in a scene and basically you're just 00:10:59.639 --> 00:11:02.659 sitting around talking and there's no emotional 00:11:02.659 --> 00:11:08.299 change, it'll be boring. Even if you're emotional, 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:12.259 even if you're not just being boring talking, 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:17.639 maybe you are. in the middle of a terror terror 00:11:17.639 --> 00:11:22.779 or you're angry uh or everything is great the 00:11:22.779 --> 00:11:26.840 great one is a little more difficult but well 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:28.600 not really in general no they're they're all 00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:31.580 the same so even if you have a strong emotional 00:11:31.580 --> 00:11:33.860 reaction but it doesn't change that will still 00:11:33.860 --> 00:11:36.139 get boring so whether you have no emotion or 00:11:36.139 --> 00:11:39.019 a strong one and it doesn't change those scenes 00:11:39.019 --> 00:11:41.580 will get boring and i in this situation i like 00:11:41.580 --> 00:11:45.659 the analogy of a musical melody that you could 00:11:45.659 --> 00:11:47.820 have the most beautiful melody in the world, 00:11:47.860 --> 00:11:50.019 but if it doesn't change, we're going to get 00:11:50.019 --> 00:11:51.899 bored of it and we're going to walk away. And 00:11:51.899 --> 00:11:53.620 we're like, okay, enough, enough, enough. Too 00:11:53.620 --> 00:11:56.600 much repetition, too much not progressing onto 00:11:56.600 --> 00:12:00.019 the next thing. We are all hardwired storytellers 00:12:00.019 --> 00:12:03.419 and we know that there is a point to what we're 00:12:03.419 --> 00:12:08.240 watching. There is a point where it will move 00:12:08.240 --> 00:12:10.740 on to something else because we're building towards 00:12:10.740 --> 00:12:15.620 something. Now, in the real world, conversations 00:12:15.620 --> 00:12:21.080 just about dry stuff, unless you have a keen 00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:26.620 interest in that, in that the content of that 00:12:26.620 --> 00:12:31.700 thing is going to be the same. It's, you know, 00:12:31.700 --> 00:12:33.759 as an intellectual exercise, it may be good. 00:12:33.940 --> 00:12:37.700 But when you're just sitting around at like a 00:12:37.700 --> 00:12:40.379 social function and you're talking to somebody. 00:12:40.970 --> 00:12:47.529 and they're just telling you some dry material, 00:12:47.750 --> 00:12:50.690 you're going to get kind of bored. Because the 00:12:50.690 --> 00:12:53.190 idea of meeting somebody in a social situation 00:12:53.190 --> 00:12:55.850 is, hey, how do we get along? Are we friends? 00:12:56.710 --> 00:13:00.629 Or passing the time together? What just dry information 00:13:00.629 --> 00:13:04.990 is going to be. So in those situations, you want 00:13:04.990 --> 00:13:08.590 to try to engage the emotion of the other character, 00:13:08.730 --> 00:13:13.100 the other person. And here, this sort of rule 00:13:13.100 --> 00:13:17.139 of thumb, sorry to use that expression, sort 00:13:17.139 --> 00:13:22.820 of general principle is to replace your desire 00:13:22.820 --> 00:13:30.440 to be, to show off or to be impressive with relatability 00:13:30.440 --> 00:13:34.480 and curiosity and interest, interest in your 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:39.029 person. Depending on what goal you have, right? 00:13:39.850 --> 00:13:41.429 Maybe your goal is to get the hell out of there 00:13:41.429 --> 00:13:42.990 as fast as possible. That's a different thing. 00:13:43.350 --> 00:13:45.330 But if your goal is to be seen as likable, if 00:13:45.330 --> 00:13:49.029 you want people to like you, trying to impress 00:13:49.029 --> 00:13:53.470 them will not work generally. I mean, work is 00:13:53.470 --> 00:13:55.330 a different situation, but I'm talking about 00:13:55.330 --> 00:14:01.389 in social situations. But offering people your 00:14:01.389 --> 00:14:05.460 interest, your curiosity, your support. You're 00:14:05.460 --> 00:14:08.659 listening. You're non -judgment. These things 00:14:08.659 --> 00:14:11.279 will tend to injure those people to you. And 00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:13.460 the same thing on stage. Replace your desire 00:14:13.460 --> 00:14:16.899 to say some amazing line that you've just thought 00:14:16.899 --> 00:14:18.659 up in your head or you've been working on all 00:14:18.659 --> 00:14:22.700 day trying to start a scene with and replace 00:14:22.700 --> 00:14:28.600 that with curiosity, relatability, what in the 00:14:28.600 --> 00:14:30.659 other character and build something together. 00:14:31.940 --> 00:14:34.120 Previously, I've talked about how invention, 00:14:34.919 --> 00:14:39.320 What you do as a solo performer in an improv 00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:42.159 setting is really hard to make that interesting 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:45.039 and compelling. But what we can do together, 00:14:45.100 --> 00:14:47.600 the discovery that we can make together, is often 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:52.519 very compelling. And the second reason that scenes 00:14:52.519 --> 00:14:57.620 tend to be boring is there's a lack of agreement 00:14:57.620 --> 00:15:02.429 on what the people are doing. They're not agreeing 00:15:02.429 --> 00:15:05.250 their situation. They're not agreeing to who's 00:15:05.250 --> 00:15:07.690 who. One person might think we're friends, whereas 00:15:07.690 --> 00:15:09.769 the other actor thinks that these characters 00:15:09.769 --> 00:15:17.289 are lovers. And that is boring because either 00:15:17.289 --> 00:15:21.529 A, as a viewer, you don't know what's going on, 00:15:21.610 --> 00:15:24.490 so it's not for you. So much like hearing the 00:15:24.490 --> 00:15:26.870 punchline of a joke and not getting it, you kind 00:15:26.870 --> 00:15:28.850 of tend to walk away because it's not for you. 00:15:32.670 --> 00:15:36.830 Or they don't know what's going on. You don't 00:15:36.830 --> 00:15:41.169 know what's going on. And there's no compelling 00:15:41.169 --> 00:15:44.169 reason to watch. Because again, it's not for 00:15:44.169 --> 00:15:46.590 you. You might be missing something. Or they 00:15:46.590 --> 00:15:49.509 just don't know what's going on. So there's nothing 00:15:49.509 --> 00:15:54.590 to relate to. There's no firm foundation from 00:15:54.590 --> 00:15:58.080 which to build something. There's no point. Another 00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:00.200 thing that happens, it's a similar thing in here 00:16:00.200 --> 00:16:07.139 where in order to try to be funny, actors, improvisers 00:16:07.139 --> 00:16:09.399 will say things that are completely unrelatable. 00:16:09.559 --> 00:16:13.879 Like, wow, you've got 38 kids. And you hear that 00:16:13.879 --> 00:16:16.340 and you just go, what? No, you don't. People 00:16:16.340 --> 00:16:18.919 don't have 38 children. I mean, yes, it has happened. 00:16:19.019 --> 00:16:22.399 It can happen. And if you do say that in the 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:24.399 scene, if you open your mouth and you say, oh, 00:16:24.419 --> 00:16:29.500 yeah, I get lustral, like 38. While everybody 00:16:29.500 --> 00:16:34.600 is hanging on the justification, you know, what 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:37.700 would come next would be the synthesis line that 00:16:37.700 --> 00:16:40.200 would make that make sense and make that relatable. 00:16:40.299 --> 00:16:42.539 It might get a chuckle out of me if you can tell 00:16:42.539 --> 00:16:49.360 me why a character has 38 children. You know, 00:16:49.399 --> 00:16:54.259 without being, you know, without being insulting 00:16:54.259 --> 00:16:57.360 to certain religions or certain people. Even 00:16:57.360 --> 00:16:59.279 the religions that you can't make fun of. Not 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:01.779 in my class. We don't make fun of anybody. We 00:17:01.779 --> 00:17:04.319 don't mock anybody. It's a pretty good rule. 00:17:05.279 --> 00:17:07.740 I had a discussion in my class just a few days 00:17:07.740 --> 00:17:10.039 ago about mocking lawyers. I'm like, well, why? 00:17:10.660 --> 00:17:13.079 Why is that okay? Because they make more money 00:17:13.079 --> 00:17:15.839 than you do? Because you've had a bad interaction 00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:18.880 with a lawyer? Or just because of the general 00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:22.079 zeitgeist of lawyers are all crooks and all that 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:24.819 stuff? Well, again, if you're doing this in front 00:17:24.819 --> 00:17:27.680 of an audience. And you think that's okay. Anybody 00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:30.279 in your audience who's a lawyer will hate you. 00:17:30.779 --> 00:17:35.180 Meanwhile, if you say something nice about lawyers, 00:17:35.480 --> 00:17:38.240 they will love you. What do you want at the end 00:17:38.240 --> 00:17:41.880 of the day? Do you want to be loved or what? 00:17:42.059 --> 00:17:44.200 I don't know. That's up to you. That's a different 00:17:44.200 --> 00:17:47.000 thing. Anyway, but for now, that's what's going 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:49.259 on. So either scenes are boring. There's two 00:17:49.259 --> 00:17:51.559 things tend to be going on. Number one, the emotional 00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:53.759 stakes aren't changing. And that usually manifests 00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:56.549 by people just sitting around chatting. and every 00:17:56.549 --> 00:17:58.890 time they suggest some kind of mode of action 00:17:58.890 --> 00:18:00.970 or do something the other person stops it and 00:18:00.970 --> 00:18:04.349 we're just back to talking and uh the other one 00:18:04.349 --> 00:18:06.630 that tends to happen a lot is this is when you 00:18:06.630 --> 00:18:09.869 get the two characters are in conflict with each 00:18:09.869 --> 00:18:14.390 other uh you know like my movie loves you best 00:18:14.390 --> 00:18:16.910 uh no she didn't she loved us both equally well 00:18:16.910 --> 00:18:18.450 what are you talking about my experience she 00:18:18.450 --> 00:18:19.970 was always doting on you well that's not what 00:18:19.970 --> 00:18:22.509 i saw i saw this that's a conflict between the 00:18:22.509 --> 00:18:27.220 characters and without any kind of just you know 00:18:27.220 --> 00:18:29.660 coming to a conclusion as to who is right we're 00:18:29.660 --> 00:18:32.000 fighting over details emotional stakes don't 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:34.539 change and that's also a very boring scene and 00:18:34.539 --> 00:18:36.779 that that tends to happen quite a bit with conflict 00:18:36.779 --> 00:18:41.119 when the conflict exists between the two characters 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:44.299 or three characters but when it's that kind of 00:18:44.299 --> 00:18:46.960 conflict and nothing tends to happen and those 00:18:46.960 --> 00:18:49.059 scenes usually end with eventually one character 00:18:49.059 --> 00:18:51.869 capitulating but by then everyone is asleep And 00:18:51.869 --> 00:18:54.349 it's too late. So this is why we say yes. One 00:18:54.349 --> 00:18:57.430 reason we say yes. And so that's the one reason 00:18:57.430 --> 00:19:00.109 emotional stakes don't change. And the second 00:19:00.109 --> 00:19:03.329 reason is that there's no agreement and nobody 00:19:03.329 --> 00:19:05.769 knows what's going on. Or people are making, 00:19:05.809 --> 00:19:10.910 again, the agreement side of that is bizarre 00:19:10.910 --> 00:19:14.829 offers that make no sense. Like this is one I 00:19:14.829 --> 00:19:16.410 like to point out that was actually said in my 00:19:16.410 --> 00:19:19.450 class once where. one character walked in looked 00:19:19.450 --> 00:19:21.630 at the other one and just out of the blue said 00:19:21.630 --> 00:19:25.730 why are you reading your pants nobody laughed 00:19:25.730 --> 00:19:28.250 as you would expect but boy oh boy that sounds 00:19:28.250 --> 00:19:29.950 like it would be funny doesn't no it doesn't 00:19:29.950 --> 00:19:33.549 and it's not funny uh it's just bizarre without 00:19:33.549 --> 00:19:37.630 a lot of justification so the corollary to that 00:19:37.630 --> 00:19:39.730 is you can definitely start a scene like that 00:19:39.730 --> 00:19:42.849 but be prepared to justify it and make it relatable 00:19:42.849 --> 00:19:44.910 and make it understandable so that people will 00:19:44.910 --> 00:19:47.799 laugh at it And why are you eating your pants? 00:19:48.140 --> 00:19:51.960 John's a chuff. Oh, he's still broke. He has 00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:54.500 to eat his pants. See, it works. But it's not 00:19:54.500 --> 00:19:56.599 like never do these things. That's why I don't 00:19:56.599 --> 00:20:01.160 have rules. But it depends on what you want to 00:20:01.160 --> 00:20:03.000 do. And do you want to be nice to your scene 00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:04.640 partners? Or do you want to be mean to them? 00:20:04.859 --> 00:20:06.259 Do you want people to want to play with you or 00:20:06.259 --> 00:20:09.960 not? Anyway, I'm getting beyond the scope of 00:20:09.960 --> 00:20:13.740 this one podcast, which is, hey, emotional stakes. 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:16.259 So have your emotional stakes change. If you're 00:20:16.259 --> 00:20:20.759 bored, cry, laugh, scream. There's a story, I 00:20:20.759 --> 00:20:23.500 don't know if it's apocryphal, of the late, great 00:20:23.500 --> 00:20:27.680 Alan Arkin, who recently passed away, who would, 00:20:27.819 --> 00:20:31.079 when he was bored, would walk up to his scene 00:20:31.079 --> 00:20:33.539 partner, touch his forehead with his own forehead, 00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:36.299 and scream at him, you're driving me crazy. Now, 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:38.440 I'm not advocating you do that, but the you're 00:20:38.440 --> 00:20:41.720 driving me crazy part, yes, that, or cry or laugh. 00:20:42.180 --> 00:20:45.190 And the second one is, we're on different pages 00:20:45.190 --> 00:20:47.910 so you always got to be on the same page again 00:20:47.910 --> 00:20:50.490 if i have one rule about improv and i'm not sure 00:20:50.490 --> 00:20:52.670 i do but i think if i did have a rule it'd be 00:20:52.670 --> 00:20:55.750 this one the performers have to agree on what's 00:20:55.750 --> 00:21:00.230 going on um and if they don't it's it's not gonna 00:21:00.230 --> 00:21:03.009 work unless it might work in spite of itself 00:21:03.009 --> 00:21:06.529 you know we might laugh at you but it's hard 00:21:06.529 --> 00:21:08.029 to laugh with you you don't know what's going 00:21:08.029 --> 00:21:10.309 on we might laugh at the train wreck that is 00:21:10.309 --> 00:21:15.190 your seat or that is your story of the real world. 00:21:15.269 --> 00:21:17.609 Anyway, that's my time for today. Thanks, everybody. 00:21:18.349 --> 00:21:20.670 Hope to see you all back here again next time 00:21:20.670 --> 00:21:23.849 for more SoCap Improv Comedy Podcast. And don't 00:21:23.849 --> 00:21:27.230 forget, go check out Custard's Last Stand for 00:21:27.230 --> 00:21:29.269 all your custard needs. Ciao.