WEBVTT 00:00:00.650 --> 00:00:04.889 Hey everybody, welcome back to episode 36 of 00:00:04.889 --> 00:00:08.630 the SOCAP Improv Comedy Podcast. My name is Ralph 00:00:08.630 --> 00:00:10.830 McLeod. I am the owner and artistic director 00:00:10.830 --> 00:00:13.189 of the SOCAP Comedy Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, 00:00:13.509 --> 00:00:18.969 Canada. SOCAP .ca, S -O -C -A -P. You can contact 00:00:18.969 --> 00:00:23.289 us at admin at SOCAP .ca. Open to all questions, 00:00:23.370 --> 00:00:26.390 comments, good or bad. At SOCAP we do classes, 00:00:26.429 --> 00:00:30.250 shows, corporate events. We're your one -stop, 00:00:30.250 --> 00:00:34.189 one -stop? Yes, we're your one -stop place for 00:00:34.189 --> 00:00:38.429 all things improv. Today's episode is In the 00:00:38.429 --> 00:00:41.469 Beginning. So we're going to have a little look 00:00:41.469 --> 00:00:47.689 at beginnings in improv, starting a scene. Two 00:00:47.689 --> 00:00:50.929 people, three people. But we'll stick with two 00:00:50.929 --> 00:00:52.570 because it's easier, but all this would apply 00:00:52.570 --> 00:00:58.619 to three or four. So not to get into like dichotomies 00:00:58.619 --> 00:01:01.079 of like there's only two ways to do things, but 00:01:01.079 --> 00:01:04.579 there are. But I'm going to say there's a dichotomy. 00:01:05.540 --> 00:01:08.819 There are two general ways to approach the beginnings 00:01:08.819 --> 00:01:13.579 of scenes. And I'm going to use a metaphor of 00:01:13.579 --> 00:01:17.640 a painter because I've read this about painters. 00:01:17.719 --> 00:01:23.659 The visual artists tend to come to a canvas with 00:01:23.659 --> 00:01:26.700 paint and have. Kind of two ways of approaching 00:01:26.700 --> 00:01:28.540 it. Again, not to get into dichotomies. I'm sure 00:01:28.540 --> 00:01:30.159 there are multiple ways, but two general ways. 00:01:31.219 --> 00:01:33.620 One is to have a clear idea in your head what 00:01:33.620 --> 00:01:35.239 you want to paint. I'm going to paint this bowl 00:01:35.239 --> 00:01:37.000 of fruit or I'm going to paint from a photograph 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:38.859 or something that's in my head, but I know what 00:01:38.859 --> 00:01:41.260 I'm going to paint. The second is to just start 00:01:41.260 --> 00:01:44.859 making strokes on the page and then discover 00:01:44.859 --> 00:01:50.719 what's there. A more organic process, a less 00:01:50.719 --> 00:01:53.519 thought out process, a more... In the moment 00:01:53.519 --> 00:01:56.560 process, I would say, though I'm not a visual 00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:58.700 artist, but when I think about this in terms 00:01:58.700 --> 00:02:00.760 of improv, I think the second one is a more artistic 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:04.359 way. Now, before I go on any further, this is 00:02:04.359 --> 00:02:07.400 not about good versus bad. This is a great way. 00:02:07.439 --> 00:02:10.259 That's a bad way. This is my way. And I have 00:02:10.259 --> 00:02:13.659 a very strong point of view about this after 00:02:13.659 --> 00:02:19.189 teaching improv for three decades plus. have 00:02:19.189 --> 00:02:22.389 found value in how I do this, but that's not 00:02:22.389 --> 00:02:25.629 to say that any other school is wrong. I'm not, 00:02:25.650 --> 00:02:29.689 there's no judgment in this. So coming back to 00:02:29.689 --> 00:02:35.150 sort of the approach one of beginning, and this 00:02:35.150 --> 00:02:39.250 is the one that I see, like most beginning students 00:02:39.250 --> 00:02:43.449 will do this. It's taught this way. I was taught 00:02:43.449 --> 00:02:47.250 this way of starting scenes. And this is the, 00:02:48.399 --> 00:02:52.699 approach of laying on of information or exposition. 00:02:52.860 --> 00:03:00.759 So a performer might step out and say to another 00:03:00.759 --> 00:03:03.860 performer, hi dad, I'm home from school. Or hello 00:03:03.860 --> 00:03:05.360 sweetheart, what do you want to make for dinner? 00:03:05.620 --> 00:03:10.719 So these are expositional phrases that sort of 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:13.800 set the beginning platform, who, what, where, 00:03:13.860 --> 00:03:16.180 opening conditions, act one, whatever phrase 00:03:16.180 --> 00:03:20.360 you like to use. It's an expositional way. It's 00:03:20.360 --> 00:03:25.199 a declarative way. In fact, there's a very popular 00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:31.039 drill that I used to do and would teach. This 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:34.180 is 20 years ago, where you would do a line. You'd 00:03:34.180 --> 00:03:38.319 have a left side and a right side, and character 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:41.699 A from the right side would step out, and they 00:03:41.699 --> 00:03:45.120 would have to, in one line, establish a who. 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:50.219 Hello, Dad, I'm home. Or just, Hello, Dad, would 00:03:50.219 --> 00:03:52.780 be enough. And then character B would step out 00:03:52.780 --> 00:03:56.020 and then supply the where. Welcome home, son. 00:03:56.379 --> 00:03:59.560 How was school? And then character A again would 00:03:59.560 --> 00:04:00.900 then have the third line, and they would have 00:04:00.900 --> 00:04:03.879 to decide and dictate what's going to go on. 00:04:04.539 --> 00:04:08.740 Oh, school was great, Dad, but I've got my first 00:04:08.740 --> 00:04:10.719 date this weekend, and I need to ask your advice. 00:04:11.379 --> 00:04:12.860 And see, in there you've got, in three lines, 00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:17.810 you've got a nice little setup. And it's laying 00:04:17.810 --> 00:04:20.209 on of information. We work together and we build 00:04:20.209 --> 00:04:23.990 something. And there are multiple ways. You can 00:04:23.990 --> 00:04:26.430 do it that way with three characters or two characters, 00:04:26.509 --> 00:04:28.810 sorry, back and forth, each adding on a little 00:04:28.810 --> 00:04:33.129 thing. It was a drill. Or one character might 00:04:33.129 --> 00:04:35.089 just step forward and say, well, sweetheart, 00:04:35.250 --> 00:04:38.970 here we are in Paris, walking down the Champs 00:04:38.970 --> 00:04:41.189 -Élysées on our honeymoon. That gives you the 00:04:41.189 --> 00:04:45.629 same kind of idea where one character, states 00:04:45.629 --> 00:04:48.170 it or two characters state it but it's it's a 00:04:48.170 --> 00:04:51.209 very it's a declarative it's expositional and 00:04:51.209 --> 00:04:55.029 it sets the stage and uh once again in no way 00:04:55.029 --> 00:04:59.430 disparaging that uh because the the definitely 00:04:59.430 --> 00:05:02.550 the value of it is it gets every on the same 00:05:02.550 --> 00:05:06.730 page it builds a context quickly and it it kind 00:05:06.730 --> 00:05:10.569 of overcomes very quickly that sort of uncertain 00:05:10.569 --> 00:05:12.750 phase where everybody's like oh i don't know 00:05:12.750 --> 00:05:16.209 what's going on And it can make people very hesitant 00:05:16.209 --> 00:05:22.129 to make suggestions or in some cases it makes 00:05:22.129 --> 00:05:24.810 people not want to listen because they're just 00:05:24.810 --> 00:05:26.750 focused on, oh gosh, I need to get something 00:05:26.750 --> 00:05:30.329 out so that we know where we are. So it has value 00:05:30.329 --> 00:05:34.230 and it definitely works and gets people on the 00:05:34.230 --> 00:05:41.329 same page. But for me, it's either a solo act. 00:05:41.790 --> 00:05:45.550 Or it's an act of invention where people are 00:05:45.550 --> 00:05:48.350 going in their head and they're not focusing 00:05:48.350 --> 00:05:50.629 generally on each other. They're sort of just 00:05:50.629 --> 00:05:55.670 trying to get a grip on what's going on. And 00:05:55.670 --> 00:05:58.449 it cuts them off from a lot of the other stuff 00:05:58.449 --> 00:06:00.930 that might be going on. Like if I've already 00:06:00.930 --> 00:06:04.430 got in my head that your mom and I walk out and 00:06:04.430 --> 00:06:07.689 I say, hi, mom. But you in your head were thinking 00:06:07.689 --> 00:06:11.720 like I'm your partner. Well, now there's some 00:06:11.720 --> 00:06:14.899 problems going on in our brain that we've got 00:06:14.899 --> 00:06:17.500 to set. You know, we've got to be. And again, 00:06:17.620 --> 00:06:21.899 all can work. But for me, it's a solo creation. 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:33.240 It's invention. And it keeps the audience outside. 00:06:33.620 --> 00:06:37.230 So my approach. is much more like that painter 00:06:37.230 --> 00:06:39.629 who steps to an easel and sees a blank canvas 00:06:39.629 --> 00:06:41.870 and puts a mark on it and goes like, oh, that 00:06:41.870 --> 00:06:43.509 looks like something. Let me see what's over 00:06:43.509 --> 00:06:48.170 here. And in that way, when we begin an improv 00:06:48.170 --> 00:06:53.329 scene, you're much more like an explorer or a 00:06:53.329 --> 00:06:56.310 detective, an investigator, an archaeologist. 00:06:56.410 --> 00:06:59.670 You're coming in to try to find out, well, who 00:06:59.670 --> 00:07:02.850 am I? Who are these people? Where am I? What 00:07:02.850 --> 00:07:06.730 is this whole thing look like? And in that way, 00:07:06.730 --> 00:07:10.750 you're much more open. You're much more in touch 00:07:10.750 --> 00:07:12.870 with all of your surroundings and the people, 00:07:12.930 --> 00:07:15.930 the environment around you. You start seeing 00:07:15.930 --> 00:07:20.389 the world in your mind's eye. And you become 00:07:20.389 --> 00:07:23.810 much more mindful, which makes people want to 00:07:23.810 --> 00:07:27.529 watch you more. So in this case, the approach 00:07:27.529 --> 00:07:32.870 number two is the... exploration. You discover 00:07:32.870 --> 00:07:37.850 the scene and uncover the reality that we didn't 00:07:37.850 --> 00:07:40.529 know when we sat down. So this is my preferred 00:07:40.529 --> 00:07:43.790 method. So instead of inventing dialogue and 00:07:43.790 --> 00:07:47.170 things that will create a who, what, where quickly, 00:07:47.329 --> 00:07:52.930 it's more about who am I? Who are you? And how 00:07:52.930 --> 00:07:56.009 do we start? With feeling. So it's less thinking 00:07:56.009 --> 00:07:59.569 and more feeling. What does this feel like? When 00:07:59.569 --> 00:08:04.410 I come out on a stage and I look at you and we 00:08:04.410 --> 00:08:07.370 make eye contact, what information do I derive 00:08:07.370 --> 00:08:10.629 from that? So rather than me dictating who I 00:08:10.629 --> 00:08:15.449 am and who you are, I feel what this feels like. 00:08:16.250 --> 00:08:20.410 Eye contact is very powerful. So I walk out and 00:08:20.410 --> 00:08:23.050 you might look at me and I might get from that 00:08:23.050 --> 00:08:30.439 there's a bit of anger or... or caring or something 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:34.379 or love. And I want to, oh, and I want to think 00:08:34.379 --> 00:08:37.480 about, well, when I see that, what do I feel? 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:41.120 If you feel hostility towards me, I might feel 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:44.860 mischievous hostility towards you. So I'm focusing 00:08:44.860 --> 00:08:47.159 on how I feel. I'm focusing on what my partner 00:08:47.159 --> 00:08:50.220 is giving me. I'm focusing on the environment 00:08:50.220 --> 00:08:53.320 where I am, how I'm feeling. You know, maybe 00:08:53.320 --> 00:08:56.320 I've had a bad day and I walk and I want to not 00:08:56.320 --> 00:09:02.159 like, you know use that to um pull up a lot of 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:04.759 things but i i don't want to cut myself off for 00:09:04.759 --> 00:09:08.899 myself because i'm my muse right so like the 00:09:08.899 --> 00:09:11.220 pain so this thing's so how this works so you 00:09:11.220 --> 00:09:14.940 walk on stage notice your partner notice the 00:09:14.940 --> 00:09:17.980 feeling that you have and then develop that and 00:09:17.980 --> 00:09:21.179 then based on what you start saying which is 00:09:21.179 --> 00:09:27.299 more it's less about like trying to very quickly 00:09:28.629 --> 00:09:31.210 dictate it's like but once you feel it it's like 00:09:31.210 --> 00:09:35.309 oh you're mad say that oh you're oh you're not 00:09:35.309 --> 00:09:38.009 having a good day that's a great opening line 00:09:38.009 --> 00:09:39.990 you're not having a good day and they'll just 00:09:39.990 --> 00:09:42.230 agree no i'm not in fact i'm having a crappy 00:09:42.230 --> 00:09:45.309 day it's a big yes and they're like oh and then 00:09:45.309 --> 00:09:47.669 you can feel like well how do i want to respond 00:09:47.669 --> 00:09:50.370 to that well i could i could be like well great 00:09:50.370 --> 00:09:53.250 that's good i'm glad you're feeling it i'm glad 00:09:53.250 --> 00:09:56.429 you're having a bad day or hey i'm sorry do you 00:09:56.429 --> 00:10:00.059 want to talk about it So you start piecing this 00:10:00.059 --> 00:10:02.059 together and then it's like, well, who do I feel 00:10:02.059 --> 00:10:04.320 like? Okay, if I'm being sympathetic, I feel 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:06.299 more like someone who likes them. If I'm being 00:10:06.299 --> 00:10:12.200 hostile, maybe I'm someone who's either not a 00:10:12.200 --> 00:10:14.759 good person, not a nice person, or maybe I'm 00:10:14.759 --> 00:10:16.860 justified in feeling this way. I want to figure 00:10:16.860 --> 00:10:19.399 that out. So here I am. I'm more of a detective, 00:10:19.620 --> 00:10:22.059 an archaeologist. I'm uncovering what's going 00:10:22.059 --> 00:10:26.559 on. And we work together moment to moment to 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:30.399 build something. So why is this powerful? Number 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:34.019 one, it removes a lot of pressure from us to 00:10:34.019 --> 00:10:39.279 invent something funny, smart, interesting, which 00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:41.720 a lot of us do. We walk on a stage and of course 00:10:41.720 --> 00:10:43.820 we want to be liked. We want to impress people. 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:48.340 That is very, very difficult. And in that desire, 00:10:48.480 --> 00:10:51.559 it leads us to make choices that push the audience 00:10:51.559 --> 00:10:54.259 even further away by trying to be interesting. 00:10:57.230 --> 00:10:59.110 You know, interesting is a double edged sword 00:10:59.110 --> 00:11:02.110 and I wouldn't say don't do it, but it comes 00:11:02.110 --> 00:11:07.830 with certain expectations, certain requirements. 00:11:07.889 --> 00:11:11.009 If you're going to be very inventive, very original, 00:11:11.190 --> 00:11:15.090 very interesting or weird, which a lot of us 00:11:15.090 --> 00:11:16.730 want to be because we think that's going to be 00:11:16.730 --> 00:11:20.730 funny. It also builds genuine connection with 00:11:20.730 --> 00:11:22.889 your partner. You're all you have is the other 00:11:22.889 --> 00:11:28.139 person and you work hard together. And this act 00:11:28.139 --> 00:11:30.700 of discovery, of figuring out, oh, when we started, 00:11:30.779 --> 00:11:34.820 I didn't know that I was, you know, your partner. 00:11:35.799 --> 00:11:38.980 And today's the day that I wanted to, like, tell 00:11:38.980 --> 00:11:41.519 you that I don't want to be your partner anymore. 00:11:41.820 --> 00:11:43.320 Didn't know that when I stepped up. But here 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:45.200 I am, and here I am in this moment that we have 00:11:45.200 --> 00:11:49.440 built together and discovered it together. It 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:52.720 also keeps you very present in the moment and 00:11:52.720 --> 00:12:01.149 grounded. So less panicky, more tuned in, dialed 00:12:01.149 --> 00:12:03.590 in to the moment. You are serving the moment, 00:12:03.649 --> 00:12:08.070 not serving your self -conscious desires. It 00:12:08.070 --> 00:12:10.509 invites the audience into the moment with you. 00:12:10.570 --> 00:12:13.889 If you are relatable as you build it, they come 00:12:13.889 --> 00:12:16.549 along for the ride. So it's less like they're 00:12:16.549 --> 00:12:19.610 being told something and they are now experiencing 00:12:19.610 --> 00:12:23.289 something because there's real, surreal moment 00:12:23.289 --> 00:12:25.519 happening. It's not just words. It's a moment. 00:12:27.419 --> 00:12:31.879 Your silence is very useful because you take 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:35.159 more time. You're not trying to rush. I mean, 00:12:35.179 --> 00:12:36.940 you might be trying to rush, but you're not rushing. 00:12:36.960 --> 00:12:40.700 You're slowing down. And I have to tell you, 00:12:40.720 --> 00:12:43.620 stillness is very watchable. If you walk out 00:12:43.620 --> 00:12:46.480 on stage and you look out over the audience and 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:49.240 in your mind's eye you see mountains and trees 00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:53.570 and blue sky and clouds and birds. and you inhale 00:12:53.570 --> 00:12:56.110 and you smell the fresh air in your mind's eye, 00:12:56.289 --> 00:12:59.090 that's very watchable. That's way more watchable 00:12:59.090 --> 00:13:02.649 than you walking up, improvising the greatest 00:13:02.649 --> 00:13:08.809 opening line in the history of improv. So this 00:13:08.809 --> 00:13:13.049 is obviously very difficult to do, especially 00:13:13.049 --> 00:13:15.309 for new people. After you get used to it, it 00:13:15.309 --> 00:13:19.440 becomes much easier. But it does have certain 00:13:19.440 --> 00:13:23.299 challenges, right? It does require trust. And 00:13:23.299 --> 00:13:27.779 it requires you to be okay with uncertainty and 00:13:27.779 --> 00:13:33.019 stillness. And while those are very tough at 00:13:33.019 --> 00:13:38.879 the beginning, it will make you more of a robust 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:42.799 improviser. It also is great at being out in 00:13:42.799 --> 00:13:46.480 the real world. These skills, all the skills 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:49.679 that I teach are so applicable to being out in 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:52.919 the real world. Whether you're at a dinner party 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:55.919 and you're doing small talk or just meeting new 00:13:55.919 --> 00:14:01.620 people. And finally, once you learn to do this, 00:14:01.740 --> 00:14:07.000 panic subsides. Overthinking subsides. You exist 00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:11.500 in a moment. You're not being distracted. You're 00:14:11.500 --> 00:14:14.320 existing. Okay, so that's all I want to talk 00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:16.460 about today is beginnings. If this sounds interesting 00:14:16.460 --> 00:14:19.399 to you, come and work with me because I do this 00:14:19.399 --> 00:14:23.340 a lot because and the students that I, whenever 00:14:23.340 --> 00:14:27.759 I do this a lot and students experience some 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:30.960 of the exercises I take them through, you know, 00:14:30.980 --> 00:14:34.460 the laughs that we get are very deep. So yeah, 00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:36.279 so if you hear something you like, come and take 00:14:36.279 --> 00:14:39.480 a class with me or come and like email me and 00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:44.019 talk about it. My work focuses mainly on exploration, 00:14:44.679 --> 00:14:51.100 connection, shared discovery, agreement, making 00:14:51.100 --> 00:14:55.840 choices, developing a point of view, all those 00:14:55.840 --> 00:14:58.059 good things that are great, not only on stage, 00:14:58.200 --> 00:15:00.720 but also in the real world. Anyway, thanks very 00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:03.419 much for your time. Tune in next week for another 00:15:03.419 --> 00:15:07.799 episode, episode 37, and take care. Bye.