Why Improv Rocks

Also known as "Why I'm no longer the shy and quiet girl I once was". Or "Why I can't shut up now."

I just got back from improv rehersal and decided that I needed to update this blog. So I'm going to kill two birds with one stone so to speak and update this blog by talking about improv.

My improv group is fantastic. I may have said this before, but I am going to say it again. They rock. It's like having a family of people who are only related to you by the fact that they love to laugh.

Because that's why we do improv. Forget the audience; whether it's show time or just rehersal, we only strive to make ourselves laugh. That makes it fun for the audience, because they get to share the jokes and whatever, but ultimately, we strive to make each other laugh. It's very rare that I don't bust a gut at rehersal and end up in tears. Very rare.

Everyone I play with has a wicked sense of humor, and I feel like that I have grown through them, so that I can now hold my own and crack jokes. I mean, I am now at a point where I open my mouth and say something, and someone laughs. I don't always know what's funny, but laughter is better than tears, and I love that. I love making people laugh.

The trick with improv is to not kill the scene. I am fantastic at doing just that, killing the scene without even realizing it; I forget the "yes, and..." rule that we are supposed to use. But I'm getting there, and it's something that I enjoy getting to improv upon.

I just feel better when I do improv. If you had told me a few years ago that I would be doing comedy, I probably would've laughed at you and gone back to whatever book I was reading. Now, I can't imagine a life without this part of me, without this group of people around me, without this outlet.

I think that goes to show that it's sometimes a good thing to get outside your comfort zone.

Have a great night, Cyberland.

~Meaghan