More improv notes from Louis Kornfeld from his Myspace blog.

Joe Bill (7/30/04):

Get right to the point.

Tension is important because laughter is ALWAYS the result of tension being broken.  Declare character tension as soon as possible.

Happy feet and hands on hips- two sure signs that you don’t have it at the top.

Improv is all about fighting of fucking and the dance of POV’s until that’s achieved somehow.  There will be an eruption.  When improvisors get very close it automatically breaks the tension.  Distance amplifies.  The scene becomes about what’s in “here” in the space between the players.

Tension for the audience in long-form is “Do I believe you?”

Tension for the audience in short-form is “How well will they execute the game and how will they do it?”

In short-form there’s right and wrong.  Right and wrong have NO place in longform.  It’s about being truthful in the moment.

How you do What you do is Who you are.

The (objective) elements of character (to the audience):

1)What you say

2)What you do

The (subjective) elements of character:

1)What you see

2)What you hear

3)How you feel- this is the most important.  It influences how you say what you say and why you do what you do.

How you feel is the only justification you ever need in improv.  Ironically, this is the easiest thing to control

The only thing that matters is that I know how I feel about being in this location/ being in my own body/ doing this thing, and I’m willing to act on that and not be a statue.

As long as I know how I feel I can never be pimped in a scene.

The genesis of your character is ANYTHING

I simply must react to whatever’s given to me through the sensibility of my character.

The job you give the rational part of your brain is emotional cataloging.  Use your catalogue to get back to your initiation (not necessarily the words, but the feeling or point of view).

Truthful in improv really means that you spend a period of time on stage without ever doubting yourself.  Everything you do is right.

You have duality.  You can be in love and still be hurt.

All that matters is being in the moment and being true to yourself.  Act like you’re right.  Take a chance means “I’m gonna keep going.”  (caveat, this year Joe Bill said “taking a chance means doing ANYTHING you can to make yourself vulnerable).

The emotional point of view is the most important because it informs HOW we see what we see.

Your gut and your heart have to lead you.

Perfect doesn’t matter in a scene.  There’s nothing that’s a fuck up unless you treat it as a fuck up.

Here’s the disposition that gets you through bad work: “Fuck it, we’re just making shit up.”

Your willingness to accept yourself and what you do and not sweat when things go awry, practice that.  Don’t celebrate the highs too much and don’t sweat the lows too much.

There’s always a game.  You don’t have to find it, it’ll find you.  If you’re “trying” for anything, then you’re fucked.

There’s always whoever’s out there. 

The secret is “Here we are…GREAT.”  Feel the game.

You’re in a scene and you don’t know what to do, do SOMETHING.  Feel something.  Say something.

Be more of what you declare.  Fearlessly.  Your character might be mistaken, but you’ll never be wrong.  This is the meaning of playing to the height of your characters integrity.

Leave your agendas at the door.  If someone’s driving the scene hard it’s usually with words, and know that you still have two out of three elements to respond with.  Not responding is a response.

Never be on stage in a space of “don’t.”  Always be in a space of “do.”  Don’t go on with “don’t do happy feet.”  Find the core of moving and do it.

Take a chance means shut up and be.  Release control.  How will we ever know everything that’s going on? 

Fear makes us do exactly what we’re afraid of.

We learn in three ways: visually/ audilly/ kinesthetically.  We can see how we learn based on how we freak out in a scene: afraid to look bad/ afraid to say something stupid/ afraid we’re not doing enough.

In order for something to be true in a scene it must be declared twice.  If it’s declared once it’s still open to interpretation.  Say it twice and you have a point of view.

Slow down and play close to yourself.  There’s so much in the small.  Be conscious of your breathing.

There’s only two questions in your head that are useful:

1)How do I do that?  The answer is DO IT

2)Am I doing this right?  The answer is always YES

The most important yes and is the one you give yourself.