I am of the belief that you can't truly figure out the potential of your team until you're structure provides at least 80% formlessness.
The typical harold is 3 first beats, 1 group game, 3 second beats, 1 group game, and 3rd beats. Most teams don't do an entire harold not because they don't want to adhere or they don't care. Even coaches don't scold teams when they don't get to third beats or maybe don't hit a second group game. Think about it, if we REALLY wanted to adhere to the harold form, we all COULD do it. It's just three beats. But, most don't, most get sidetracked, most get praised for deviation.
What is the reasoning? Do teachers and coaches feel that no one is able to complete a full harold. I don't think so.
I believe that at some point during a harold and at any harold, you start running on pure inspiration and feeling. At that point, you throw away the form for the sake of fun or game or whatever. The form gets tossed out. You may find a coach loving the deviation. You may feel a team loving the deviation.You may find the opposite where people get frustrated with the deviation.
I'm going to say something that may go against a grand belief in improv. If you deviate from form or pull from the norm and it is INSPIRED by someone else, then any hesitancy from other team members has no basis on the improv itself. Any hesitancy to build off the inspiration is coming from either confusion of the person itself, fear of the move itself, dislike of the move itself, or an unfortunate need to do something right or from a fear of not being funny.
Rick Andrews, amazing Magnet Instructor, said "I usually see performers not having fun in shows, when they either are trying to hard to improvise the RIGHT way or they are trying to be funny."
It's weird how trying to do something RIGHT can be in such the same core as trying to be funny.
We all hate it when we're trying to be funny, but do we have the same disdain for ourselves when we try to do something right.
Here is my challenge to improvisers. STOP TRYING TO DO SOMETHING RIGHT. THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG. If there is no right or wrong, PUSH the limits. A team that falls behind the biggest mistake which is pulling from FORM, is a true team.
I watched a show with The Wrath, where someone walked out signed something and walked off. Now, the wrath could have been doing a new form that week, but it didn't feel like that. It felt like a move that happened and people MISTAKENLY -didn't come out to support, and it told the team, "Do Something" and they did.
If anyone has seen me improvise, occasionally I make weird and crazy moves that can be pushy. My belief isn't to PUSH everyone around but to maybe get someone else to do it too. I NEVER do a move that I wouldn't be 100 percent fine with having it done to myself.
You ARE right. Always. Stop trying to do something right. If you get a coach that says YOU'RE WRONG, FIRE THEM!!!! Chances are the ONLY reason why people say things are WRONG is because they 1) felt too out of nowhere and maybe were uninspired 2) it just wasn't funny. But, those two things are inconsequential if you think about it. It's up to the team to YES AND a move. And WHO cares if it isn't funny. But, I'll tell you one fucking thing, if it WAS funny, you don't get notes you get praised.
Be INSPIRED, break the RULES, GET IN THERE. Screw the FORM. If you're in your head, they you aren't out there having FUN!! Have FUN! Play!! PLAY!! Don't think. NOTHING IS SACRED!
You wonder why teams who deconstruct a group game have a FUN time. You wonder why teams who have a GROUP dynamic built in have a FUN time. You wonder why Monoscenes that start with like 8 people end up being FUN. BECAUSE THOSE THINGS ARE SCARY AS SHIT!!! You have to play!! You can't think!! You relax and go for the ride. Everyone's already in so you don't have to worry about people not getting their share. Now, it's just FIGURE IT OUT.
HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!
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