// Summer Improv Quotes: Part 1//

Here are some quotes that rang true for me over the summer by different teachers at different schools here in Chicago. Some of them may not be original quotes but nonetheless had deep impact as they cascaded out of their mouths.

  • “Dig deeper in the same ditch” - Lyndsay Hailey on heightening one idea until in transforms in group work and character work.
  • “Shoot the grandma! See what happens” - Lyndsay Hailey on following the fear. It’s more interesting to do the thing you’re afraid of doing on stage and dealing with the consequence.
  • “The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating”  Mark Sutton on making a clear choice and having fun playing all its permutations.
  • “Emotion is King, Action is Queen and Words are the Jester” - Mark Sutton on building a grounded character.
  • “You must be the driver of your Character Bus” - David Asher on creating fun characters you want to play.
  • “Act out of inspiration, not obligation” - David Asher on making choices inspired by themes and scenes and not what you think your partner or the scene “needs”.
  • “Be in the scene you WANT to be in” - Craig Uhiir on making choices that are genuinely fun for you to play instead creating a bummer/drag character that you obviously hate sustaining for 3 minutes.
  • “Set the table for your partner’s character, but let her make the choice to eat” Kevin Mullaney on heightening your partner’s character deal to be more of herself without forcing the game move on them.
  • “Give yourself the opportunity to fail in class” - Kevin Mullaney on letting go of expectations of the scene and making bold choices.
  • “If you’re too hung up on improvising ‘correctly’, you will almost always fail.” Craig Cackowski on not trying to do improv right, but having fun and discovering.
  • “Create a space TO connect, instead of using it to disconnect and think” Mark Sutton on letting the space and environment serve you, not the other way around. Make it mean something to your character.
  • “An unfiltered choice is a wasted choice” Mark Sutton on listening actively and responding as more of your character in different ways.
  • “Comedy is the Yin and Yang of meeting the audience’s expectations vs shattering them” Lilly Allison on why we laugh and creating patterns and games to fulfill expectations we set for them at the top of our scenes.