You shake hands with your partner on stage. You notice that their hands are just as clammy as yours. Are you ready to do this? Did you remember your lines? Wait, you don't have any lines. What if they suggest stripper again? Do you just go with it? If this scenario has happened to you, you probably are or have been part of improv. If you don't know what improv is, just think of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" Usually, this is the comparison we come up with. Improv is comedy without a script. Let's just say it's a big ball of chaos and it's beautiful. Here is a a list of seven reasons why you know you are part of an improv team.
1. You have mastered the art of BS
Being part of an improv team keeps you prepared to think on your feet. Your quick wit is always at the ready and you feel like you handle anything. When you have to write a paper, give a speech, or avoid unwanted plans, you don't stress out. You can look at the situation as if it was just another scene. If that's not a superpower, I don't know what is.
2. You are a gift to this Earth and you could care less about what people think.
If you are part of an improv team, you have done some crazy things on the stage. You love to make people laugh and you are proud to be yourself. Whenever you are around your friends or even strangers, you can be as obnoxious as you want. You might have cared before you joined an improv team, but now you are filled with confidence. (Don't worry, every improviser isn't as confident as they look. It's called acting!)
3. You love when your team agrees on a game!
There is nothing better than the feeling of agreement! When you find a game that fits well for the team, it fills you with endless joy. You all will geek out over your game and will use it in every show you have. You feel like everything is fitting perfectly in it's place and you can take on anything. Seriously, you feel like your team is the freakin' Suicide Squad.
4. The word "no" is not in your vocabulary.
In a scene your partner is going to give you gifts. You must treasure them! As you create your future brain child you must not dictate the scene. You know that if someone says they are eating pizza, and you say no they are eating soup...well you're the scum of the Earth. (Was that harsh?) You know you are supposed to keep the scene going, not make it about the picture that you had in your head.
5.) Improv trips are the best.
Everyone knows how broke you are, because chances are they are broke too. When you plan a trip for improv you know that McDonalds is going to be your best friend. You will all stock up on dinning hall food before you leave, and pick out on french-fries when you get to your destination. You won't mind staying at a cheap hotel or taking a long car ride because these are the moments that will stay with you. You are with your team mates, a.k.a. the best damn people on this planet. So wherever you go, at least you will be with your improv family!
6. Everyone is dysfunctional.
The beauty of being part of an improv is that everyone is messed up. We all have our struggles, and we are all crazy. However, this blending of crazy turns into one fantastic concoction. You won't mind the crazy, actually you feel better when you are around it. Nothing that is going on outside of improv matters when you've got your head in the game. Yes, please picture High-School Musical, I dare you...
7.) You have been a doctor, a stripper, and a dinosaur all in one show.
You know that during a show the audience is going to suggest stripper. Nothing is funnier to them then naked women or sex. You laugh at their suggestions and take them with a grain of salt. Sometimes you give in and you hate yourself for it. You never know what suggestion you are going to get and the mystery gets you high. Improv is a form of drug. If you don't trust me, look it up.
You love being part of your improv team. You know that your job is to respect the art and to entertain your audience. There is something therapeutic about making a fool of yourself onstage. Your teammates become family to you, and you enjoy sharing the stage with them. Improv is a part of who you are and you wouldn't change being on your team for the world!
