Imrov Class #Two

The 2nd week at Improv Class was a lot better than the first, but I'm still getting used to meeting so many new people. The girl who's name escapes me didn't show up this time, but a few extra boys came to take her place. They're part of the class too, but I think it's strange that they didn't make it for the first class. 

Anyway, one boy was named Charlie; when I saw him I accidentally mistook him for Eric (Eek! How embarrassing! I hate when I get people's names wrong, but at least I know that's how other people must feel when they mistake me for my twin sister Bettina). Eric came in later, so I was able to really spot the differences between them two; Eric has braces and Charlie has shorter hair. 

The second new boy was around my brother Adam's age, and his name was Jonah. I got to know more of the girls by name rather than just by face, like Rebbecca, Sophie, Melissa, and Courtney. I suppose these names don't mean a thing to you, but this is my blog, after all, so I'll fill it with all my memories and experiences I care to share.

Robin, the teacher, had a bunch of all new Improv exercises for us to try. The first one was "Invisible Volleyball/Name Game". The group splits up into two teams and plays invisible volleyball, and as you pass the ball, you have to say another person's name. At least it got Charlie and Jonah all caught up with who's who.

Another game we played was called "Hitch-hiker". Someone is pretending to drive a car, and another person gets to be the hitch-hiker, and the person has to have a strong personality which the driver has to imitate. 

For example, say the hitch-hiker is a hyper Jonas Brothers fan.

"Ohmygod, Ohmygod, let's sing S.O.S.!!!"

Then the driver would immediately say something like, "You're just in luck! I have an extra ticket to their next concert, come with me!"

My favorite game involved pantomime, and I call it "Where are you now?". You have to come up with a setting, any place, any location you can possibly think of, and you need to mime out where you are. Then when other people figure out where you are, they can get up and add to the scene by pantomiming something else that has to do with the setting. Example: the first person decides that he is in the desert. That person would probably crawl on the ground clutching his/her throat and panting dryly. Then when somebody figures out that the place is the desert, he/she can get up and pretend to be a camel. That's exactly what I did in fact. I proudly walked on all fours and chewed invisble cud, while indicating the hump on my back. A lot of people laughed. That's what I was going for.

One more game I want to tell about is one called "3 Line Scene". Two people get up and have to establish a scene speaking no more or less than 3 lines. 

Personal example:

Me: "Remember, after 3 seconds, pull the string!"

Noah: "I'm scared, I've never done this kind of thing before."

Me: "Don't worry, everyone has trouble their first time jumping out of a plane!"

This is all off the top of my head you understand, no plan whatsoever of what I'm going to say. I love Improv class because I get to show off my stuff, and I can be anything I want to be, or do anything I want to do. Robin taught us about not being the "wimp", which means when someone says something, anything you say must add to the scene in some way. 

For instance, 

Him: "I'm going to the beach today!"

Her: "Okay." (wimpy response)

Her: "Be careful of the mutant sharks, they're really mean on Tuesdays." (funny response.)

At the end of the 9 Improv classes we're taking, of which tonight was the 2nd, Robin says that the group will be putting on a show all about Improv and we all need to practice on our spontaneity. I wonder if the show will be anything like "Whose Line Is It Anyway?". I sure hope so.