hi hi my name is dawn and I’m gonna be
talking to you a little bit about
improvised comedy so just so that I can
gauge the room a little bit can you
please give me a cheer or a whoop if you
have heard of or seen improvised comedy
before and give me a cheer whoop if
you’ve never heard of improvised comedy
before ah for you over there just so
that you know improvised comedy his
comedy that’s made up entirely on the
spots okay so we don’t have any
pre-prepared characters or jokes or
lines we think it’s more exciting and
it’s more authentic if it’s done
completely you know off-the-cuff now
improv in the UK is really exciting
right now it is exploding and there are
shows in the West End of London that are
entirely improvised musicals there’s
whose line is it anyway on TV and
actually an increasing number of
slightly improvised TV shows out there
and there’s improvised Shakespeare
murder mysteries so much stuff and the
thing that they all have in common is
they all take a suggestion a word or a
title and then we will so jump off of
that and come up with improvise sketches
songs stories games or sometimes entire
improvised plays now I think in an age
where Netflix and BBC iPlayer and all
these kinds of things allow you to
stream entertainment all over the world
that has been edited it’s been dubbed
it’s been reshot so that they got
exactly the look they wanted it’s
amazing that’s something that is by its
very nature rough around the edges and
always imperfect is exploding so much
and I think it’s that charm that it is
always going to be exciting and it may
often not work that’s the excitement
that makes improv really really popular
right now so I’m going to go through a
few of those kind of basic rules of
improv and some people have said you can
use these in your everyday lives
they’re good rules just for life so if
you want to use them please feel free
feel free at the first rule
we’re gonna go for is be spontaneous
okay now notice I did not say be funny
and I did not say be clever and ayub
said what’s your name
Carla T can I call you T perfect how
exciting was that it almost went wrong
because it was entirely improvised and
not scripted beforehand and now T and
usually when we ask people to be funny
on the spot it doesn’t work because it’s
kind of it forced it’s a bit awkward
it doesn’t really work so T to be funny
it’s really hard isn’t it and you that
was that was a perfect answer by the way
like you did it exactly as I wanted you
to and because it doesn’t work right
it’s so annoying when you’re people know
that you’re a comedian and you’re a
party people come up to you and I like
hey be funny do your jokes it’s like
well that’s not really how it works
instead we say be spontaneous that means
you commit to the moment and you just
say the first thing that comes into your
head whatever that is and so now if I
was to say again I’m gonna say a word
okay and you’re gonna say the first
thing that comes into your head okay I’m
gonna say scream what’s the first thing
that pops into your head
Wow perfect and that is so that’s so
brilliant and also I feel sorry for
everyone else in the audience because
they can’t see your face but when I
asked you to do something funny you were
kind of like and when I asked you just
what do you think of when you see say
see or hear a screen you went wow and it
was so much more animated it was so much
quicker it was so much more sent more
authentic now out there a lot of
comedians will get a laugh by doing
observational comedy right that’s where
they’ll say something like hey airline
food so small why is it so small am i
right and you sit at home being like
yeah it is small yeah I did why is it so
small and you laugh partly because it’s
delivered well or it’s set up as a nice
joke but a lot of the laughs comes from
what I call the laugher of recognition
now that is when the product the joke
that the comedian has produced resonates
with something from your own personal
life you go hey me and that comedian we
thinking the same way and I’m enjoying
the fact that we’ve kind of bonded over
that piece of observational comedy now
in improv we don’t bond over the product
so much as the process you see
improvisers stood at the side of the
stage like staring at the floor like
desperately trying to work out what the
next thing should be you see people like
sweating sort of pacing everyone’s got
nervous tics and you see them as they
are basically conceiving a play writing
it rehearsing it and performing it all
in one moment and that to me is
fascinating it’s a fascinating insight
into human nature the other great thing
about being spontaneous and in the
moment is people say how do you know
when you’ve like done all your jokes why
don’t you run out of jokes about you
know whatever topic is I what’s out
what’s a word any word drum drum
cool drum how do you know when you’ve
run out of your drum jokes like how do
you do it so well that’s not really how
it works it’s more like you’ve said drum
to me so I’m gonna Majan that I’ve got a
little drum here I’m sort of drumming
away maybe I’m in a marching band and
the best piece of advice I ever got was
from an amazing improviser Canadian
improviser in in Austria and he said to
me you’re not funny he said people are
funny situations are funny the best
thing you can do is close your eyes and
imagine the world around you when you
get onstage
so maybe I’m playing in a marching band
and there’s so many more of us that’s
like a lines and rows and rows of
drummers and I don’t know what song
women to be doing so I’m just kind of
making it up as I go along and now I can
go up to other people I can start
talking to them I can find out what what
is it a parade that we’re walking in all
of these ideas spring off and I’ve not
said any jokes I’m not aiming for jokes
I’m not even aiming for laughs there are
a byproduct of committing to the world
of the scene which is so easy when you
just imagine yourself in that actual
world now what I’ve talked to you about
is basically playing make-believe
something that little kids grow out of
when they’re like 10 years old you
probably get bullied for it if you do
secondary school but some of us do it
professionally as adults it’s the
easiest thing in the world to take the
mickey out of but instead if you follow
rule number two which is to support your
scene partner it goes to really exciting
places so like if I come up with an idea
about like a drum I will sort of build a
story like this and it’s it could be
fine but it’s so much more exciting to
see my scene partner what we call yes
and me that means everything I’ve said
they say yes that is true in this world
and here’s some more detail here’s some
more we’re gonna flesh it out so all of
a sudden my scene partner is yes anding
and taking me in a slightly different
direction so are then yes add them and
I’ll continue in that direction and we
end up over here and know a place where
neither of us would have ever written
that story on our own but it’s so much
more creative and interesting than the
story if I just sort of written it on my
own
the third rule that I’m going to talk to
you about is they’re just having fun
okay because we’ve all been to see a
comedy show where the comedian has
stopped having fun for whatever reason
they have decided the audience are not
on their side or they’ve forgotten their
material or whatever it is and then they
stop enjoying it and the audience stop
enjoying it at the same time comedy is
such a social thing that we want the
improvisers to say hey we’re comfortable
we’re confident we’re happy with it even
if it’s going wrong and one of the big
parts of that is embracing your mistakes
and supporting each other when they make
mistakes which is why the title is why
are statements so much better than
questions right now if I come out and I
start doing this and someone comes up to
me and says hey man what are you doing
well now now I’ve got to come up with
all the answers now they’re making me do
all the hard work whereas if they come
up to me and say hey I like your drum I
can be like Thanks
it’s new I got it for my birthday and
now we’ve come up with a story if I say
well that castle over there looks really
scary do you think it’s haunted and they
come up and say that’s not a castle
that’s an aquarium
I hate fish and now I like ah what who
do we believe as an audience you’re
confused we’re not enjoying it you’re
not enjoying it whereas even if someone
thinks our not another castle scene I
hate all these scenes about castles dawn
does but if they yes and me and have fun
with it and go with it then they’ll be
like yeah yeah it is haunted and we’re
gonna go find the ghost come on let’s go
on an adventure and now we’ve got some
energy it’s much more exciting the final
story I want to tell you I think sort of
encompasses all of these rules and was
the best beginning to a scene I’ve ever
watched in my entire life I was out in
Vienna and I was working with this
company that were all way older than me
they’ve been doing improv for years and
years and years and as these two
performers Dennis and Anne okay and
they’ve been married for like 20 plus
years they’ve got three grown-up kids
and I’m doing it I’m fronting a scene
and I say can I please get a suggestion
for your favorite teacher when you were
at school you who is your favorite
teacher and someone says Dennis I go
what they say yeah yeah Dennis I said
Dennis the man on stage behind me is
your favorite teacher it’s a yeah yeah
he was our drama teacher he was great
and they were like quite attractive
young women and Dennis or went a bit red
and sort of blushed behind me and I was
like okay cool
we’ll take Dennis as the suggestion for
the scene but who’s going to play Dennis
in this scene so the audience had to
cheer for who they wanted and they
didn’t know that Dennis and Anne were
married but they picked Anne Dennis is
this big guy with a deep voice so Anne
comes out she’s and she doesn’t start
with a question she tells us where we
are and who we are she comes out she
says hey hey girls today we’re gonna
learn about Shakespeare because I’m the
best teacher you’ve ever had and there
Dennis comes out playing the girls from
his own drama class is like okay yeah
you are the best teacher we’ve ever had
and if we ever get asked in like ten
years time who our favorite teacher ever
was we’re gonna say you wow this is
amazing we’re seeing something so
private we’re seeing into a married
couples like views of each other and
life and that complex detailed
relationship and they are having so much
fun it’s not where they expected to be
doing scenes that night it was in many
ways a bit of a mistake I didn’t mean to
get someone who knew us as performers
but they went with it they yeah sanded
each other and it was the most amazing
thing and to me I felt so privileged
that that show was not recorded it is
not available on YouTube or anything
like that but I was one of those few
people like thirty five people that got
to see that genuine insight into their
lives and no one else outside of that
room will ever get to see that and in a
day with Netflix and streaming and all
that kind of stuff I think that’s that’s
amazing
so we’re now gonna do a little layer a
little improv for you we’re gonna do a
couple of games so if everyone could
please put your hands together and
welcome some other members of the Oxford
Imps
kepta okay guys so for this stage and
from you guys we’re going to need a
suggestion so I’m practicing back from
you let’s all shout it one two three
color – red you don’t have one you can
use red one two three wonderful quick so
I need from all of you is an object any
object you can think of a tall
marshmallow will take marshmallow in
this scene let’s see dawn here is going
to play every single character except
for one which will be played by that
with the suggestion of marshmallow a
little black cake
I don’t like kitchen even look at it
it’s been evolving for too long Sally
it’s not really a cave anymore it’s just
dripping down the bottom Oh No
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
yes I did pack my bag myself no I gave
it to another man he seemed very
responsible I am flying to and Geneva
Geneva yeah great I hope so okay well my
bag definitely be in Geneva Switzerland
when I get there’s no guarantees
I’ll take the toothpick out and that’s
the mace that I brought and a half that
I brought I am using specialized very
small
well I don’t need to hop on but I have
got a hub that is thing that I’ve got
and I’ll tell you what it isn’t yes I’ll
tell you what it’s not it’s not a tiny
fan enjoy it’s not a small guitar it’s
not a trunk
listen it’s not a sitar it’s not a thing
called a drum it’s not sad news that
will make you clown it’s not a product
it’ll put you in a quiz it’s not a
question like where or if it’s not a
pair of trousers it’s not a TV – which
should say wowsers it’s not a pair of
glasses it’s not a bigger pair of
glasses
I need your things and it’s not a DVD of
their children sing
[Applause]
[Music]
you seem very chicken you’re just the
landing strip you want to remove their
clothes their little shoes and others
those you want them threw on the floor
and to the ass them are just bad bad man
chest and also bear all the rest you
want to see me naked
well I’m sorry but I just won’t take it
I’m taking back my heart and my TV t you
won’t be seeing a naked me I’m actually
not going to Geneva because I don’t want
to go there either if there’s more men
like you when I get off at airport
number two
[Applause]
thank you very much
[Applause]
talking to you a little bit about
improvised comedy so just so that I can
gauge the room a little bit can you
please give me a cheer or a whoop if you
have heard of or seen improvised comedy
before and give me a cheer whoop if
you’ve never heard of improvised comedy
before ah for you over there just so
that you know improvised comedy his
comedy that’s made up entirely on the
spots okay so we don’t have any
pre-prepared characters or jokes or
lines we think it’s more exciting and
it’s more authentic if it’s done
completely you know off-the-cuff now
improv in the UK is really exciting
right now it is exploding and there are
shows in the West End of London that are
entirely improvised musicals there’s
whose line is it anyway on TV and
actually an increasing number of
slightly improvised TV shows out there
and there’s improvised Shakespeare
murder mysteries so much stuff and the
thing that they all have in common is
they all take a suggestion a word or a
title and then we will so jump off of
that and come up with improvise sketches
songs stories games or sometimes entire
improvised plays now I think in an age
where Netflix and BBC iPlayer and all
these kinds of things allow you to
stream entertainment all over the world
that has been edited it’s been dubbed
it’s been reshot so that they got
exactly the look they wanted it’s
amazing that’s something that is by its
very nature rough around the edges and
always imperfect is exploding so much
and I think it’s that charm that it is
always going to be exciting and it may
often not work that’s the excitement
that makes improv really really popular
right now so I’m going to go through a
few of those kind of basic rules of
improv and some people have said you can
use these in your everyday lives
they’re good rules just for life so if
you want to use them please feel free
feel free at the first rule
we’re gonna go for is be spontaneous
okay now notice I did not say be funny
and I did not say be clever and ayub
said what’s your name
Carla T can I call you T perfect how
exciting was that it almost went wrong
because it was entirely improvised and
not scripted beforehand and now T and
usually when we ask people to be funny
on the spot it doesn’t work because it’s
kind of it forced it’s a bit awkward
it doesn’t really work so T to be funny
it’s really hard isn’t it and you that
was that was a perfect answer by the way
like you did it exactly as I wanted you
to and because it doesn’t work right
it’s so annoying when you’re people know
that you’re a comedian and you’re a
party people come up to you and I like
hey be funny do your jokes it’s like
well that’s not really how it works
instead we say be spontaneous that means
you commit to the moment and you just
say the first thing that comes into your
head whatever that is and so now if I
was to say again I’m gonna say a word
okay and you’re gonna say the first
thing that comes into your head okay I’m
gonna say scream what’s the first thing
that pops into your head
Wow perfect and that is so that’s so
brilliant and also I feel sorry for
everyone else in the audience because
they can’t see your face but when I
asked you to do something funny you were
kind of like and when I asked you just
what do you think of when you see say
see or hear a screen you went wow and it
was so much more animated it was so much
quicker it was so much more sent more
authentic now out there a lot of
comedians will get a laugh by doing
observational comedy right that’s where
they’ll say something like hey airline
food so small why is it so small am i
right and you sit at home being like
yeah it is small yeah I did why is it so
small and you laugh partly because it’s
delivered well or it’s set up as a nice
joke but a lot of the laughs comes from
what I call the laugher of recognition
now that is when the product the joke
that the comedian has produced resonates
with something from your own personal
life you go hey me and that comedian we
thinking the same way and I’m enjoying
the fact that we’ve kind of bonded over
that piece of observational comedy now
in improv we don’t bond over the product
so much as the process you see
improvisers stood at the side of the
stage like staring at the floor like
desperately trying to work out what the
next thing should be you see people like
sweating sort of pacing everyone’s got
nervous tics and you see them as they
are basically conceiving a play writing
it rehearsing it and performing it all
in one moment and that to me is
fascinating it’s a fascinating insight
into human nature the other great thing
about being spontaneous and in the
moment is people say how do you know
when you’ve like done all your jokes why
don’t you run out of jokes about you
know whatever topic is I what’s out
what’s a word any word drum drum
cool drum how do you know when you’ve
run out of your drum jokes like how do
you do it so well that’s not really how
it works it’s more like you’ve said drum
to me so I’m gonna Majan that I’ve got a
little drum here I’m sort of drumming
away maybe I’m in a marching band and
the best piece of advice I ever got was
from an amazing improviser Canadian
improviser in in Austria and he said to
me you’re not funny he said people are
funny situations are funny the best
thing you can do is close your eyes and
imagine the world around you when you
get onstage
so maybe I’m playing in a marching band
and there’s so many more of us that’s
like a lines and rows and rows of
drummers and I don’t know what song
women to be doing so I’m just kind of
making it up as I go along and now I can
go up to other people I can start
talking to them I can find out what what
is it a parade that we’re walking in all
of these ideas spring off and I’ve not
said any jokes I’m not aiming for jokes
I’m not even aiming for laughs there are
a byproduct of committing to the world
of the scene which is so easy when you
just imagine yourself in that actual
world now what I’ve talked to you about
is basically playing make-believe
something that little kids grow out of
when they’re like 10 years old you
probably get bullied for it if you do
secondary school but some of us do it
professionally as adults it’s the
easiest thing in the world to take the
mickey out of but instead if you follow
rule number two which is to support your
scene partner it goes to really exciting
places so like if I come up with an idea
about like a drum I will sort of build a
story like this and it’s it could be
fine but it’s so much more exciting to
see my scene partner what we call yes
and me that means everything I’ve said
they say yes that is true in this world
and here’s some more detail here’s some
more we’re gonna flesh it out so all of
a sudden my scene partner is yes anding
and taking me in a slightly different
direction so are then yes add them and
I’ll continue in that direction and we
end up over here and know a place where
neither of us would have ever written
that story on our own but it’s so much
more creative and interesting than the
story if I just sort of written it on my
own
the third rule that I’m going to talk to
you about is they’re just having fun
okay because we’ve all been to see a
comedy show where the comedian has
stopped having fun for whatever reason
they have decided the audience are not
on their side or they’ve forgotten their
material or whatever it is and then they
stop enjoying it and the audience stop
enjoying it at the same time comedy is
such a social thing that we want the
improvisers to say hey we’re comfortable
we’re confident we’re happy with it even
if it’s going wrong and one of the big
parts of that is embracing your mistakes
and supporting each other when they make
mistakes which is why the title is why
are statements so much better than
questions right now if I come out and I
start doing this and someone comes up to
me and says hey man what are you doing
well now now I’ve got to come up with
all the answers now they’re making me do
all the hard work whereas if they come
up to me and say hey I like your drum I
can be like Thanks
it’s new I got it for my birthday and
now we’ve come up with a story if I say
well that castle over there looks really
scary do you think it’s haunted and they
come up and say that’s not a castle
that’s an aquarium
I hate fish and now I like ah what who
do we believe as an audience you’re
confused we’re not enjoying it you’re
not enjoying it whereas even if someone
thinks our not another castle scene I
hate all these scenes about castles dawn
does but if they yes and me and have fun
with it and go with it then they’ll be
like yeah yeah it is haunted and we’re
gonna go find the ghost come on let’s go
on an adventure and now we’ve got some
energy it’s much more exciting the final
story I want to tell you I think sort of
encompasses all of these rules and was
the best beginning to a scene I’ve ever
watched in my entire life I was out in
Vienna and I was working with this
company that were all way older than me
they’ve been doing improv for years and
years and years and as these two
performers Dennis and Anne okay and
they’ve been married for like 20 plus
years they’ve got three grown-up kids
and I’m doing it I’m fronting a scene
and I say can I please get a suggestion
for your favorite teacher when you were
at school you who is your favorite
teacher and someone says Dennis I go
what they say yeah yeah Dennis I said
Dennis the man on stage behind me is
your favorite teacher it’s a yeah yeah
he was our drama teacher he was great
and they were like quite attractive
young women and Dennis or went a bit red
and sort of blushed behind me and I was
like okay cool
we’ll take Dennis as the suggestion for
the scene but who’s going to play Dennis
in this scene so the audience had to
cheer for who they wanted and they
didn’t know that Dennis and Anne were
married but they picked Anne Dennis is
this big guy with a deep voice so Anne
comes out she’s and she doesn’t start
with a question she tells us where we
are and who we are she comes out she
says hey hey girls today we’re gonna
learn about Shakespeare because I’m the
best teacher you’ve ever had and there
Dennis comes out playing the girls from
his own drama class is like okay yeah
you are the best teacher we’ve ever had
and if we ever get asked in like ten
years time who our favorite teacher ever
was we’re gonna say you wow this is
amazing we’re seeing something so
private we’re seeing into a married
couples like views of each other and
life and that complex detailed
relationship and they are having so much
fun it’s not where they expected to be
doing scenes that night it was in many
ways a bit of a mistake I didn’t mean to
get someone who knew us as performers
but they went with it they yeah sanded
each other and it was the most amazing
thing and to me I felt so privileged
that that show was not recorded it is
not available on YouTube or anything
like that but I was one of those few
people like thirty five people that got
to see that genuine insight into their
lives and no one else outside of that
room will ever get to see that and in a
day with Netflix and streaming and all
that kind of stuff I think that’s that’s
amazing
so we’re now gonna do a little layer a
little improv for you we’re gonna do a
couple of games so if everyone could
please put your hands together and
welcome some other members of the Oxford
Imps
kepta okay guys so for this stage and
from you guys we’re going to need a
suggestion so I’m practicing back from
you let’s all shout it one two three
color – red you don’t have one you can
use red one two three wonderful quick so
I need from all of you is an object any
object you can think of a tall
marshmallow will take marshmallow in
this scene let’s see dawn here is going
to play every single character except
for one which will be played by that
with the suggestion of marshmallow a
little black cake
I don’t like kitchen even look at it
it’s been evolving for too long Sally
it’s not really a cave anymore it’s just
dripping down the bottom Oh No
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
yes I did pack my bag myself no I gave
it to another man he seemed very
responsible I am flying to and Geneva
Geneva yeah great I hope so okay well my
bag definitely be in Geneva Switzerland
when I get there’s no guarantees
I’ll take the toothpick out and that’s
the mace that I brought and a half that
I brought I am using specialized very
small
well I don’t need to hop on but I have
got a hub that is thing that I’ve got
and I’ll tell you what it isn’t yes I’ll
tell you what it’s not it’s not a tiny
fan enjoy it’s not a small guitar it’s
not a trunk
listen it’s not a sitar it’s not a thing
called a drum it’s not sad news that
will make you clown it’s not a product
it’ll put you in a quiz it’s not a
question like where or if it’s not a
pair of trousers it’s not a TV – which
should say wowsers it’s not a pair of
glasses it’s not a bigger pair of
glasses
I need your things and it’s not a DVD of
their children sing
[Applause]
[Music]
you seem very chicken you’re just the
landing strip you want to remove their
clothes their little shoes and others
those you want them threw on the floor
and to the ass them are just bad bad man
chest and also bear all the rest you
want to see me naked
well I’m sorry but I just won’t take it
I’m taking back my heart and my TV t you
won’t be seeing a naked me I’m actually
not going to Geneva because I don’t want
to go there either if there’s more men
like you when I get off at airport
number two
[Applause]
thank you very much
[Applause]
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