Improv Comedy Institute classes offer laughs and life lessons

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      Fearlessness. Commitment. Trust. These are three attributes a good improviser needs. But how does one develop them? Is it a case of “you either got it or you ain’t”?

      The good folks at Vancouver TheatreSports League very much believe the skills can be taught. For the past 30 years, they’ve offered drop-in improv workshops, which are still ongoing every Saturday at the False Creek Community Centre. But now they’re getting serious with the Improv Comedy Institute.

      On a recent Tuesday, I visited a class to see a group of 12 students standing in a circle. In turn, each student stepped in and made up a silly noise and gesture, and everyone else repeated them twice. As they went around the circle I thought, “Well, I guess I’ll never be taking an improv class in my lifetime.” (Self-consciousness is not a valued trait in improv.)

      But there is method to their madness. Pearce Visser, a main-stage player with the company, and Margret Nyfors, who doubles as the league’s director of public education, follow each classroom activity with a debriefing session where they get student feedback and explain the learning outcomes each game offers.

      Whether it’s a sound-gesture circle, a “hi-bye” scene, or a “yes” exercise, there is one constant: laughter. The students were clearly having a blast in this Spontaneity class, the mandatory first part of the Core series (the others being Story, Character, and Environment). Each involves eight hours spread out over two or three sessions depending on whether you want a weekday or a weekend. And they’re all held on the stage of the Improv Centre on Granville Island, not in some empty gym. (“There’s no ladies’ volleyball league that’s going to be going, ‘Your time’s up!’ ” said actor Denise Jones, who also serves as the company’s artistic director.)

      Each class costs $129, which works out to a very reasonable 16 bucks per teachable hour. For those with limited funds and a passion for improv, the Colin Mochrie Scholarship Program has been set up, named in honour of the famous alumnus, with funds raised from four sold-out shows he performed in October.

      The teachers are all the most experienced of the VTSL players—the company mounts five feature shows a year while also offering 11 other shows in any given week—and they helped develop the curriculum. “We sat together on many afternoons, drinking coffee and talking about exercises we love,” said Jones outside the class.

      They talked about the concepts each of them found the most useful in their own development. “If you were to go on main-stage here, what would be the most valuable skills that you should have?” says Nyfors. “That’s what we impart to our students. We’re trying to pass on to future generations a legacy. This is what we know from the past 30 years of doing this. We want to give it to the future and say, ‘Keep doing it and make it even better.’ ”

      Once they’ve completed the Core series, students can apply to the Rookie League, which is the performance component of the Improv Comedy Institute, with shows every Sunday night. Mid- to advanced-level improvisers can head to the Improv Gym, the continuing-education section of the institute, where ongoing specialty classes are offered, such as how to do accents or rap and music improv.

      Sure, some might sign up with stars in their eyes. But the school is open to one and all, regardless of experience or dreams.

      In the first Spontaneity course, a film director and a TV producer enrolled. They also had “a guy who loved to eat cereal who just kind of liked to hang out”, said Nyfors. “We had graphic designers, art students. All different ages, all different intents. Some people fully intend to get onto SNL, others very much intend to just simply be better at job interviews or be a better corporate presenter. We appeal to people that are passionate about the improv skills. How they want to apply them in their daily life is up to them. We believe in the value of improv, whether you want to become a professional performer or just simply become better at parties.”

      Jones added a footnote: “Improv does not guarantee to make you good at parties.”

      Back inside the class, the students were told to celebrate their mistakes. There is no one right answer in improv. As Jones told me in the booth overlooking the theatre, “Fucking up is fine. The team’s got your back.” Through various other activities, the students are encouraged to be present, listen actively, not worry about their next line, trust themselves, trust others, be bold and confident, embrace silence, remain calm, move forward, and say yes.

      These are all good lessons to learn for improv—even better to learn for life.

      “Improv is fun,” said Nyfors. “It’s a great thing and when you discover it is completely up to you. Sure, you might not get on SNL, but life might be a little bit more fun with the power of yes in it.”

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