The art of Improvisation (Bullshitting)

Kevin Sung
2/24/09
Goal: As it suggests, my goal is to become learned in the ways of improv (or bsing). So it all started today, new unit for I don't know how long. My personal goal today was, like Mrs. Weil's, to become good at creating things on the spot. Ideas, movements, and drama on the spot that can keep a improv rolling. Just to get a feel for creating a storyline and script on the spot was what my goal was for today. I think, because I am also sort of a leader (for a better word than bossy), I tend to take control of the script. That's another goal I have in mine: to let others take the lead role, and of course to not be worried about looking funny.

What we did: Mrs. Weil had an improv for us to do. The hardest part was to do something when you weren't sure what to do. In da beginning we were laying on our backs and imagining how we would dodge numbers 10-0. Then we walked through 0 like a door, and into a paradise beach. And so we begin touring the beach. I felt this was the hardest part since we didn't have a definite thing to do. Going into the cave next and huddling around each other after it started raining was better; you had more things to do like shivering and applying wood to a fire. The final parts, crawling thru a hole and getting into a fancy ballroom for a food fight was much easier to do, since we had definite concrete ideas to follow.

Why we did this: To practice improv! I think what's harder than even acting things out is to speak things that can help an improv moving. Creating things on the spot for others to follow is difficult enough. I feel that talking is the next challenge for the improv unit, which is probably why we started with this to get a feel for improv.

What I did well: I think I accomplished just as much as everyone else did in learning the ways of improv. I feel that the art of improv really does have to do with not taking control, but letting everyone's ideas flow into the set, which I felt because this improv game was so chaotic and unorganized, was actually key to helping us understand this. I felt I had some good ideas to help others get things to do as well.