Follow the Fun

How many times have you done an improv show, and after you get a suggestion from the audience, you get in your head trying to find the "right" way to use it?

Or you are in scene and thing to heighten is right in front of you, but you resist doing it because you think it’s the wrong thing to do? Or you join yet another improv group or agree to a project because you are afraid if you don't do it, you will be missing out. I think the term is FOMO.

The solution in all these situations is the same. Instead of trying to figure out what the right thing is to do, how about asking yourself, “What would be fun?” When you get a suggestion in an improv show, what would be more fun to play: a villain or your grandma, a dolphin.

When you are in a scene and you don't know what to heighten, ask yourself, “What would be more fun to heighten: more crying, or more excitement.”

And in picking projects to participate in, ask yourself, “What is going to bring me joy?”

Some of the best projects I ever been involved in have happened simply because they looked like fun. I had no expectation that the project was going to lead to anything except for the experience of being in that show or project.

And the beautiful thing about what is "fun" on stage and in life is different for everyone. Some people can't stand playing low status characters on stage, while other people love it. Doing improv helps you find your voice, and I think one of the ways you can find your voice is by finding those choices on stage that are fun for you to play.

I have done an exercise in class where I have paused a scene and asked the players how they would like to change the scene to have more fun. And if they don't know — because, like me, sometimes they can't see what would be fun — I will ask the other students what they would like to see more of in the scene, and they will tell the players.

And when it's over, most of the time the performers will say that was a lot of fun.

If you are like me, you probably grew up believing fun could not be trusted. I know in my house, fun certainly was not something to be valued. In improv, fun is our compass. It can tell us where need to go.

Although I’ve been doing this in improv for a while now, I’ve just started realizing that I need to start following the fun more in my everyday life, too. Instead of asking myself what I should do each day, I think I need to ask myself, what would I like to do? And if I can do that, I think I’m going to really be surprised at how much bigger, and yes, fun, my life is going to be.

Interested in studying with Jimmy Carrane? Don't miss his Fundamentals of Improv Workshop (In-Person) on Feb. 26, or his two upcoming virtual workshops on March 5 or March 18!