Lean Into the Pauses
Music is the space between the notes.
Claude Debussy
When people first start working with me and they begin to slow down in their improv, they notice the pauses or the space between dialogue. This can seem strange at first to people who are used to improvising very quickly, but I try to teach my students that the space between the words is as important as the words themselves.
Leaving a little space between the dialogue creates tension, and comedy needs tension. When we release that tension, we usually get laughter. We like laughter – that’s why most of do improv in the first place.
Be aware that the space between the dialogue is where the magic lies. It is the improvisers vein of gold. They just need to learn how to be comfortable with it on stage and in life. It’s part of the whole, just like the melody and the lyrics together make up a song. It's the gateway to creativity.
Besides creating tension, allowing space between the lines of dialogue reinforces the emotional connection between you and your scene partner(s). In those moments of silence, we can learn information about our character, the other character and the situation. And this new information will cause us to say things and react in a surprising way.
The space between the dialogue also creates room to feel -- about your character, the other character and the situation – and by feeling those emotions, we will react in emotional ways to what is being said, which adds variety to our scene work.
When there is a three-to-five second gap between dialogue, I look at it as a form of mediation. Through mediation comes ideas that are inspired from a deeper place. That is your inner genius. When you can slow yourself down, you’ll find that you’ll do things that you won’t how you came up with them, and sometimes, you won’t even be able to remember what you said. It will feel more like channeling than improvising. And that is what I for you and for me.
So the next time you are improvising, don’t rush to say something every second, and don’t talk over what your scene partner says. Let their words sink in a bit before you say something next. I think you’ll be amazed at how much your improv will change.