Why It's Good to Work With New People
When you work with the same group of improvisers for a while you can get in rut. You get into roles, like "You’re the one who always edits” or “You’re the one who always does the first scene." You may not even be aware that it is happening.
Recently, I was listening to Andy Richter's podcast and he had Colin Mochrie from “Whose Line Is it Anyway?” on, and Colin was talking about improvising with one of his kid's improv groups and how important it is to work with other improvisers .
When we improvise with new people, we can break our patterns and change our roles, which gives us even more confidence.
I think it’s always helpful for an improviser’s growth to get out of their comfort zone, and playing with new people is one way of doing it.
I am the first to admit I am always scared and resistant to playing with new people, but when it’s over, I’m always glad I did.
When I was doing the podcast Improv Nerd on a regular basis, I had to improvise with a new person on each episode. Some people were easy to improvise with, others not so much, but regardless, I always learned something.
One guest I loved playing with is Jay Sukow, who is not only a great teacher but also a great improviser. He embodies the joy and "support- anything- you-do" improv attitude. He can be much sillier and more playful than I am, which forces me to do the same, even though that doesn't come easy for me.
With Jimmy and Johnnie, the ongoing improv show I have done with John Hildreth in Chicago for over a decade, we invite a special guest to play with us in each show. The guests always have a big influence on how we improvise, which makes the show exciting for us. We play with both younger and older generations of improvisers, and this forces me to adjust. Sand, who I think is one of the best improv groups in Chicago, goes a bit faster and can be more abstract than I usually play, and sometimes it’s hard for me to keep up with their brilliant moves. It’s always a joy to play with them, and every time I have, I’ve learned a lot.
Remember, getting out of your comfort zone is a good thing. If you keep having new experiences and bring them back to your current group, it can only help to make you and your group stronger.
Want to take your improv to the next level? Don't miss Jimmy's next Long Form Tune-Up on Aug. 10!