Linda Tells James He's Wrong About Improv

Ep9: Are Warm Ups Necessary?

• James • Season 1 • Episode 9

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Linda and James share their opinions on pre-show warm ups and how their use of warm ups has changed over time. They also discuss which warm ups they find particularly helpful.

Have a question or Improv related topic you'd like to hear us discuss? Send a short email to LindaTellsJames@gmail.com

A new episode every Tuesday! 

SPEAKER_05

Hi everyone. What are you guys doing here? Welcome everybody to another episode of Linda Tells James He's Wrong About Improv. Hello.

SPEAKER_02

That's James. That's me. And that was Linda. Not me. That was Linda. This is Linda. That one.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, thank God you cleared that up because there must have been, you know, vast confusion.

SPEAKER_02

I have a very beautiful voice as well, thank you. Yes, you do. I could be a Linda.

SPEAKER_05

You you could be, you know, and one day you will.

SPEAKER_02

Only if you allow it. Only if you bestow it upon me, you are a Linda.

SPEAKER_05

Hi everybody. Um, thanks for joining us uh once again to our little podcast. We assume that people are listening to it. I mean, we shouldn't really assume that's that's rude. Is it? Uh well, we hope you know assume makes an ass of you and me, as they say.

SPEAKER_02

Which in and of itself is an assumption.

SPEAKER_05

Is an assumption. Do they really say that? Does that really ring true?

SPEAKER_02

Does it really make you an ass?

SPEAKER_05

Um uh how you doing? I'm good.

SPEAKER_02

I'm well. I'm well. I like the weather. I'm glad it's become cold now. Uh I'm very happy about that. I can wear pants and yeah, thank god. Yeah, and coats.

SPEAKER_05

And certain people should see those knees. Hello. Um what about you? How are you going? I'm really well. Yes. I've come back from a little holiday. Um much relaxed. Good. Um, and getting ready for another holiday because that's all I live for. No, it isn't. I live for for my friend James and all the other good things in my life.

SPEAKER_02

Great. Yeah. I just live for the bad things in my life.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

The good thing, the good things are just the icing on the cake on the bad cake.

SPEAKER_05

If they happen, great. Um I have a thing for you. Nice. I have a discussion topic. Let's do it. Yeah. Yeah. You know what, James? What are pre- I think pre-performance warm-ups are unnecessary, or do I? Oh. Uh, yeah. Are pre-improv show warm-ups a good thing? Or are they just a waste of time? I think you should pick a side. You should start by picking a side. I do have a side.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, what's the side?

SPEAKER_05

My side is um I I'll tell you a quick story. My side is that I used to think they were unnecessary and I used to hate them. Oh. And I used to think, oh no, pre-show warm-ups, don't need to do them. I can just, you know, whatever, drink my fizzy drink and chat to people and um uh see how everyone is, and then go on stage and do a show. Now, I still think there's parts of that that are important, not just the fizzy drink, but the mingling with people that you're about to do a show with, checking in with them on how they're doing, how their week was, how their day was, how how they are in general, emotionally, physically, all of that stuff. Really checking in with people knowing how they are. Because uh I I I know that for me, then if I'm going on on stage with them, regardless of whether I know them well or I don't know them very well, I I have an idea of that, I have a connection with that person before I stepped on stage. So that is a part of the warm-up for me. Um uh, but I used to think that, oh well, that's that's a quick part that I can do. I don't need to do word at a time store. Uh what is it, um Rhyme and Associate or um, you know, any of the other warm-up games before going on? Not necessary. I now think I was wrong. I do.

SPEAKER_02

I have a similar journey, I suppose. Um, but I I I think I think it's it's to do a callback to a previous episode when we talked about short form games and we talked about how it the scoring, you know, used to be like you were saying, theater sports was the idea of like professional wrestling, right? The scoring wasn't super um integral to it, it was more of a performative aspect. Yes, but people had kind of taken it away from that initial core or idea and it become more um strict, right? Or implemented, you know, uh more consistently. And I think for me, it's very similar with the warmups because I yeah, I I when there was, you know, a large, you know, you yeah, you've got lots of different teams and you want to kind of do a big group warm-up together, um I would, you know, my the the hair on the on my back would rise up and I'd be like, I don't want to, it's like, wow, what I need to do this. It's like these are other teams, it's I'm not gonna be working with them, you know. I can just do my own thing, right? You know, and we have to. Um, but I think now what would be what uh issue it was my approach. I think it wasn't the warm-ups that were the issue at all, right? It was the idea that um I yeah, for me, it's kind of like thinking changing, it was a paradigm shift in terms of thinking about what was the purpose of the warmups. And I think kind of like what you were saying with checking in on the other performers, for me, what what's really helpful is being in the moment. And I think that's also what I've been noticing with my students as well, is the warm-ups have forced them to leave all of their stuff at the door that they've you know had that day or that week or whatever, and kind of come into the room in the moment, in the present with everyone and deal with what's currently there. Um and I think with those warm-ups in the past, I wasn't doing that. I was just, oh, this is just a warm-up, whatever. Instead of seeing it as an opportunity to um yeah, be present and deal and kind of deal with like actually warm up the idea of being in the room and dealing with what I was given.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

But I think that's also because I've maybe I've grown as an improviser as well.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Because I definitely and probably still am, obviously, but like before I was less aware of my desire to kind control everything, right? So I guess when there's other kind of unknown entities there that you know I'm all warming up with, then it's like, well, yeah, there's no point in participating in this warm-up because I don't need them because I can't control them. Like they're not part of my team as well, right? But it could it should have been an opportunity to go, oh great, I get to deal with something in the present, you know, I get to I get to be in the room. Yeah. So yeah, I have a very yeah, like you.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, I think it's the valuable part of of um your reaction. I mean you in general, everyone's reaction to if if you react to oh, we're gonna do a warm-up, um, a group warm-up. I think the valuable part is to question why you're reacting that way and what is it that makes you resistant. Um I I don't think that's a bad thing. I think whatever it's bringing up in you is something that's like, oh, okay, this is something I really gotta check with. What is it that I'm resisting? And I know that for me the resistance was I'm scared. I'm scared of doing a warm-up because I um if I do something on stage, it's uh it's done. It's on stage, it's done. Um you know, and and and that's it. If I if I do something um in a warm, and then this sounds weird, but if I do something in a in a warm-up that's going to be judged, I I like we we can someone can give me their opinion about it, or or there's there's something there that feels like I'm scared to do something in case I will be judged.

SPEAKER_02

Yes. I I definitely felt that as well.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. So that's my insecurity as a performer and and in general as a human being. Um, but I but I get that. And then it's that thing of as you mature, I think, as an improviser and as a human being, um, you you go, ah, you know, effort. Let's just like lean into you if you lean into the warmups, regardless of whether you think they're fun or whether it's a warm-up that you don't really like, if you lean into it and just see what happens, then you've already opened your mind up to okay, when I'm step on stage, I'm already going to lean into whatever and and see what happens on on the stage. I'm I'm giving myself permission already to just let's just see. But if you're if you're resisting it and um questioning it and and whatever, I I feel like I then am more likely to walk on stage with that mindset.

SPEAKER_01

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_05

And that is going to affect how I play, and that's also gonna affect how I come across to the audience and how I come across to other players. And I don't like that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Yeah, I mean I've I've definitely I wish I could go back and kind of uh train myself to be, you know. Um I say train because if I just told myself I wouldn't, I don't think my young my past self would have believed initially of just like, oh yeah, you know, like you you can relax, like you're like don't worry about competing against these other teams. It's not about that, you know.

SPEAKER_05

You have to go through the journey.

SPEAKER_02

Exactly, right? Like, yeah, I I couldn't have, but you know, yeah, but I think that's the thing is that yeah, I wish I could have been more chill, I guess. Oh yeah, you know not well.

SPEAKER_05

I mean not you needed to be uptight, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I needed to, yeah, I needed to go through the thing of I need to get it right, you know. I need to get it right, I can't screw it up, um, and I can't do it, I can't screw it up in front of these other people as well. So, yeah, and I think uh yeah, the the warmups, I think, yeah, then uh it's it's very much a framing thing. I think I also I was also just just like, yeah, I was like, why, yeah, why do I need to warm up with the other players who are not on my team? You know, I think then it was also um yeah, maybe maybe then it was also very much an us versus them mentality as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, absolutely, and I think that was also because I guess yeah, linked to kind of the judging, judging other people is that insecurity in myself of like, oh, do I belong here? You know, have I um, you know, am I good enough to be here? And the solution to that is to go, yeah, oh well it's us versus them, you know, and they are not on our side, you know. So I think, yeah, all of those things now, um, you know, if I were to go back and do it again, um, or go into those group, you know, those group performances or whatnot, um, then yeah, hopefully I'd like to think that I um sorry to cut in.

SPEAKER_05

I just um I remember um some of the best um short form multi-team shows I've been in have been where um I think it's a few things. I think you sense it in the people who are doing that show, um you know, multiple teams, but they mightn't have come in with the kind of the the us only us attitude. Um and and you'll sus you'll suss that out when you're doing a group warm-up. Um but when it's been really playful and everyone's just kind of maybe even if you had some, so if you had a guard your guard up before starting, if you do a warm-up, um we've done warm-ups that have been really, really playful and uh and stupid. So because stupid then breaks through all of that um uh pretense, pretense, etc. Um and then gone on to do the show. The show itself hasn't necessarily been stupid, but it's been playful. And and and what I've found happens is that then the show feels more like it is the whole or everyone's part of the ensemble. So you'll you'll um jump into group scenes of other of other teams, um, but with a generous sort of attitude. Um and there've been moments that have just been magical because everyone's felt like they can jump in and be a part of the you know, whatever, the gibberish opera or part of this big scene in a restaurant. Um and it's and it's magical not just because the you know, as as a viewer, you you you watch and you go, oh, isn't that very clever of everyone to come in and support them? You actually feel the sense of generosity. You feel like everyone's jumped in, not just because it's a good improv thing to do, but because it's like, oh yeah, this looks like that, yeah. Let's give them we're part of this the magic of show making, and we'll we'll just jump in and and support them and whatever, cre create you know, this this beautiful moment. Um, I think warm-ups can do that. Um, although you can't predict that that's gonna happen. Yeah, you can't, you know, think, oh, if I do this fantastic group warm-up, then everyone's gonna feel you can't, it's just whatever happens. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02

We've got an improv show where anything could happen and it has to be open. So the warm-ups have to be really regimented to make sure that happens, right? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05

So that also means that I mean, I think that you can't you you st when I do a warm-up with the tiny impro co, it's um it's they don't go on for too long, but they're based on what how how I've walked in and I can feel how the group feels, if they're nervous, if they're really um um being cautious about decisions, and you pick that up also in the way they do the warm-up. Um but I will make sure I do something that uh that opens them up to playfulness, to playfulness to listening. Um and it won't be perfect, it's not supposed to be, but it at least gets them in the flow of it before they walk on stage, and I that's the important thing is that they're in the flow of something before you step on stage.

SPEAKER_02

Um what about so what what what do you have? You because you mentioned, you know, like those um big group performance shows um having like a really um silly warm-up. Do you have like what are your favorite? Well fun warm-up. Yeah, what what what what would you what do you do you have warm-ups that you would recommend that would be really fun or go-to warm-ups that you like to use?

SPEAKER_05

Um yeah, I do. I um uh yeah, I do. I and I do this for classes as well. It's uh I'm almost embarrassed to talk about it because it's just so simple. Oh, okay. Um and it's done very in very different ways, but but in my anyway, in my teaching, I've I've developed it to be what it is, what it is, what I'm now about to explain to you, which is that it's um everyone is in a circle, uh group circle, and we do the pass the clap. Do you know what I mean? So you face your person to your left and you and you clap at them and they pass that around the group. Okay, so that's the basic form of it. In some um some teachers will then pass it, you'll you'll then pass it across the room to people, um, or you'll change direction. Um, all those things uh can can happen. You pass a clap, you can change direction just to get to get people on their toes if they're feeling too comfortable. Um the thing I l started, and I think David Rosowski taught me this, I think, um, is you you pass the clap, but you uh don't just uh pass the physical act of clapping. You read your if I've received it from my right, I read my my group partner, you know, I read them, everything about them physically, how they're standing, and look on their face as quickly as I can, how they've clapped at me, and I pass what I what I perceive. So I'm copying them basically, and I pass that as well as a clap. Do you see what I mean?

SPEAKER_02

Yes, because I've stolen this from you.

SPEAKER_05

Okay, good. I'm really well, everyone's still it's not necessarily even mine, but but I did that because it makes it just observation and then and passing it on. And this is the thing, the reason why I love this exercise is because it changes. Yes, and and then there's not always, but the magic, there's a golden point in it where it becomes a thing of its own. Where where you're all just doing this thing where you're copying each other, but it kind of morphs into this kind of slightly silly thing where everyone's adding something to it, perhaps, not intentionally, but they're so in the fun of it that you're kind of adding extra things and it grows.

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_05

Um, and suddenly you're all you're all like what usually happens that people turn into apes or like um and and it becomes this. I love that moment. It's just this beautiful thing, organic thing of itself.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I use that. I I use that basically in every uh place I teach. Because yeah, the what I think it helps the actor is observation. You know, well, one of the things it does is observation, right? Because that I can I can you you can really quickly see who is assuming, actually, to bring it back to the top of the show. Um uh who is assuming of you and me.

SPEAKER_05

It does, anyway.

SPEAKER_02

They're just like, oh, this person's just clapping at me, I'll call I'll clap and pass it on. It's like, what are they actually doing? What are they actually giving you? Yeah, because you can't be a good actor, you can't be a good improviser if you're misreading offers, if you're if you're kind of refusing to really observe the other person and just kind of go, oh yeah, whatever, they're doing this thing, you know, so I'm just gonna do whatever, right? Yeah, because then you're not really in conversation, you know, you're not really in communication, you're not acting, you know. Yeah, and then the um honesty, you know. So what I like to encourage is tell people that um we are we're being honest in our observations, which means that if we include things that the actor might not think are intentional, yes, right? Because we can't judge whether people are being intentional or not, you know. If somebody, I don't know, um store they're just they're walking away, but for some reason it's particularly loud and stompy, then then maybe I'll be like, oh well, that's part of their performance, and the audience sees it too, right? And that's the yet another thing that's helpful about this is that everybody in the circle can see. I guess I don't want it to be a judgy thing, but they can kind of see what people don't pick up. Yes. And it I hope it I hope it tells them you need to be observant, you need to be honest. Absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh uh it also, I mean, for me, it it is obviously correlated to my absolute belief that um uh words aren't as important as all the other physical off offerings that your scene partner is giving you. There's so much you know, happening. Um so many gifts are being given to you that if you just choose, I'm just going to listen to what you say, you're you're miss you know, you're missing out on what's the really lovely, shiny thing that's sparking some interest in me. Not exactly what what James has said, but perhaps the tone of his voice, or he he lil he lil he lilted upwards at the end of his sentence. It's like, well, why'd you make that noise or whatever, or something physically? So it's the way you've said something, what your feet are doing, how your body is moving, all those unconscious things. Yes, for me as an improviser, sometimes picking up on that is actually what's like delightful. It's like, oh, oh, he did this thing. Um, why did he do that? Okay, let's use it. Um so anyway, doing a warm-up that that encourages that is is great.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, I yeah And if they fuck it up in the show, then you just give them shit afterwards. Because you did a warm-up, guys. Right? And then you went on stage and you did the opposite. You're all dead to me. One of those motivational speeches after the show is reading. No, you do not do any of that. Please. Do not do that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. No, I I I think, yeah, that's yeah, and and it's it's I think it's also the other great thing about it is it's yeah, because it's so physical, it it grounds you, right? In physically the here and now in the present, rather than thinking about, you know, um, oh, I need to think of something clever, or you know, I need to, I need to think of the the the whatever. It kind of I'm this is something that this is actually maybe maybe you can help, but I want to try and get the people who I teach who to do that to kind of observe so much about the other person that they're kind of overwhelmed when they try and replicate it in order to tap into that unconscious and the instinct. You know what I mean? Because I feel like when they're in their head, then that's when the assuming comes in. Because it's just, oh, they're just clapping. Great, I just need to do that. But when they have to take into account the whole of the person, that's overwhelming in terms of trying to replicate it. But I think that's a good thing because it hijacks your Yeah, I've I've uh I does that make sense or yes, yes, yes, it absolutely does.

SPEAKER_05

Um see, I've always just thought that that happens or organically because um there is too much information being given to me about how this person is passing the clap to me. Um that I just pick the the one the or two things that stand out the most. Is that their face? Yes. The way their face looked, or the way their face looked and the leg moved and the way they're clapped. Okay. So so you are actually trying to you're you're reading a lot of information really quickly, and then and then I think it's actually physically impossible to relay that information um uh fully and accurately. You can't, and that is why it's great. Yeah. Because it and why it evolves is because of those things that you've dropped, or those things that you've you in the passing of that information have accidentally um exaggerated or underplayed or done or changed in some way. Um but I think the brain does that. I think the brain just says, Oh, there's too much for me to deal with, I'm just gonna do this. And it's only and it's allowed to do that because you're you're responding so quickly that you're not allowing yourself time to edit intentionally.

SPEAKER_01

Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_05

And that's what you want. Don't give yourself time to edit intentionally. You're just doing it. You're just in it and you're doing it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that's that's very helpful. The other thing um that's also really great about the uh the truthfulness of it is yeah, because it's impossible for you to perfectly embody another human being, because you don't have their body, it means that you're being honest with yourself, but also everybody else's as well, right? It's like if if I have a bad back and I can't do that movement you did, I do it to the best of my ability, or I kind of I'm reinterpreting what you're doing to the best of my ability in my own intention. But everybody is doing that anyway, right? Whether they you whether they have no back pain or or whatever, right? And I think it helps us understand that, yeah, I guess the the the honesty. I'm not I can't pretend I don't have a bad back. I can't pretend I'm a different height, you know, or a different weight.

SPEAKER_05

You're not supposed to.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_05

It's it's also now we're we're getting sort of knuckling down on this exercise, but it's also supposed to show that that everything is an offer and they're and that you know, even the thing that like not doing it correctly, whatever that means, yeah, whatever that means, is is um not a thing. Yes, because the the way you've done it is is the new thing. Yeah, and now this is the new thing. Oh, okay. Well, well, James has a sore back and he can't swivel around. So he's done this kind of um you know slight move that's a little bit quick clunky. Yep. Fantastic. That's the new thing. That's the new thing. Rather than sitting and standing at the opposite end of the opposite side of the circle going, oh well, he didn't do that properly.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, or or he was well, he was trying to do that move, I'll just do that instead. I'll fix it and skip what he gained, right?

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, it's like no, no, no, don't fix it. This is the new thing, this is exciting.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_05

All right, now I get to do this thing, and everyone else is like, ah, the new thing is is exciting, it's not a mistake.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, yes, yeah. Um yeah, I think I mean, I guess this is mostly in application to um improv uh improv shows, whether they're groups that you haven't worked with, you know, I guess relative strangers or your own uh you know uh troupe, right? Um because I'm thinking also about um warm-ups in like uh uh theatrical context and stuff like that, you know, which I feel is very different.

SPEAKER_05

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02

Go on. I mean, like as an actor, I mean, everybody is well when I perform in a theater, like in a play, I want to be able to have You're talking about scripted work.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, scripted work, thank you, thank you. Work of the devil.

SPEAKER_02

Yes. Apostasy, yes. Um the heretical works. I'm jerky. Um but um, you know, I uh that for me is a very much a solo warm-up, you know. Yes, and I've you know, I've kind of been trained, you know, I I've you know my background is in that dressing room, the dressing room is a um a sacred space and we all work to protect it um for each other. Um so yeah, you if somebody needs alone time to warm up, we leave them alone. If somebody needs to chat to warm up, then you know we try and help that, right? But or if it's a two-hander and one person wants to lie down and the other person wants to chat. Yeah, yeah. Well, oh yeah, yeah. I mean, there's right. I mean, I I don't I mean that's a good question. Yeah, that's a very good I mean that's a good question. I mean, I don't know. I don't know how you'd solve that. I don't know. This poor stage manager is trying to like we have to keep them apart.

SPEAKER_05

But they're gonna go into a show together. I know, but still one of them is a chatter.

SPEAKER_02

Sorry, no, no, go continue, James. Yeah, yeah, but yeah, uh for me, I guess that's really interesting. I I hadn't really thought about the different mindsets I had approaching improv versus scripted work, right? And then when you talked about that warm-up there, I think I would kind of, yeah, you know, with my troop or whatever, I would almost pretty much insist with improv having a warm-up together.

SPEAKER_05

Mind you, when you're doing a play too, you've had a you've had a rehearsal period where you've been able to do group mind with oh I know for me for me, I don't.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, I I mean I'm sure other people have their own, you know, methods, but not for me, not in rehearsals for scripted work. I don't really do warm group warm-ups.

SPEAKER_05

No, no, no, but not I'm not even talking about warm-ups, I'm talking about the constant rehearsing of a play with other people. Oh you you are getting feels for them. You know, you are picking up yeah, you're working together, you're not working in isolation because you have a rehearsal period. Yes, yes. So when you actually get to the sh show time, you don't necessarily have to do something to to well, you you should do something, I think, to connect to to it with each other, and that might even just be looking at each other before you step on stage. Yeah, I mean, I mean I've had yeah, lots of people. But there's already been a bond or a relationship or a something there. And with improv, that necessarily isn't necessarily there.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

When you do scripted work, do you have your own do you solo warm-up or do you want a group warm-up? What do you do?

SPEAKER_05

Um, I am usually so terrified and neurotic that I'll need some time on my own, but before before going on stage, uh I I'll want to spend time. I don't know. It depends. It depends on the on the who's in who's in the show and what the show is. It really does depend. Sometimes if I'm in if I'm too in my head though, I need a distraction. Um so I drink. No. Um if I'm doing my head, then I'll just have a little chat with someone or or I'll just go over whatever it is that I'm whatever it is I'm not confident about. Yeah. Yeah, I mean it's and then that goes away. And then, you know, the next night or the following night it'll it'll be better.

SPEAKER_02

Because those, I guess, you know, warm-ups can become a whole ritual, right? Yeah. So I think that's i in a positive way, but also you know, in a negative way too. I think when uh interestingly, I yeah, interesting. I would have thought that improv I've seen I feel like I've seen less negative rituals in improv than scripted work. But I would have thought that it'd be more present in improv because of its nature of being unpredictable.

SPEAKER_05

So, what do you mean by negative rituals?

SPEAKER_02

So negative rituals, as in uh there's there's there's a kind of you know, school, I guess, uh kind of not quite a school, but you know, like a group of actors um who kind of share this mindset of oh, I'm not really in control of the performance, or I guess it's also a deep-seated insecurity, I suppose. But in order to kind of maintain control over it, they develop uh rituals. So, for example, stuff like you can't say Macbeth in a in a theater. Um, you know, there's lots of kind of uh you have to leave the ghost light, the stage light on at night for the ghost and stuff like that, and um rituals like that. Or like, oh, uh before every show, I have to um I have to go through every line of my script um out loud before I go do the show. And if I don't, um it's a catastrophe. So stuff like that.

SPEAKER_05

Or I had uh I have a coffee before I have a matcha tea before every show, and and if I I better have a matcha tea before this show, otherwise the show won't go superstitions, really.

SPEAKER_02

It's it's yeah, it it's basically it borders on superstition, right? But I think the most I guess nefarious ones are the ones that don't get called superstition, they just call get called this is my habit, this is how I warm up, this is how I get ready.

SPEAKER_05

Right.

SPEAKER_02

And it cannot be disturbed.

SPEAKER_05

Okay, okay. Well, it's the security blanket, I think.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, exactly, right? Um but I just I I don't know, I just realized I'd seen it way more in scripted theatre than in improv. But when improv is right, is more uh well you're on the edge, or yeah, I th uh yeah like I'm just think I I just would have expected more people to I don't know have little crucifixes in theatre sports and and little shrines.

SPEAKER_05

No, because you're trained to to um dive into jump into the danger, as it were. That's the thing. So you're not looking for a crutch per se. It's like, oh no, well, you know, I've been uh you know, hopefully you've you've realized that oh no, I'll just jump in there and see what happens and uh everything's gonna be okay. It'll be all right. It'll be fine. This is what it is, this is what it is. Improv is this is me not, it's me removing all those or as many of those safety barriers as I possibly can to to open up to the possibility. That was very profound. Yeah, yeah. I I want to say too though, that so um uh friends of mine know this story, but uh I with Lady Fingers, which is the um trio ensemble I have with Lynette Voller and Ann Wilson, we don't do warm-ups. And um so often we'll do shows though that they're not short form, they're long form shows, and we'll play characters in them. Um not always, but but but recently that's been the thing. With the sh the witches show we've played three witches from um Macbeth. Um it's an improvised show. Um, but our warm-up is really through the years, and we've been together for maybe 10 years now, maybe more, I've lost count. But a warm-up is we sit we'll hang out together before a show and just chat about how was your week, how was your day, how are the kids, what's going on, da-da-da. And then have a and then if someone needs time on their own, they'll do that, they'll put their makeup on, or they'll get changed, or whatever we need to do for each other. But it definitely is um, and this is also in rehearsal. In rehearsal, our habit used to be this might drive some people crazy, two-hour rehearsal. The first hour is spent just talking to each other and eating snacks. Yeah, that was it, talking to each other, eating snacks. Maybe even sometimes it moved into the first hour and a half, talking with each other, eating snacks, and then one and then half an hour of actual improv exercise and um going through aspects of the show or whatever. And it sounds like madness, because even when it was happening, I thought, I don't know how professional this is. We should be doing way more work um than we are, but but it it just worked well because we would run any insecurities that we had we had. For for example, and that offer meant the structure of the show, not necessarily what we did in the show, but just the structure of it. Okay, we do this at this point, or we introduced we introduced this game at this point, da da da. Um so any insecurities that we felt, we would run. If I felt like I wanted to to play with a I'm always playing this um quirky kind of, you know, quirky sister characters. I want to do I want to play with something different, um, maybe something a little darker. We'll run that in in a rehearsal. But it it it was never I I think what what we were accidentally doing was not making the rehearsal feel like it was hard work, not making it feel like we had we had yeah, we had to really work hard at at getting something right because that that also just knocked the joy out of getting together to rehearse. Um so we touch on those things that that were important to us and to the show, but we didn't make it a chore or make it a thing that we had to drill and and you know really, yeah, really, really kind of unpack. Um so that when we did get on stage, the there we felt like we were prepared, but we didn't over-prepare, or we didn't um we still had room, or I speaking for myself, I still had room to step on stage and play with a character because I hadn't w overworked it. I I still had space for discovery. Yeah, but the the because we're we're wonderful friends, the the getting together and chat chatting to each other um was crucial because uh through the years we realized that what it did is just cement our friendship and build trust between us. And there are times also when we disagree on things, but we it built this relationship where we could discuss those things. Um so that when we got on stage, uh I we felt we were we were we were gonna be fine.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05

And we still I I still feel that way about those two ladies and working with them. You know, um yeah, so that is that's why I said it in at the beginning that I think that the checking in with people is part of the warm-up. Um because it builds trust, but it builds an understanding of those people. And I also know that in in shows um with Lady Fings, and I'm we may have talked about this on another episode of this wonderful podcast, um that um and I've also said this to the tiny impro ensemble is that the the chats about how you know how was your day, James, what happened to you? Um there have been times with Lady Fings when someone's had a bad day or a tough week, or this thing happened to me at work and um it just drove me crazy, or this person um I saw this person do this, or whatever, whatever the chat is. There might be a point in the show where I'm reminded of what Annie has said to me in in rehearsal and I bring it into the scene. Um, not in a negative way, or not to bring up anything negative, but she also knows me well enough to know that I'm super playful, and I know her well enough to know that if I do something playful, she'll either be the strong straight man or she'll dive into the pool of crazy with me, and then Lynette will be the strong man, state um straight person. Um so I'll bring up something that she said, for example, there was this annoying person that kept doing this thing, and it just drove me crazy all day. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I will bring that up in the scene. And so, and I do that because I want to see the look of delight or or like I can't believe you're doing this all day in her in her eye. I do that intentionally because I want to um I want to I want to delight my fellow player. Um because I because and I want to delight her because she's had a rough day or a rough week or something, and I and then you get to play with it, and I get to play and we get to play with it, and we get to kind of disarm it and disarm it. Um but that happens only because we've had that chat beforehand, yes, you know, and she's told me and we trust each other. There you go. Great, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Well, um it sounds like uh warm-ups are incredibly important.

SPEAKER_05

They are incredibly important, yeah, yeah. But again, I I I would say the the thing is not to put too much stress on them, don't make them a chore, they're not supposed to be a chore. Um they'll probably be unique for each group, they'll be unique for each group and they won't be the same for every show, even if you have a run of the same show.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Um uh tune into what it is that everyone might need if you're a director. Um tune into what you might need individually. Yeah. Um, if you feel like you don't need anything, it's like, oh no, I feel okay, and then that's all right. Just do something that's fun, but also be open to what other people in the group need. And take it, embrace it as an opportunity to just connect with everybody and um so that when you and and commit to it so that when you step on stage and you do your show, um, you're already present and open and aware. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Great. Well, thank you everyone. Thank you for listening.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. If you're still here, thank you.

SPEAKER_02

Are you here? Hello? Hello?

SPEAKER_05

Um yeah, which brings us to um we have an email address. So if anyone has um a question or something that you'd want us to discuss, please, please, please write to us at lindatellsjames. Oh sorry, lindatellsjames at gmail.com. One day I will remember this email, I swear. Linda tellsjames at gmail.com. Please write to us. We would love to hear from people. Also, we don't really know if anyone's listening to us.

SPEAKER_02

So so um Yeah, you know, um, I'm sure all of I well, I I'm sure many, many people have been trying to contact me by like carrier pigeon. Um, but I've been shooting all of the pigeons that have been flying around in my apartment.

SPEAKER_05

Oh pigeons, they are so underrated.

SPEAKER_02

Um uh or um any messages in a bottle. Um, unfortunately, I kind of recycle those before I read them. So any of those have not been coming in.

SPEAKER_05

So kudos to you for being so old school if that's your chosen method. It is communication. Um, yeah, yeah, big ups to you. Um, but we have a Facebook page. Yeah, yeah, I know. I finally got it my act together and created a Facebook page, um, which is basically called Minotaur's James Is Wrong About Improv. Um Facebook. Um, so you can always leave us uh a little comment there or something, or even if it's just to say, hey guys, I've been listening to your podcast, please stop. Or something, or just letting you know that I'm listening and and that's it. We just I don't know, it would just be nice to have a little bit of I don't know, uh hello, we're out here. You're not just you know shooting shit to into the voice.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, um, you know, we'll be posting um, you know, updating when we when we're releasing new episodes on on Facebook, and then um, yeah, potentially doing other posts um, you know, uh uh about improv and whatnot that and and you obviously you can post as well. So then you know, we can have a little you know community, we can chat. Yeah, um it'd be lovely. Yeah. Um, but I think I think we've covered everything, is that right? Well, maybe not everything, but everything for now. Everything for now. Yeah. Great. Okay, James. That was great. Yeah, thanks then. Yeah, that was great.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

All right, thank you, everyone. We'll see you next time.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, okay. Bye. I love you.

SPEAKER_02

Bye. I love you.