At the beginning of last semester, I had the wonderful experience of joining an improv and comedy troupe here on Eastern’s campus, Unprepared and Confident. I’ve always been a theatre person, so at first, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about acting without a script. As the weeks passed, I started enjoying improv more and more, and beyond that, I picked up some valuable life lessons.
1. When the unexpected happens, just roll with it.
This was one of the very first things I learned. You may have a certain idea about how a scene is going to go, but then your scene partner comes out of nowhere with something changing the whole idea. In improv, one of the golden rules is that you can’t say no, so you have to just go with it. In the same way, when life throws you a curveball, sometimes it’s best to just accept it and see where it’ll take you, you never know what great moments could come out of it.
2. You do it to make your partner look good.
I’ll never forget when one of our co-presidents gave us this tip, that when we are doing improv, we do it to make the other person look good, and they are doing it to make us look good. This way, everyone ends up doing well and making a successful scene. This was a great reminder that when we do something in life, we shouldn’t always do it selfishly and for our own benefit. When we are able to do things for others, we can work more as a cohesive team and make sure everyone looks good.
3. Trust your instincts.
One of the hardest things to learn in improv was — and is — trusting your ideas and thoughts in the moment. Sometimes you have an idea, but you aren’t sure if it’s good enough, but the thing is, if you wait in improv, the scene will move on without you. You have to learn to trust what your gut tells you, because more often than not, you have really good ideas and thoughts at your core.
4. Don’t be afraid to look ridiculous.
In improv, you never know who or what you may have to play. You could be anything from a whiny baby to a giraffe to a stripper, and just have to go with it. After a while, you learn to not care if you look ridiculous, because everyone looks ridiculous at one time or another, and it just means you are committing to the character. When I’m going about my life I know I sometimes care what other people will think of me, or if people think I look stupid, but improv has helped me squash that. There’s no shame in having fun and being a little childish or silly looking, if you are having fun, that’s all that matters.
5. Laughter is the best medicine.
I look forward to Tuesday nights from 7 to 9 p.m., not only because I get to hang out with a really great group of people, but also because I get to laugh with (and at) them. When I’m stressed or have a lot on my plate, I know that I can always trust that time to improve my mood, give me energy, and help relieve the stress of life. In a world where there’s always another homework assignment to do, a paper to write, or a test to study for, Unprepared and Confident has taught me the importance of laughter, and that it honestly is the best medicine.
