On Sunday I attended my first improv workshop, and the experience was overwhelmingly positive.
After thinking I got on the wrong train, which was actually the right train, I had to run about 3 blocks to make it on time.
The instructor put the group of 20 or so into a big circle for introductions. I found out two things during the introductions that immediately put me in a positive mood.
Most of the people there were from somewhere else (like me), and that they had similar goals to mine. The big two were to get out of your head, and to step outside of your comfort zone. Anytime you're in a group of like minded people, good things can happen.
The first 3/4 of the workshop were exercises to get you stop thinking and start paying attention to the people around you. Right up my alley.
At the intermission I stepped outside for a smoke with some of the other participants. As I mentioned in my last post I had fallen back into smoking cigarettes something fierce. I'm happy to report that I haven't had a cigarette in 2 days. However, smoking has always carried a social quality that is hard to replace.
Before I knew it, I was outside smoking and talking with a handful of people I had never met, finding out they are just like me. They came from all over the globe, and like me they were a bunch of creative weirdos trying to find their way in the world.
Back inside, the instructor asked for volunteers for a two person scene, to be performed onstage in front of the rest of the group.
I told myself I should jump up there and try it out, and before I knew it I was on stage with a woman from Paris and the scene had begun. I didn't allow myself the time to ruminate whether I should do it or not, and I'm glad I overrode my brain to do something I wanted to do. The instructor said something about improv that resonated with me, which was this:
The reward for saying Yes is getting to go on an adventure, and the reward for saying No is comfort and security.
I hope he doesn't mind that I'm sharing it here, nor that I likely butchered the saying.
The scene went as well as it could have considering I had never done anything like it before. I stumbled a bit, but by the time the dust settled both of us had crafted a scene that told a story. And we got a handful of genuine laughs from the rest of the group.
The others were surprised when I told them that this was my first time doing a scene. They told me that I did a great job.
This is Example A of why I'm doing this in the first place. In my opinion, too many people in this world would rather tell you NOT to do something, than encourage you. If more people were helping build things instead of destroying things, the world would be better off. I had never met these people, and yet here were these complete strangers fostering a positive environment for someone taking a chance and trying something new.
For years I thought this was something I would like, and my first forray into this world exceeded even my own expectations. The vibe and people involved encouraged me to keep doing this and further cemented to me that this was the right choice.
I just might fit in here.
All in all, it was a glimpse through the keyhole of a door I hope to soon unlock and open.
There is another workshop tonight, and I will be signing up for a 4 week Improv 1 class that begins this Saturday. I have also found an acting school, which seems to be run by a warm and hard working woman that I will also be looking into once it is a little more financially viable.
I've only been in Montreal for 4 days, and I know that for the next 4 weekends I will be spending a minimum of 5 hours in the improv/comedy world.
I'm here to tell you that I consider this a victory. Now to find a real job...