Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Say "Yes"

The key to improvisation is accepting the reality created and adding to it. It's helpful in a scene, but also in life:
There are people who prefer to say 'yes,' and there are people who prefer to say 'no.' Those who say 'yes' are rewarded by the adventures they have, and those who say 'no' are rewarded by the safety they attain.
That's from Keith Johnstone. I'll be thinking about this a lot this week as my Improv 101 class continues and my Youth 201 starts. It's interesting to see me convince adults to play more and kids to play less.

2 comments:

  1. If one wants "safety" but fears that "safety" will eventually turn into a rut one doesn't want to be in, then the preventive measure should probably be to step out of character and accept "adventure" from time to time.

    Am I understanding the lesson here?

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  2. Sounds good to me. I think I've been convicted of the "marital comfort zone" I'm stuck in. Why go out with other people when I can watch TV with my wife?

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You are the reason why I do not write privately. I would love to hear your thoughts, whether you agree or not.