To Conflict or Not to Conflict?

We were focusing on the middle of scenes in workshop this week. We were looking at possible tilts, breaking the routine, and at what techniques can move the action forward. An improviser asked me if what I wanted to see was conflict. I, without hesitation, responded with a resounding “NO”. I have always avoided teaching conflict in scenes, especially when teaching newer improvisers. I do this because conflict makes me feel gross when I watch it. After the improviser asked me, he followed it up with, “Why not?” I blinked and with a blank stare started talking to see if I would find an answer mid speech. I knew I didn’t like conflict but hadn’t looked or explored closely at why I disliked it so much until that moment.

I believe it was Keith Johnstone that said, “The reason people love to watch improv is because it’s the only time you can see people getting along and working together rather than fighting and arguing.” We as people move easily to conflict. We do so mostly out of fear. When we get scared we tense up and protect ourselves. In fact we tend to over-protect ourselves to the point that we become negative, defensive and gravitate to conflict. So when working with newer improvisers I attempt to create a warm and welcoming environment in the hopes that they can relax and hopefully start what I like to call “happy and healthy” scenes.

I’ve been saying to improvisers a lot lately that they should “find their fun” on stage, or that they should figure out what they truly enjoy about improvising. This is all in the hopes that they naturally avoid conflict because they are having fun and, by extension, feel comfortable. This unfortunately doesn’t always work. It’s amazing how many times I’ve watched an improviser pretending to have fun in a scene. They sound sarcastic and are awkward to watch.

Most adults who are learning to improvise pretend to have fun rather than just simply having fun. Improvising as an adult is not as easy as you might think. I would argue that one of the hardest challenges is learning how to break through all the rules with which the world beats us down. Having fun can be scary for adults because it reveals a part of us that we are conditioned to believe is “childish”. Having fun means taking a risk by being genuine rather than performing. In some ways, improv can result in a more genuine presentation of ourselves than what we call “real life”. Makes you wonder whether we perform more on stage or in real life.

This is not to say that good improv cannot come from a scene with an improviser who is still learning to “find their fun”.  What I love most about seeing someone on stage pretending to be happy or pretending to have fun is that it creates a really fascinating dynamic between themselves and another improviser who is more comfortable on stage . All it takes is for one or both to notice the genuity and ingenuity of their characters and play to the true relationship dynamic. A player being disingenuous is such a huge amazing offer whether they intended it to be one or not.

Side note: Dynamic is a big focus of mine. I am as of late heavily exploring three different levels: real true dynamic between the improvisers, dynamic between the two characters and lastly the dynamic between the improvisers and the audience. There is so much to explore there and it really creates meaty scenes when you become aware of these dynamics. This is usually established in the first couple offers made in the start of a scene and can really help secure a strong platform off the hop.

There has been conflict scenes I have actually enjoyed. What makes them different? The conclusion I have come up with is that one or both of the improvisers were strong enough to look at subtext hidden under the disagreement in the scene. They were able to dissect the scene enough to have the conflict be important and focus on what was “really going” on in the relationship. They played to their relationship dynamic, rather than relying on the surface conflict to carry the scene. When we have two people on stage that do not play present enough to see the relationship dynamic, they miss the subtlety that is there. They argue and block the offers from moving forward.  They get into fight or flight mode and it turns ugly. You cannot be present in a scene if you are in panic mode. Fear will paralyze you.

Fun, however, enables you. Play makes you stronger and more confident. And with greater strength and confidence comes a sense of calm and comfort that allows you to be present and to see under the skin of a scene and to understand the intricate nervous system at work underneath.  

In our next class I am going to start to dissect conflict and attempt to create a safe environment to explore this part of an improv scene. There are certain tools we can use to help us if we end up in a conflict scene. I have performed in many shows where I am playing with someone who goes on the attack and stops listening to their scene partner; when an improviser becomes defensive or uncomfortable it can be difficult to recover the scene. I believe that by looking closely at where their anxiety is coming from, and by paying close attention to what’s underneath the conflict, we can do grounded scene work that is enjoyable for both audience and improviser.

Gauge Your Improv

You have been doing improv a little while. You may have done a hand full of shows, or at least attended enough classes that you lost count. You may have been doing improv for years and years with a thousand shows under your belt. Have you checked in to see where your skills are lately? Self evaluation is a pretty hard thing to pull off. We usually look to instructors or directors to keep us on track and let us know where we are with our development. That or we are just so hard on ourselves that we don’t do anything except beat ourselves up which doesn’t get us further ahead at all. At some point you need to look inward and be able to truly check in with where your skills are using an unbiased opinion.

Let’s start by looking at a couple ways we should probably avoid using as an indicator of our skill level. Firstly, audience laughter shouldn’t be used as a gauge for success in improv. Many well known improvisers have written articles and blogs about this topic so I won’t go into it too much.  Basically if you are basing your skills on laughter alone you will not push yourself as a well rounded performer. There are so many different elements to improv that it does not have to be all about the comedy. I like to think that an engaged audience leaning forward on their seats are more powerful than a laughing audience. Now that being said, if you are in it to make people laugh and it is working then all the power to you. You should try to get out of performing improv whatever you are looking for. I applaud people that find what they need and strive to do more of it.

Sometimes listening to family, friends and other improvisers right after a show can be dangerous. They usually all say the same thing, “Great show you’re great”. I’m guilty of patting someone on the back and saying good job when I didn’t mean it. I have tried to correct this by being more honest if time and appropriateness allows it. Another method to start an honest conversation is by asking the improviser how they thought the show went. (I try to sound neutral and happy when I ask). See where they are. I find the trend is that they will be either really negative or very naïve to how the show actually went. If it seems appropriate and I have a good relationship I may engage in a discussion about the show in general to talk about some of what I saw good and bad. I never give notes about a show or improviser unless I was asked or that improviser is a student of mine

I know for myself after a show is a tricky time for being focused. I am still buzzing from the excitement and when someone compliments me it is hard not to say something negative about how the show went. I am constantly picking a show apart as a director and performer. I need to remember that they may not know all the ins and outs of improv and have just come to be entertained. This can leave a sour taste in an audience member’s mouth when they truly enjoyed the show. We are all guilty of this. We sometimes need to just say thank you and give weight to the compliment. If they had a good time and enjoyed the show then they enjoyed the show.

So how do we gauge ourselves? Well this can be done in a few different ways. One thing I am now trying to do is look at a show as a whole. I start with asking myself, what went well. Then I attempt to be a little more constructive by asking myself what could have worked better. That wording is important. It is not what didn't work. You got through the show so it all worked in some capacity. So what could have worked better is how I word it. After a show when you have notes or on the drive home you could look at the show as a whole and then more specifically the individual scenes or games. There is always something that worked well and something you could use as a challenge for you to get better at.

That brings us to goal setting. If you set goals for yourself and really try to apply them, you will find it a great way to check in. I usually give myself a larger goal to keep in mind for a few months. Recently it  has been to do my best to make my scene partner the protagonist in our scene together, rather than take the role on myself. I have a tendency to play the protagonist. I do it easily so it became a habit to fall into. I found a larger and longer ongoing goal like this usually works better than a different goal before each show. Most of the time when you set a goal and then walk out on stage it leaves your mind and it isn’t until you get into the back room again that you remember what you were supposed to be focused on.

I have a group of improvisers that I work with for a 3 month term. What we start the term with is doing a bunch of scenes. Then with the class each individual will figure out a goal for themselves and spend the 3 months aiming for it and tweaking it as we progress forward. We check in with workshops to keep the goal present and alter it if need be. This will help in goal setting for them. Goal setting is an invaluable skill to apply to everything you do in your life. Looking inward and being able to evaluate yourself is not easy but you can flex that muscle and help it grow with putting it into practice as much as possible.