Nick - The End Of An Era

One of my biggest laments as the summer ended was saying goodbye to improv. I knew that even though I would probably try to join a new improv troupe in college, I would really miss my friends I worked with in Easily Amused.

I guess what I didn't realize is how different college improv is.

Perhaps that's not even a fair assessment; probably this is how improv has always been, and Easily Amused was just a very special category of its own in the vast world of improv techniques. But what I want to talk about today is the huge difference between my experience in Springfield and my experience here.

Before I auditioned for anything, I went to a couple of improv shows and noticed a couple of strange things right away. First, their "short form" improv games regularly went on at least twice as long as any of ours. After a scene had gone on for awhile, I found myself mentally picturing Conor signaling frantically from backstage to hurry up and end the scene. But I think the other thing I noticed is what really defines this style of improv:

Character.

Improv here is all about character. Never ever will they have a scene in which the participants are simply themselves; they focus all of their ability first and foremost on developing a character and a relationship with the other characters in the scene. This creates a vastly different rhythm from Easily Amused shows; they usually set up slowly, allowing the audience to get to know the characters before beginning the process of making funny things happen. Easily Amused, meanwhile, was a fast-paced theatrical aimed at drawing as many laughs as possible; for every set-up, there was a punchline, and we never allowed the audience to go too long without a laugh.

I think the difference in character here is caused by a very fundamental difference in objective between Easily Amused and professional improv: Easily Amused was about making people laugh, and about making jokes for our friends in the audience. Professional improv is all about acting. Humor is the goal, but it isn't what the technique is centered around; the technique is centered around gaining and displaying your acting skill.

Let me make it abundantly clear that I am not, in any way, condemning the college improv scene. I've only just had my first impression of it, and I've yet to even attend my first Titanic Players improv practice. I just wanted to write about how different it is from my experience with Easily Amused, and how nothing will ever replace them in my mind.

I'm sure I'll be writing more about my new improv troupe later, so on to my next adventure; but first I want to give a shout out to all my Easily Amused friends.

EATIT forever.

-Nick.