Not only can you get a lot of entertainment from theater, life lessons are there too. This is my Improv 301 teacher, Phil Arensberg, assistant director and cast member of Unspeakable Horrors. (Playing free this Thursday and Friday at WingIt Productions)
Improvisation teaches you to take whatever comes your way and work with it. It teaches you to say yes to what’s been offered and then act on it. You learn to listen and be present with others. You’ll get a deeper understanding of what’s really important in life –– relationships. There’s a saying in Improv, “It’s not about the bike.” (People in the audience don’t care if you get the bike fixed or whatever, they care about how the actors relate to each other.) They want to see truth.
If you’d like to see this in action, go check out an improvisation show. They’ll make it look easy. If you want to have a life experience, take a class! I’ve taken Improv 101, 201 and now 301. My experience last night (like so many other nights in class) was like shining a spotlight into areas I could improve. Patterns have a way of becoming very clear when you do funny skits and then deconstruct what happened afterwards. I think we all have blind spots and wonder how to interact more smoothly with others in our personal and business lives. Where else can you get personal development and have so much fun? It does take guts, but then again, we all have guts, right?