Notes From My 5-Year-Old Improv Coach

Summary

A child offers humorous and insightful improv acting advice to a parent, emphasizing the importance of collaboration, authenticity, and positivity in scenes.

Abstract

The article, "Notes From My 5-Year-Old Improv Coach," humorously presents a child's perspective on the art of improvisation. The young coach provides guidance on the fundamentals of improv, such as the "Yes, And" principle, encouraging the parent to build upon ideas rather than shut them down. The child stresses the importance of not forcing personal agendas into scenes, understanding character motivations, and starting scenes positively to allow for more creative exploration. The advice includes avoiding confrontational beginnings, embracing interesting stage pictures, and not trying too hard to be funny. The young coach also touches on the advanced concept of sometimes saying "No, But" instead of always agreeing, and warns against putting undue pressure on scene partners. Ultimately, the child emphasizes the importance of fun in performance and suggests watching more experienced players to refine one's craft.

Opinions

The child believes that always saying "Yes, And" is crucial for building a collaborative scene in improv.
They suggest that pushing one's own ideas, like insisting on phonics flashcards during a Minecraft discussion, can stifle organic scene development.
The child advises against starting scenes with confrontation, advocating for a positive approach that celebrates curiosity and creativity.
They remind the parent to consider what motivates their character to avoid creating a character that is unrelatable or unlikeable, such as a "meanie head who hates children."
The young coach emphasizes the importance of not trying to be funny, as authenticity is more important than forced humor.
They caution against anticipating a scene partner's reactions, as this can limit the scene's potential.
The child notes that "pimping out" a partner by forcing them to come up with content on the spot is unfair and should be avoided.
Watching more experienced players, like the child playing Minecraft, is recommended for improving one's improv skills.
The child concludes that having fun is essential for a good performance and suggests that the parent should prioritize their own happiness and relaxation in the scene.

I gave you “Minecraft” as a suggestion, but it seems like you’re trying to turn this moment around and make it about doing phonics flashcards instead?

All right, that’s a lot of fun, and I love that “grumpy mom” character you’re doing, but I’m going to stop you here and do a little bit of side coaching. First off, remember your fundamentals, like “Yes, And!” So, for example, Dad gives you this great initiation, “What about McDonald’s for dinner?” But when you respond with “No, I already made a casserole,” then there’s nowhere left for the scene to go. If, on the other hand, you say, “Yes, and Baskin-Robbins for dessert!” now you’re really building a world together.

Don’t force your own ideas about where the scene should go. I gave you “Minecraft” as a suggestion, but it seems like you’re trying to turn this moment around and make it about doing phonics flashcards instead? I would say don’t keep pushing the phonics thing when there’s so much great Minecraft stuff already happening organically.

Always consider what’s motivating your character. In the scene where you’re making a helpless five-year-old go to the dentist — what’s behind that action? Is your character supposed to be some sort of meanie head who hates children? It’s bold, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not sure I’m connecting with it.

You should rarely start a scene with confrontation. Instead of telling Dad, “Your child threw my phone into the toilet today,” what if you had a more positive take? What if you made it about celebrating that child for having a curious mind? A mind that wanted to know about the effects of water on a phone? You can discover so much more when you keep it positive. Like how I discovered that your lipstick, unlike your phone, still works after being in the potty.

I know I seem like I’m giving you a lot of “rules,” but think of them more as “suggestions.” Like the “suggestion” that Minecraft is best suited for ages seven and up.

Think about what’s going to make the most interesting stage picture. If the suggested location is, say, a trampoline park, don’t just stand around and say, “We’ll see if we can go.” You end up with this talking head scene about how many chores a person has to theoretically do to earn a trip to the trampoline park. That’s nowhere near as visually interesting as someone doing flips on The Concussionator.

Don’t try to be funny. Like when you do that Elmo voice and say, “Time to brush your teeth!” It doesn’t feel authentic.

Don’t try to anticipate your scene partner’s reaction to your initiation. Like when your character says, “We should get ready for bedtime,” and you turn off the TV as if it’s already settled. You need to wait and listen for Dad’s reaction. For all you know, he might say, “No, but I thought all of us could stay up until midnight watching PG-13 movies!” That might be what he’s about to say. Which actually I think would be a strong choice on his part. (I know we normally want to “Yes, And,” but sometimes it’s equally valid to “No, But.” That’s covered in the advanced classes.)

You want to avoid what’s called “pimping out” your partner, or forcing an action on them. I’m thinking specifically of that phone call scene with Nonny and Pop-Pop. When you say, “I think someone else here wants to talk to you,” then whoever’s in that scene is stuck having to come up with conversation topics. And that’s putting unfair pressure on them, especially when Pop-Pop has clearly had too much grownup juice.

It’s helpful to refine your craft by watching more experienced players whenever you can. Like right now, you can watch me play Minecraft. Are you watching me? Watch me play Minecraft.

Above all, have fun! If you’re having fun, that’ll show in your performance. So go with whatever will make you the happiest and most relaxed, before I let you know that your iPad is also in the potty.