These are two vital rules for improvisation.
First, relinquish control of the scenario. If you try to direct the story as you are in it, it becomes artificial and predictable. The best way to serve the story is to play your part fully. Ride the wave, as Ken Cheeseman told me moments before I left school for home this past summer.
Second, accept every offer. In turning down an offer, you eliminate a world of possibilites. You disappoint your partners, your audience and yourself. You have to take the trail before you. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. In other words, never say No.
As with every Way I've come across, I've tried to incorporate these values into my way of life. While relinquishing control has never really been difficult, I've been turning down offers all my life, and old habits die hard. I've always believed in broadening my horizons, but I've always been frightened of possibility. A well-rounded actor is a well-rounded person, but where do you draw the line? When am I justified in saying No?
Being home in the summer, I realized that everyone around me was much braver than I may ever be - accepting offers and blazing trails of their own. I've felt this way about Mike, too. He'd done so many things I'd never dream of doing, and had such insane ideas. It's no wonder he could so easily be noticed, make friends, and woo my prom date; he's so fucking interesting. Could it be that he was an excellent improviser? Or did he just never learn to say No?
In my first ensemble class, I had to tell someone a story (Prior, we had to partner up. You know how there's always one person who doesn't have a partner, so he has to partner with the teacher? That's me.), so that they could repeat the story to someone else. All I could think of was the events leading up to my diagnosis.
It's really a terrible story, especially when spoken aloud. Every story I listened to involved one's interactions with other people, with definitive actions and definitive conclusions. Every story I've ever told is too vague to be definitive, active or conclusive, and they rarely ever involve others. A good improviser is a good storyteller. I accept no offers, thus I have no stories. Why don't I initiate conversations? Because I have nothing to tell. How many opportunities have I passed up in my conservative decision-making? Am I doing a disservice to myself as an actor and a person?
Now it seems that Mike has turned down the ultimate offer.
I guess I was the better improviser, after all.
In the event of my death, access my Facebook account and delete all of the information in my profile. Then delete all of the posts on my wall and change the privacy settings to lock it.
Under About Me, write this:
"Let this mark the end of the Cybertronian Wars as we march forward to a new age of peace and happiness. 'Til all are one! "
If you or anyone else comes up with something better, feel free to change it.
If you wish to know the password for my Facebook account, all you need to do is ask.
My previous arrangements still stand.
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