Life Begins... : Living the Dream

There are days: moments, conversations, laughter, spontanious salsa dances on the stage of the theatre after rehearsal that remind me that I really am living the dream.

Last March the idea of starting an improv group in a Spanish speaking country was a wisp of an idea. A "wow, that would be cool" kind of a goal. Yesterday, three new teenagers came to join. That makes nine adolescents in my improv group!!! That makes me so excited. They are so great; they are not afraid to be silly, to take big risks with characters, and they are starting to act like a team.

When I ask them at the end of rehearsal what they learned about improv from the exercises and games we did they say things like:
I learned we need to listen to each other.
I learned that when a new person comes into a scene they can totally change it.
That you need to be spontaneous and not think so much.
That you can't deny your partner - "si, y..." hey wait, that's one of the rules!   (they point at the rule poster and all laugh).

I like that they use their minds.

One highlight of rehearsal was when we played "hitchhiker." It's a game where three people are sitting in a car and they stop to pick up a hitchhiker. That new person has a very specific character and when they get in the car, everyone else takes on their character, too. The driver finds a reason to stop, gets out, and everyone rotates seats so that it can start again.

I changed the game to "collectivo" and, man, did they get into that. It was really relate-able to them because if you'd have ever experienced a collectivo ride... you'd have no problem imagining characters for this game. I wonder if that's why it was the best I have EVER seen this game played by anyone. I mean, most teenagers in the US don't have experiences with hitchhikers.

They came in with strong characters, took turns talking, mirrored and heightened the other people in the scene, and one guy even threw himself out the imaginary car window (awesome space work) when they were all crazy people escaping a mental institution. At least I think that's what happened.... sometimes I really don't understand what's going on. Haha!!! I just do my best to coach them anyway.

I also love that when I can't thoroughly explain or demonstrate an activity due to the language challenge, they are patient and eager to jump in and support - explaining what they think I said... then I just say yes... and hope we somehow figure it out. Although, just so we remember... sometimes I ask them if they understood and they all just look at me and say "no." Once we have some vague idea of what we are doing, I give the game to one of them to facilitate, and I help adjust as we go.   Talk about trusting my team to support me.... I really have no other choice and that is awesome. I think this is one of the most fun challenges in teaching I have ever undertaken. It makes the feeling I get when I see them improvising with skill that much more incredible.