Improvising

We usually think of improvising as a total spontaneous act that has no structure what so ever. It makes us wonder how some people have the ability to perform an improvised act based on a random idea. Gladwell talks about this in chapter four and studies an improvisation comedy group which uses random ideas from the crowd. It turns out improv isn't as random and chaotic as we may think. Gladwell said if you sit down with the cast of the improv group he worked with you would find "they aren't all the sort of zany, impulsive, free-spirited comedians that you might imagine them to be." (113). Then how, one may wonder are their improv plays so funny and well put together like it was planned? Gladwell explains that improv, believe it or not is governed by certain rules which have to be abided by on stage. The most important rule of improv is the idea of agreement where characters accept everything that happens to them. Spontaneity is also made possible when everyone undergoes highly repetitive and structural practices, which include running through plays over and over and criticising each other's performance. In this way one can practice for an improv performance by perfecting certain skills which will make it easier to engage in the "spur of the moment that makes for good improv" (117).


Before reading this part of the book I've always thought improv was a terrifying random occurrence. But after reading what Gladwell had to say I realized that a lot of work is done before the performance to create the right framework for a well acted improv scene. Characters also have to accept any suggestion given by another character in order to keep the dialogue interesting and from ending abruptly. These two main factors is what makes good improv seem "telepathic" and "pre-arranged" (116).