Life Update and a Short Break

Wanted to do a quick recap of what has been going on for me personally the last month, since the blog has been on hold. As you already know my life has been going through some pretty big transitions. I had my last shows at the Dirty South Improv Theater, I moved all of my belongings to Greenville, and I left my old high school. The good news is I'm in talks with some close improv friends about starting a company in Greenville and I've gotten a new high school teaching job. I will continue teaching US History and AP US History at Southside High School. Also for the next three weeks I'll be going on a European tour for my wedding anniversary and to visit family. If you have any tips we'll be in Madrid, Granada, Tangier, and Amsterdam (with some possible day visits to Paris and Brussels). See you in late July!

Dirty South Improv Heads to Kenya?

33 seconds in.

Mega hat tip to Justin Wehr.

Why Men's Acheivements are More Public

An article I shared a while back discussed reasons why women are less likely to blog (mostly that women need/want less outside praise for their achievements). I wonder, does this apply to other parts of their life? This study suggests yes:

Two ecologically valid studies involving anticipated public performance offer insight into women's tendencies to avoid placing their abilities under a spotlight. First, in an experimental study, women felt less comfortable than did men and experienced more personal risk when they anticipated that their test scores would be public. Second, in a naturalistic observational setting, students taking an experiential forensic psychology course were required to perform intellectually challenging activities in public. Women displayed more concern about the course requirements than did men, and subsequently dropped the course in disproportionate numbers.

Could this also be why women are less likely to do speak up in my class, pursue leadership positions or do improv?

Difference Between Reality and Absurdity is Comedy

One of the benefits of teaching both adult improv classes (next starting May 16th) classes and children's improv camps (next starting June 20th) is seeing the strengths and weaknesses in both. The obvious difference is in energy. Kids can literally do improv games for 4 hours, run around for an hour at lunch, and be ready for another 4 hours afterward. It's tough to get a solid 3 hours of physical and mental effort out of adults. But below that difference is something deeper.

In a recent NPR story on what makes something funny, improviser Neil Casey from the renowned Death by Roo Roo discusses how patterns, what improvisers call "game", makes us laugh. But what kind of repeated patterns does our brain not only follow, but find amusing? The unexpected reality.

Children love to do absurd scenes. Give them the suggestion of kitchen and they'll be astronauts on sun trying to stop a bacon attack. Give that same suggestion to adults and they'll argue about whether there is too much flour in the cake. Adults love to do boring, often argumentative scenes. They like to play themselves. Where as kids like to play any but. Somewhere in the middle lies the ideal.

The title of this post is a quote from Bill Arnett, the director of the training center at Chicago's most famous improv theater, iO. In every scene we should establish a basic reality, but within that reality there should be a little absurdity. By my own calculation you need 99% real with 1% absurd. It isn't about astronauts fighting bacon. Or adults arguing about flour. But it can't be about married astronauts arguing about who's going to cook breakfast. A normal couple having a normal fight, just in space.

Here's an article the neuroscience behind it. Our brain is always trying to make sense about the present and the future. When those predictions are simultaneously affirmed and surprised, you have comedy. I know what an argument with my wife is like. Check. I don't know what space is like. Check. Let the comedy begin (tonight).

Every Player Should be a Coach

One of the biggest changes in my life over the last couple of years is my transition from a follower to a leader. Not in that vague interpersonal kind of way, but in real and tangible ways. Just a couple of years ago I was the student sitting in classes. Now I'm the teacher planning and executing lesson plans. Not too long ago I was still a part of my college improv team, taking direction from the leadership there. Now I'm teaching and coaching old and new improvisers.

I can say, without a doubt in my mind, that I've learned more being a leader than a follower. I've learned more about US History in three years as a teacher (see my series on learning by teaching) than in four years as a student. I learned more about economics in three years as a blogger than in four years as a student. I learned more about comedy in my years at the Dirty South Improv Theater than I did in my four years at Mock Turtle Soup. But this is not just the experience of one person, it's supported by research.

Author Dan Pink points to three experiments where "subjects were more likely to come up with the answer on behalf of another person than for themselves; the farther away the other person was imagined to be, the more likely the participants were to come up with the correct answer." But here's the catch, I couldn't have done one without the other. My years of history and economics classes were vital to my current teaching. My years of improv workshops were vital to my current coaching. The transition between a player and a coach is tough, but let me assure you, it you want to be great, it's worth it.

This was cross-posted at the The College Improv Resource.

Unsure If You'll Regret It, Do It

Whether in life or in an improv scene, we are often faced with two options, to do or not to do. Research says you should you do:

Using a random-digit telephone survey, respondents reported a salient regret, then answered questions about that regret. Results showed inaction regrets lasted longer than action regrets, and that greater loss severity corresponded to more inaction regrets.

So use your judgement, if you're not sure, go for it. If you're wrong, then it will just be a sunk cost.

Comedy Makes You More Attractive

For men at least:

Producing humor might function as a fitness indicator associated with greater desirability during dating selection. A male confederate in a bar was instructed to tell (or not tell) funny jokes to two other male confederates. A few minutes later, when the second of two male confederates left, the first male confederate asked a female who was near his table and who had heard the funny jokes for her phone number. The previous expression of humor was associated with greater compliance with the male confederate's request and with a higher positive evaluation.

And don't forget, doing improv also makes you smarter, happier, friendlier, supportive, adventurous, and more able to learn.

Disaster Aid to Japan

The picture above is from the earthquake and resulting tsunami that have ravaged Japan. Like other international disasters, people, companies, and nations are rushing to their aid. I've been a pretty big critic of foreign aid in past. In Haiti's recent crisis I've recommended trade, not aid to help them rebuild their country. I've even pointed out the flaws of personally volunteering abroad, especially on short term non-technical trips. I stand by those ideas. However, in Japan's case, foreign aid may meet my standard of doing more long term good than harm. Not everyone agrees with me.

Reuters blogger Felix Salmon makes a compelling argument on why Japan, the world's 2nd/3rd largest economy, should not receive the limited funds of charity. Although I agree with him complaint about how we focus too much on sudden tragedies while ignoring ongoing ones, I think on Japan he might be wrong. It is Japan's stable political and economic system that makes it a good candidate for donation. The problems that normally go with foreign aid, corruption and misuse, are much less likely to occur there.

Not surprisingly, I'm not the only one supporting donations to Japan. My go-to-for-everything Tyler Cowen supports it and my local comedy theater is raising money too. That's right, for this weekend's shows 50% of all ticket sales will go to relief aid. As usual I'll be performing this Friday night at 10:30. This particular show is free, but as I'd like it, donations will be accepted at the door. The photos are from the Boston Globe's Big Picture blog. Here are some equally wonderful interactive before and after photos.

Special Reader Price for Playing and Learning

I've posted plenty of reasons to take an improv class. It will make you happier and smarter, improve your friendships, make you think fast, which will improve your mood, inspire other adventures, and can even be your way to love people. Here's another one, play has spillover effects on your learning:

Playfulness was associated with better academic performance (i.e., better grades in an exam). Also, students who described themselves as playful were more likely to do the extra reading that went beyond what was needed to pass the exam. This can be seen as first evidence of a positive relation between playfulness in adults and academic achievement.

So if you are interested in learning, and if you're reading this blog I know you are, then take my upcoming Improv 101 class. For a one-time-only deal for Bottlenecked Blog readers, we are willing to lower the price from $195 to the low low price of $100. Here's the class description:

IMPROV 101 explores the basics of comedy improvisation: team-building, trust, speed, status, active listening, and agreement. Students learn to be fearless and have fun on stage using the DSI approach to improv comedy.

No comedy or theater experience necessary.

Free admission to shows while enrolled. Class runs for 2 1/2 hours each week with optional office hours after class.

It starts tomorrow. If you're interested email me or sign up online and pay the discounted price when you arrive.

My Career and Hobby Advice

Get really good at something specific and get paid for it (ex: teaching high school economics). Then spend the rest of your time getting good at everything else (ex: improv, blogging, relationships) and it will probably make you even better at your original thing.

North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival Suggestions

Once again, live comedy converges on the South. This is the third and final week of the North Carolina Comedy Art Festival. Sketch and stand up weeks are over and it's on to my favorite, improv week! If you're within driving distance, this is your chance to see improv comedy from around the nation (and Canada). Here are my must see recommendations:

Friday:

• 7:30pm at the DSI Comedy Theater: featuring my friend James Robilotta and his NYC  freestyle rap/improv team, North Coast
• 9:00 pm at the Cats Cradle: featuring the Beatbox (more freestyle rap improv) and headlining comedian Emo Philips
• 9:30pm at the DSI Comedy Theater: featuring DSI's Cagematch champions, Sparky Anderzander, trying to hold on to the Super CageMatch championship
• 10:00pm at the ArtsCenter Main Stage: featuring, Death by Roo Roo, Mister Diplomat*,  and the Festival All-Stars (festival instructors)

Saturday:

• 8:00 pm at the ArtsCenter Main Stage: featuring PT Scarborough Is A Movie (one man movie) and The Josh and Tamra Show (puppet improv)
• 9:30pm at the DSI Comedy Theater: featuring Doctor Ballroom (Boston), 3 Men and a Little Lady (Charleston), BillyHawk (L.A.), and Date Night (Baltimore)
• 10:00pm at the ArtsCenter Main Stage: More Festival All-Stars, The 708**, the final show of the festival, The Bat (improv in the dark)

If you want to see me, I'm performing each night with different teams:

• Wednesday: with The 708: 9:30pm at the DSI Comedy Theater
• Thursday: with Pound for Pound: 10pm at the ArtsCenter Main Stage
• *Friday: with Mister Diplomat: 10pm at the ArtsCenter Main Stage
• **Saturday: with The 708: 9:30pm at the ArtsCenter Main Stage

Go here for a full schedule. You can buy tickets online or at the door.

Pound for Pound Presents A Two Person Show

I've posted variety type show from college and recent group Harold performances. Here's a duo team I proud to be a part of. I apologize in advance for the video quality:

Game Theory of the Improv Scene

Something I've been working through as a coach and a player, is the problem of balancing stage time. You want to feel responsibility for the show, but you also don't want it to feel like a one-man-team. Should you play aggressively or politely? There's certainly some individual wisdom required, but I think I've decided what the default mode should be. Here's a game theory chart to explain:

No matter what Player 1 does, Player 2 should always play aggressively. No matter what Player 2 does, Player 1 should always play aggressively. Best of all, if both follow this strategy it results in the best possible scene, fast-paced and exciting. And you though Game Theory was just for classrooms and reality TV.

This has also been posted at The College Improv Resource.

Kid Lincoln Presents Harold

You've seen me do it, now see the team I coach:

Dirty South Heads to Charleston

Having already performed at New York's Del Close Marathon and the North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival, my Harold team, The 708, is heading to the Charleston Improv Festival this weekend. Recently I was interview by the Charleston City Paper about the team. Here's an excerpt:

North Carolina's Dirty South Comedy Theater, a comedy training center and theater in Chapel Hill's sister city of Carrboro, boasts a company of 45 performers and a national network of almost 100 professional comedians. DSI resident act the 708 is heading to the Charleston Comedy Fest for a wild session.

The current 708 team roster features four original players — Harrison Brookie, Jeff Brenman, Juan Mojica, and PT Scarborough — plus four relatively new participants, including Bryan Barnes, Kennedy Gates, Zannie Gunn, and Shane Smith.

The group's name refers to a broken clock in a room where they initially practiced on the UNC campus. "The thing was stuck on 7:08, so our 7 p.m. rehearsals always seemed to start late somehow," Brookie says. "Inspired by that, we often break clocks." Brookie is the lanky, tall, bespectacled guy in the troupe, famous in the Research Triangle for his physical work. "I try to heighten what is already established by other players in the scenes."

The scenes start with an invocation that becomes a "larger-than-life experience" that inspires the scenes that follow.

"It's been a transforming beast," says Brookie. "It's always been based on a quick style of play — very game-based, which is a very DSI format. It didn't take a lot to get off the ground, but it's been a slow-growth process.

"I don't know if the audience will consider us to be polite," Brookie adds. "I mean, we do come from a place called the Dirty South. But I don't think 'dirty' quite describes our style either. We have more of a reputation for being fast and fluid. I think what separates 708 and the DSI style from other long-form improv around the country is its fast pace and clear aim. It kind of plays out like an episode of Seinfeld that really ramps up at the end."

We'll be performing at Eye Level Art this Saturday at 8 p.m.

This is Your Brain on Improv

Here's a new TED Talk on what it looks like when [musical] improvisers play inside an MRI machine. Not only is the experiment itself interesting, what is has to say about spontaneous creativity fits with my own experience. Here's Musician and researcher Charles Limb:


It's a bit long, so here's my favorite part:

Really consciousness is seated in the frontal lobe. But we have this combination of an area that's thought to be involved in self-monitoring, turning off, and this area that's thought to be autobiographical, or self-expressive, turning on. And we think, at least in this preliminary -- It's one study. It's probably wrong. But it's one study. We think that at least a reasonable hypothesis is that, to be creative, you have to have this weird dissociation in your frontal lobe. One area turns on, and a big area shuts off, so that you're not inhibited, so that you're willing to make mistakes, so that you're not constantly shutting down all of these new generative impulses.

Comedy Makes You Smarter and Happier

I've posted before on the benefits of improv in thinking faster, idea support, and building friendship. Here's a benefit of simply watching comedy, it makes you smarter, instantly:

In a just completed study, researchers at Northwestern University found that people were more likely to solve word puzzles with sudden insight when they were amused, having just seen a short comedy routine.

“What we think is happening,” said Mark Beeman, a neuroscientist who conducted the study with Karuna Subramaniam, a graduate student, “is that the humor, this positive mood, is lowering the brain’s threshold for detecting weaker or more remote connections” to solve puzzles.

Humor can also help improve your mood:

This study aimed to demonstrate that the cognitive demands involved in humor processing can attenuate negative emotions. A primary aspect of humor is that it poses cognitive demands needed for incongruency resolution. On the basis of findings that cognitive distraction prevents mood-congruent processing, the authors hypothesized that humorous stimuli attenuate negative emotions to a greater extent than do equally positive nonhumorous stimuli.

Here's the Wikipedia article on the positive psychology of humor.

Dan Ariely for the Holidays

No this isn't another plug for Dan's book or about his most recent post on gift giving. It is a plug to see Mr. Ariely in person. Except instead of a lecture hall, it will be at a comedy theater. That's right, behavioral economist,  author, and blogger Dan Ariely will be the special guest monologist December 17th for DSI's flagship show, Mister Diplomat. Improv. Economics. Me. What more could you ask for?

Warming Up Before a Show

Over at the newly created College Improv Resource, Ben asks a question about why performers warm up before a show? Basic Yes &, group bonding, and practicing patterns were all mentioned. Here's one that wasn't initially obvious, feeling like a kid:

Individuals imagining themselves as children subsequently produced more original responses on the TTCT. Further results showed that the manipulation was particularly effective among more introverted individuals, who are typically less spontaneous and more inhibited in their daily lives. The results thus establish that there is a benefit in thinking like a child to subsequent creative originality, particularly among introverted individuals. The discussion links the findings to mindset factors, play and spontaneity, and relevant personality processes.

Here's a similar article at The Independent.

The 708 Presents Harold

I've posted old improv videos before, here and here, but here's a Harold team I'm currently on. Harold is the most famous structured form in improvisation. It was created by Del Close, who is pictured on the back of the stage. Here's a recent show from my team, The 708, the theater's longest running Harold team:



We also have two shows coming up, one in Raleigh on October 26th and one at the theater on November 20th. Keep up with The 708 on our Twitter page.