<aside> 💡 This April, I’m answering questions from other improvisers (send your questions to [email protected] please).
This week, Sandra writes: Not sure if you have any insights in this, but every new improv group has a certain phase where the honeymoon is over and some mild irritations do start to arise. I was wondering if you have any thoughts on how to tackle these before the group breaks apart.
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I addressed this phenomenon in a humorous (and therefore entirely unhelpful) manner way back in issue #3 of the newsletter. It’s called #3 The life-cycle of an improv group if you’d like to take a look.
But I also have practical thoughts that I’d like to share.
I’ve been thorough a number of rough improv break-ups and they can be almost as anxiety-inducing as their romantic equivalents, so I’m keen to focus on ways of preserving harmony.
I’ve put this first because it’s easily my best piece of advice. Someone invariable takes charge of the admin - they book the rooms, they collect money from everyone else, they apply for the show slots and answer the emails. That person does that because, to a greater or lesser extent, they enjoy it and/ or they are good at it. After a while though, everyone else stops appreciating that work. It’s life, they all have their own stuff to deal with, and gradually, inevitably, it simply drops out of their conscious thoughts and people start … forgetting to say thank you.
It’s a small thing, but it’s significant because on the other side, the admin person might start thinking of the group as their group. And why shouldn’t they? They’ve put the work in. The group wouldn’t function without them. So when someone casually announces they’re not coming to rehearsal at the last moment, it can feel like a real slap in the face. Slowly, and without even realising it, things get to a point where no one could take over, even if they wanted to. The mechanisms of administration are only understood by the person who has created and is using them all the time.
Now you’re stuck in a cycle of under-appreciation, apathy and antipathy.
My advice is never let it get to that point.
Either:
i) Make a commitment to share the admin role - that means clearly deciding beforehand on the scope of the role and how long each term will be before rotating duties through all interested members.
Or:
ii) Sticking with one admin person but putting in systems to support and show appreciation for the role - that means checking in regularly, never taking them for granted, asking at intervals if they’re happy to continue and offering ad hoc help when they ask for it.
It’s worth getting this right at the beginning. And if that isn’t possible, because you’re already in full swing, then immediately after reading this article.
Have someone in charge at rehearsals. Decide this beforehand.
Again, you can rotate this role regularly but everyone needs to be aware who is calling the shots at any given point.
This is especially true if everyone in the group is at around the same level of experience. It’s dangerous to assume responsibility for artistic direction without an explicit mandate. It can lead to huge arguments. Never ever ever note your fellow players without getting loud and enthusiastic consent beforehand.
Also, you can’t improvise a good rehearsal - you need a plan, intended outcomes, a conscious selection of tools and exercises to achieve those outcomes. You can’t be negotiating these responsibilities whilst trying to play. Even the most experience improvisers find it hard to instantly swap from director head to performer head.