Today’s improv thoughts were inspired by Paul Loomans, a Zen Monk and author of Time Surfing (which I haven’t read but really want to now), brought to my attention by Oliver Burkeman (whose book I have read because it’s one of my favourite books of all time, 4,000 Weeks).
Loomans writes the following:
If you look at the day’s activities as a string of beads, you will see it’s made up of all different kinds: large, weighty beads and small, carefully painted ones; eye-catching multicoloured ones and unassuming, softly coloured ones … (but) when viewed from the broad perspective of time, all beads are equally important. They’re all pieces of our lives.
Burkeman uses this metaphor to talk about how we might navigate the tumultuous times in which we currently find ourselves.
I’d like to use it to talk about an improv scene.
So … every improv scene is a string of beads. Every choice you make - every line of dialogue, every action - is a bead threaded onto the string. Some moves are huge statement pieces, some are there to space out the bigger swings, some just add to the overall beauty of the piece. But each one is there because you put it there.
And, this is important, the string is threaded one bead at a time, and they are put there by alternating scene partners. One bead leads to the next, threaded with care, with each bead chosen to compliment the last.
What does this mean for the scene? I think Burkeman’s obversation on life, hold true for improv too.
- When you’re in an improv show, you sometimes get bogged down worrying about the overall themes and narratives. You want to make big moves that change the very nature of the show. This is too much for any one improviser to take onto their shoulders. The string of beads teaches us this - all you can do is thread the next bead. That’s what’s in your power. Concentrate on putting the perfect bead next in line and the shape of the necklace will magically take care of itself. Because each bead was chosen to sit next to its neighbour, the overall shape of the piece can’t help but be beautiful.
- If we agree that all beads are as important as each other, then we can stop worrying and concentrate on the bead we’re currently threading. Whatever we’re doing is right. It puts our choices into perspective. We’re released from all the things we could be doing, to put all our focus on the thing we are doing. So no longer do we have to be unhappy with all the moves we didn’t make - the monologues, the space work, the feelings left unsaid - the string of beads lets us remember that all that matters is what we did do. And that a show is made up of quiet moments and loud ones, funny and profound, silent and verbose - they are all as constitutive to the show as each other.
- Finally, when we truly realise that all that we have is the next bead, we finally let go of worrying about the future. As Burkeman says, worry is not about what’s happening now, it’s a constant state of anxiety that the worst case scenario will happen. In the present, we can only feel things for what is occurring in the here and now - sadness, joy, curiosity, love - these are much more conducive to a good scene than a future that hasn’t arrived yet. So again, it’s instructive of where we should put our focus. Moreover, the more beads we thread, the more we build our confidence that we will reach for the right one in any given situation. It’s the beginning of that fabled flow state, an almost blissful mindlessness, one bead after another, choosing instinctively in the moment, trusting that a thousand thoughtful, intentional steps will take us where we need to go without knowing the specific destination in advance. It’s such an elegant and mindful way to improvise.
I love this analogy because it’s not just a pretty image, it’s a map that we can follow, an actionable strategy that we can put into our minds and bodies right now. A hopeful intention, like Princess Ariadne’s thread, glittering in the depths of the labyrinth, helping us to find our way home.
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💡 Hey, my name’s Chris Mead. I write an article about improv almost every week. You can get the latest in your inbox by subscribing to my newsletter. Or check out the archive.
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