Woody's Words of Wisdom

Brainne Edge isn't just ComedySportz UK's founder and manager. She is also a lecturer in Performance and Improvisation at Salford University and the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts where she recently attended an acting masterclass with Hollywood actor Woody Harrelson. Here's what he had to say about improvisation in acting...

LIPA gets a lot of interesting performers through their doors to chat to it's students and I was lucky enough to be present for the recent master class with Woody Harrelson. Something I'm always keen to learn about (or at least, to have reaffirmed) is the use of improv in the creation of Films. It's well documented about how much improvisation can be used in the formation or devising of theatre, but less is written or discussed about its use in film making (although it has gained more press in the last few years).

I was excited that I didn't even need to ask any questions about improv, Harrelson brought it up himself with no prompting – and as I was sat there with 100 of my improv students I was rather pleased he did. Here are some of the things he stressed.

"Don't play safe."

One of the first things he was keen to hammer home was to get out of your comfort zone as a performer. "Don't play safe." He went on to discuss how he would like to try things out on set. "It's always best to play larger at first and be brought back than to bring very little with you to start with". The idea of throwing so much at the wall and seeing what sticks and what new elements you can find. Not being afraid to put yourself out there and try things out. Play.

"Get to the point where you can improvise with the character."

In regards to the characters he plays and explores (his favourite he confessed to us was in a recent film: 'The Messenger' playing Captain Tony Stone) he stresses how important it is to get inside the character so much that you can improvise with the character and it feel true to the depth of that person.

"It's a critical part of acting. Relaxation and improv."

Do I need to add any more? It was great to hear a well established actor discuss how important relaxation is in creation, maintaining and delivery of a character. It's something I strive to do while teaching improv, I think being able to relax is key to a good embodiment of a character. Not to say if you're nervous you're not doing it right but relax enough that you can trust yourself to play and go with your gut.

So basically, even when you have a script in front of you improvisation is useful – even vital! We know this anyway. But for so many things not just the creation of narrative but the development of richer, more interesting characters. The training I provide at LIPA for their BA in Acting and Community Drama has already shown such great results. Improvisation is almost assumed in a lot of contexts, assumed in so much that it's expected for an actor to be ABLE to improvise. Most can of course, but the background training in ways to use these techniques is crucial, in my mind, to help the actor develop and relax into character.

Again, it was fantastic to sit amongst my students and feel validated in all the work we had done together and to help put it in more of a context. Cheers, Woody.

My name’s Jen and I’m an improv-aholic

ComedySportz Sunday League player and workshop stalwart Jen Banks explains why she’s hooked on improv…

There have been times in my life when I’ve drunk far too much wine, smoked far too many cigarettes and munched through far too many giant bags of Revels. I can proudly say I’m now over these habits. I can also proudly say I’ve whittled my addictions down to a number I can count on the fingers of just one hand, and only half of these – lattes and Facebook – are ones I need to kick into touch. The other two, I have no intention of ever giving up, ever – and they are yoga and improv.

Given the blog we’re on, you won’t be hearing about the benefits of the downward dog, the tree and the plough from me. Although, let’s say that for a reformed hedonist seeking more natural highs, both yoga and improv fill the gap my previous less-than-healthy pursuits have left behind.

Until volunteering to write this blog, I’d never actually sat down and pondered why I get my kicks from improv. But now I have, and I’m ready to propound a thorough, evidence-based, peer-reviewed hypothesis. Well, I’ve just done a bit of googling about laughing. And, according to a random website I’ve found, “laughter can help release endorphins and may also reduce the production of the stress hormone cortisol.” So that’s the science bit, which I’m sure any boffin reading this will corroborate. But who needs a dork in a lab coat to prove that laughing makes you feel good?

Although cracking up at the buffoonery of fellow improvisers can be habit forming, it’s not just the passive act of laughter that’s got me hooked. If it was just laughter I was after, I could plonk myself down in front of an episode of Mrs Brown’s Boys – although it’s open to debate whether I’d find it there. So, what is it then if it isn’t laughter alone? It’s stepping into the unknown, standing before an audience but having no clue what happens next. It’s like bungee jumping or sky diving – an extreme sport without the risk of actual death. And the thrill, the exhilaration, comes in the moment you and your fellow players start ‘freefalling’ into the scene – characters pop out of nowhere, a situation, a story, a game emerges – and when it all comes together and gives the audience pleasure, it’s the best feeling in the world – it’s the kind of buzz you’ll never get from chocolate confectionery with assorted centres.

Being around improv people is pretty addictive too. The fun, the laughter and the supportive mind set inevitably spill over into the social stuff. So two hours of workshops is often followed by more hilarity socialising after. You get asked questions like, “If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you wish for?” My response was the ability to eat, drink and consume anything I wanted and never have any ill health effects. Once a hedonist, always a hedonist, I guess. So thank god I’ve found a healthy way to get my kicks – improv might just be keeping me alive!