Why are the things that USED to work not working now?
Why are most churches NOT growing right now?
The Great Reset happened - and it impacted almost every church. Culture shifts - pandemic, politically, racial strife, migration out of cities. People are rethinking everything.
America is becoming more post-Christian. Rise of the Nones.
You’ve shut down or throttled back your digital presence. This gets rid of your discoverability. Or it’s all about Sunday only.
What you offer digitally is the same as what you offer in-person.
The message isn’t the draw it used to be. Scarcity creates value and the message isn’t scarce since it’s online.
Hype isn’t cutting it anymore.
You’re focused on the wrong audience.
So how do you grow your church in this environment?
Key #1: Renew yourself and your team. A lot of pastors are exhausted. Lots of grief. Lack of momentum is it’s own form of discouragement. Healthy leaders grow healthy churches. Unhealthy leaders don’t. What do you need to do to become a healthy leader? Grieve your losses and process everything you’ve been through. Healthy at the top, healthy at the bottom. Aligned at the top, aligned at the bottom. Healthy people aren’t attracted to unhealthy leaders or organizations.
Key #2: Renew your mission. Work on your mission until it burns white hot. Identify a big problem you are trying to solve. Renew or define the founder/problem fit.
Key #3: Make digital and in-person each more distinctive. Make in-person more personal. Make in-person a non-downloadable, transcendent experience. “You kinda had to be there.”
Key #4: Elevate community. We’re drowning in a world of content. Nobody should be able to out-community the local church. Relationships are sticky; they make you stick around!
Key #5: Identify and scale your biggest growth barrier. Barriers emerge at 200, 400, and 800 attenders:
200 Barrier: Pastoral care – scale your pastoral care. The key to pastoral care is having someone who cares. It doesn’t have to be the pastor.
400 Barrier: Staffing – Hire leaders, not doers.
800 Barrier: Governance and push-down decision making. Staff-led, elder-protected, people gifted.
Identify your biggest growth barrier and how you intend to scale it.
I’ve always been fascinated by the lives of the earliest Christians who lived two thousand years ago.
Under the crush of Roman occupation, a new movement was birthed: men and women who worshiped the risen Messiah.
This wave of radical acceptance and grace-filled lives swept the world and changed human history.
In 1947, J.B. Phillips wrote this description of the Christian movement:
“The great difference between present-day Christianity and that of which we read in these letters is that to us it is primarily a performance, to them it was a real experience. We are apt to reduce the Christian religion to a code, or at best a rule of heart and life. To these men it is quite plainly the invasion of their lives by a new quality of life altogether.
They do not hesitate to describe this as Christ ʻliving inʼ them. These early Christians were on fire with the conviction that they had become, through Christ, literally sons of God; they were pioneers of a new humanity, founders of a new Kingdom. They still speak to us across the centuries. Perhaps if we believed what they believed, we might achieve what they achieved."
The earliest followers experienced the powerful aftermath of Jesus’ empty tomb: thousands of people turning to Jesus as their Master and Forgiver, radical life-change, and rumblings throughout society about this God-man who now lives.
In addition to keeping the Jewish Sabbath, these first followers of Christ added the observance of the first day of the week - the day that Jesus rose from death to life. This is why most Christians worship on Sunday mornings.
According to premiere Christian historian Justo Gonzalez, the earliest communion services did not center on Christ’s passion - they were not quiet, introspective, reflective services.
Instead, Christians worshiped weekly in loud celebration, understanding that the tomb was empty, death could not hold Jesus, and He was ushering in a new age of victory. Yes, every Sunday was a party for One!
It was much later - centuries later - before the focus of Christian worship shifted towards the death of Jesus. In the earliest Christian community, the breaking of bread took place “with glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46).
May we embrace this same infectious enthusiasm first demonstrated by the earliest Christ followers.
May we worship Jesus Christ with great passion, may we love others with scandalous grace, and may we be outward-focused in our church communities.
I’m not concerned about being criticized for taking risks to reach people far from God. I’m concerned about not being criticized.
Recently I was invited to teach a breakout session at a conference in Chicago based on my book, Holy Shift. The topic was so popular among church leaders that we ran out of seats!
I had fun sharing my journey in comedy and ministry, the unique story God is writing atLife Church Michigan, and equipping church leaders in my jam-packed breakout with comedy tools that will help them reach more people far from God.
Because I love church leaders and I want to see you go further, faster, here is the full video as a free resource to your team!
The late Dr. Martin de Maat had a profound impact on my life (I wrote about that here).
He was not only my professor and mentor, he was a close friend (Martin was even one of my wedding groomsmen!).
Dr. de Maat taught me so much not only about improvisational-comedy, but more importantly about the joy of doing life together:
"What happens... in being with each other in acceptance and Yes And-ing each other, is that you as an individual start to believe in yourself because you begin to see yourself in the others' eyes.
Your ensemble, your group, your team, your committee, is the one that's believing in you and you pull it together to do it for them.
You know, it's simply recognizing you're not alone. It's love and unconditional acceptance.
You put yourself in a place of support, unconditional acceptance and love for who you are, the way you are and your uniqueness, and what you do is grow. You surround yourself with people who are truly interested in you and listen to you, and you will grow.
And it doesn't take much to start advancing you, it doesn't take much of that support, it doesn't take much of that love and that care and you can do it. You can play act with people. You can be in a state of play together."
This is how comedians create new material. Yes And leads to trust leads to contagious unity leads to childlike creativity. It's how leaders might lead teams in the 21st Century. Don't settle for the loneliness of leadership isolation. Dream of and strive for a team of church leaders who are accepting of one another's uniquenesses. After all, we each bring different strengths to the table.
I love what Martin would say about the group dynamics of creating comedy through Yes And:
"There's a lot of laughter that goes on. Since we're laughing together, we're true community. It's a very safe place to confront your fears. The minute somebody says, 'Perform!' your fear comes up..."
As we Yes And, may we as leaders embrace contagious unity and laughter. By refusing to perform and instead choosing raw, authentic community, we may just lead at a higher, deeper, more spiritually-sensitive level than before...
"You know what intimacy is? It's into-me-you-see.” - Martin de Maat
The original pioneers of improv-comedy in the 1950s included now-famous names like Alan Arkin, Mike Nichols, and a very young Joan Rivers. A famous story from the annals of Second City recounts how Rivers was once on stage and asked for an audience suggestion for a scene. When "marriage" was shouted back, Joan initiated the scene by saying, "I want a divorce." Joan’s on-stage partner said Yes, And to her initiation by saying, “What about the children?” Joan shot back,“We don’t have any children!”
Of course, there was a big laugh from the audience, but Rivers' cheap laugh set up her partner—and the scene—for failure. Her denial of his reality killed the scene and ended the team’s collaboration. She destroyed more than future possibilities in the scene; Rivers denied and destroyed the trust between partners.
Teamwork makes the dream work. In the comedy world, you are taught to always, always, always make your partner look good. It’s not about sharing the spotlight; it is about moving the spotlight completely off of yourself and more brightly onto everyone else on the stage. It’s the comedic equivalent of valuing community. Improvisation is about serving your partner instead of being out there and showing off.
Have you ever watched an episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Have you noticed how the comics don’t have time to sit down, write out their ideas, memorize lines, re-write lines? It’s because they Start with a Yes and build on the idea by thinking ensemble.
You don’t know what is going to come out of your partner’s mouth—whatever they say in an improv scene instantly becomes the reality of the scene. Therefore, you want to build a net of trust to leap into—and that trust is knit together by the knowledge that you will always support one another, no matter what.
When you think ensemble, your church will build effective teams, break down silos, and foster creativity. Ensemble gives you an instantaneous advantage with different situations; the outcome isn’t dependent on one lone person. Thinking ensemble strengthens the Body.
Think of an ensemble as a baseball team. You don’t want to load your roster with all sluggers. You need different points of view and complementary strengths. Diversity is the key to thinking ensemble. The enemies of thinking ensemble are the need to be right, stealing focus, and appearing to be in control. Jesus’ disciples were always short-circuiting things when they felt the need to be right (Peter), tried stealing the focus (James and John), or were appearing to be in control (Judas the treasurer).
Ensemble is hard, but rewarding. When nobody cares who gets the credit, your team is able to explore and heighten new ideas together. When you think of winning sports teams, the championship is won not by a single athlete, but by a team of players working together. The burden is shared and the win is shared. When you think ensemble, you are freed to walk into a meeting and bring a brick, not a cathedral.
RELATIONSHIPS ARE NOT DISPOSABLE IN A FACEBOOK WORLD
Thinking ensemble looks easy on paper but is hard in real life. Why? Because we live in the time of Facebook and Twitter, two mighty platforms that can amplify messages—and amplify grudges—if handled immaturely. And believe me, social media can be like crack for immaturity addicts.
I have a theory: we never really leave middle school. That short season of life where the awkwardness of adolescence collides with our first tastes of personal responsibility follows us through life. Many men are still that boy in the junior high locker room comparing and many women walk through life fearful of others’ opinions. We have the popular kids (Hollywood), the geeks (ComicCon), the need for cooler toys (Amazon), and petty schoolyard fights (political races). We never really leave middle school. Social media simply amplifies our inner middle school angst.
Angry at someone? Technology doesn’t force you to seek reconciliation; you can simply “UnFollow” them. They won’t even know. Facebook has made relationships disposable, just another product to consume and spit out.
That’s why thinking ensemble is so explosive: relationships are vital toward forward progress. When you sign up to be a leader, you signup for conflict. Thinking ensemble directs you to walk toward the people there is conflict with, not away from them (you can’t support someone you’re not talking to). In the Bible, we read these words about conflict:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)
The Gospel reminds us that we are messy humans who easily fall into sin. Our flesh can sometimes seek to judge before our spirit listens. But Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that if it has flesh and blood, it is not your enemy. If you are holding anger toward someone or unwilling to revisit boundaries you've set up, it's time to wake up to the fact that that person is not your enemy. They are a human being created in the image of God whom Jesus already died for and the Father has already declared to be not guilty.
Reconciliation is not something you can put off. Biblically, it is always for today. As I gently remind our church periodically, the Internet is an online tool for building community, but should never be used for tearing it down. Here is an axiom to live by: if you ever feel wronged by someone (a fellow Christ follower, a church staff member, a pastor, etc.), posting your grievance online is never the correct course of action. In fact, if someone is willing to attack another person through a blog hiding behind flickering pixels but refuses to meet with them in person, we have a word for that: coward.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The has been an excerpt from my book, Holy Shift. I lead what has been recognized as one of America’s fastest-growing churches, LifeChurchMichigan.com. Part of my training was at The Second City in Chicago.
Holy Shift is about unleashing contagious enthusiasm on church leadership teams; equipping leaders to leverage laughter and passion; and creating sustainable momentum in reaching younger crowds for Christ.
"You know what intimacy is? It's into-me-you-see.” - Martin de Maat
The original pioneers of improv-comedy in the 1950s included now-famous names like Alan Arkin, Mike Nichols, and a very young Joan Rivers. A famous story from the annals of Second City recounts how Rivers was once on stage and asked for an audience suggestion for a scene. When "marriage" was shouted back, Joan initiated the scene by saying, "I want a divorce." Joan’s on-stage partner said Yes, And to her initiation by saying, “What about the children?” Joan shot back,“We don’t have any children!”
Of course, there was a big laugh from the audience, but Rivers' cheap laugh set up her partner—and the scene—for failure. Her denial of his reality killed the scene and ended the team’s collaboration. She destroyed more than future possibilities in the scene; Rivers denied and destroyed the trust between partners.
Teamwork makes the dream work. In the comedy world, you are taught to always, always, always make your partner look good. It’s not about sharing the spotlight; it is about moving the spotlight completely off of yourself and more brightly onto everyone else on the stage. It’s the comedic equivalent of valuing community. Improvisation is about serving your partner instead of being out there and showing off.
Have you ever watched an episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Have you noticed how the comics don’t have time to sit down, write out their ideas, memorize lines, re-write lines? It’s because they Start with a Yes and build on the idea by thinking ensemble.
You don’t know what is going to come out of your partner’s mouth—whatever they say in an improv scene instantly becomes the reality of the scene. Therefore, you want to build a net of trust to leap into—and that trust is knit together by the knowledge that you will always support one another, no matter what.
When you think ensemble, your church will build effective teams, break down silos, and foster creativity. Ensemble gives you an instantaneous advantage with different situations; the outcome isn’t dependent on one lone person. Thinking ensemble strengthens the Body.
Think of an ensemble as a baseball team. You don’t want to load your roster with all sluggers. You need different points of view and complementary strengths. Diversity is the key to thinking ensemble. The enemies of thinking ensemble are the need to be right, stealing focus, and appearing to be in control. Jesus’ disciples were always short-circuiting things when they felt the need to be right (Peter), tried stealing the focus (James and John), or were appearing to be in control (Judas the treasurer).
Ensemble is hard, but rewarding. When nobody cares who gets the credit, your team is able to explore and heighten new ideas together. When you think of winning sports teams, the championship is won not by a single athlete, but by a team of players working together. The burden is shared and the win is shared. When you think ensemble, you are freed to walk into a meeting and bring a brick, not a cathedral.
RELATIONSHIPS ARE NOT DISPOSABLE IN A FACEBOOK WORLD
Thinking ensemble looks easy on paper but is hard in real life. Why? Because we live in the time of Facebook and Twitter, two mighty platforms that can amplify messages—and amplify grudges—if handled immaturely. And believe me, social media can be like crack for immaturity addicts.
I have a theory: we never really leave middle school. That short season of life where the awkwardness of adolescence collides with our first tastes of personal responsibility follows us through life. Many men are still that boy in the junior high locker room comparing and many women walk through life fearful of others’ opinions. We have the popular kids (Hollywood), the geeks (ComicCon), the need for cooler toys (Amazon), and petty schoolyard fights (political races). We never really leave middle school. Social media simply amplifies our inner middle school angst.
Angry at someone? Technology doesn’t force you to seek reconciliation; you can simply “UnFollow” them. They won’t even know. Facebook has made relationships disposable, just another product to consume and spit out.
That’s why thinking ensemble is so explosive: relationships are vital toward forward progress. When you sign up to be a leader, you signup for conflict. Thinking ensemble directs you to walk toward the people there is conflict with, not away from them (you can’t support someone you’re not talking to). In the Bible, we read these words about conflict:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)
The Gospel reminds us that we are messy humans who easily fall into sin. Our flesh can sometimes seek to judge before our spirit listens. But Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that if it has flesh and blood, it is not your enemy. If you are holding anger toward someone or unwilling to revisit boundaries you've set up, it's time to wake up to the fact that that person is not your enemy. They are a human being created in the image of God whom Jesus already died for and the Father has already declared to be not guilty.
Reconciliation is not something you can put off. Biblically, it is always for today. As I gently remind our church periodically, the Internet is an online tool for building community, but should never be used for tearing it down. Here is an axiom to live by: if you ever feel wronged by someone (a fellow Christ follower, a church staff member, a pastor, etc.), posting your grievance online is never the correct course of action. In fact, if someone is willing to attack another person through a blog hiding behind flickering pixels but refuses to meet with them in person, we have a word for that: coward.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The has been an excerpt from my book, Holy Shift. I lead what has been recognized as one of America’s fastest-growing churches, LifeChurchMichigan.com. Part of my training was at The Second City in Chicago.
Holy Shift is about unleashing contagious enthusiasm on church leadership teams; equipping leaders to leverage laughter and passion; and creating sustainable momentum in reaching younger crowds for Christ.
The late Dr. Martin de Maat had a profound impact on my life (I wrote about that here).
He was not only my professor and mentor, he was a close friend (Martin was even one of my wedding groomsmen!).
Dr. de Maat taught me so much not only about improvisational-comedy, but more importantly about the joy of doing life together:
"What happens... in being with each other in acceptance and Yes And-ing each other, is that you as an individual start to believe in yourself because you begin to see yourself in the others' eyes.
Your ensemble, your group, your team, your committee, is the one that's believing in you and you pull it together to do it for them.
You know, it's simply recognizing you're not alone. It's love and unconditional acceptance.
You put yourself in a place of support, unconditional acceptance and love for who you are, the way you are and your uniqueness, and what you do is grow. You surround yourself with people who are truly interested in you and listen to you, and you will grow.
And it doesn't take much to start advancing you, it doesn't take much of that support, it doesn't take much of that love and that care and you can do it. You can play act with people. You can be in a state of play together."
This is how comedians create new material. Yes And leads to trust leads to contagious unity leads to childlike creativity. Its how leaders might lead teams in the 21st Century.
I love what Martin would say about the group dynamics of creating comedy through Yes And:
"There's a lot of laughter that goes on. Since we're laughing together, we're true community. It's a very safe place to confront your fears. The minute somebody says, 'Perform!' your fear comes up..."
As we Yes And, may we as leaders embrace contagious unity and laughter.
By refusing to perform and instead choosing raw, authentic community, we may just lead at a higher, deeper, more spiritually-sensitive level than before...
I'm walking through a season of refining my character and redefining my dreams for the future.
Bob has been gracious to step in as a personal coach during this season and he is challenging my socks off in grace-filled ways.
Bob unpacks the Dream Big Framework in 7 parts:
Set Absurd Expectations
Explore Opportunities
Clear the Path
Take Action
Expect Setbacks
Sustain Belief
Land the Plane
Everyone walks away from Dream Big ready to take on the world in positive ways.
For me, there were three big ideas that Bob challenged me with that I thought I'd share here...
1) WHAT DO I WANT TO BE KNOWN FOR?
When I spend time with Bob on the phone for coaching calls, he keeps asking me the same powerful question: "Who is in my chair?"
What he's asking is, what do I want to be known for?
My titles range from 'Daddy' to 'Comedian' to 'Pastor' to 'Author.' That's a lot of titles to carry! But a title is not who I am; they are roles I have the privilege of stepping into.
What I'm wrestling through now is how do I take the richness of my past experiences/wisdom and make them more accessible to help more people going forward?
Jesus was always going around changing people's names and their destiny's for the better. He's making some changes in my life right now as well. I'm working on making a quarter-twist that will bring greater clarity to my life's mission of helping others. Nailing down what that exactly looks like is the challenge.
I would rather fail as myself rather than succeed pretending to be someone I’m not.
“I would rather fail as myself rather than succeed pretending to be someone I’m not.
2) UNLEARN THE RULES I'VE TOLD MYSELF
Bob pulled out a 16 inch softball invented during the Depression called a 'Clincher Ball.'
The big idea was that the ball was soft enough that you wouldn't need to buy an expensive mitt to catch it and it was large enough that nobody could possibly hit a homerun.
One of the rules I've unconsciously made in my life is that I always have to hit homeruns. If it's not going to ship perfectly, I won't ship it at all.
Bob told me I need to give myself a Clincher Ball: It's not always about hitting homeruns!
Somewhere along the way, I invented this Homerun Rule in my head because something unfair happened to me. Bob told me not to go for FAIR... Go for BEING PRESENT!
Unlearning the rules I've told myself requires just a little bit of time and a little bit of courage.
3) BE BRAVE ENOUGH TO SUCK AT SOMETHING NEW
Playing it safe is too risky.
Somehow along the way, I've slipped into playing it safe.
Bob is challenging me to set absurd expectations in my life again: "Don't let applause or affirmation dictate your choices. Applause is for the circus!"
He boiled it down to three key ideas that are kicking my butt:
Figure out WHO you want to be.
Have it inform WHAT you do.
Do LOTS of THAT!
So there you have it: I'm choosing to Dream Big again, to burn the ships and explore new territories.
I've only got one life to live and so much to offer.
What's holding you back in life?
What dreams would you pursue full throttle if you knew everyone was cheering you on?
Among my many improv books, is a tattered copy of the “Improviser’s Almanac” -- a copy of a copy of a mimeograph of typewritten “suggestions” for improvisers. I’ve had it since my comedy days back in the 90's.
It was passed around the Chicago improv community and has some of my late friend Martin DeMaat’s writings in the almanac. Apparently, some of the material is from an old iO student handout, but people have been adding to it over the years… editing, appending or plain altering that which has come before.
This is not a list of rules. This is a helpful guideline that has been compiled and reworked to give you the aspiring artist some assistance in developing your ability to become the best you can be. Your instincts and talent should be your first guideline. These insightful suggestions should help you understand how some of the more successful improvisors made their discoveries that led to their success. Some of these guidelines may appear to contradict themselves, but then so do many things in life.
To improvise is to expand and heighten the discoveries in the moment.
Avoid preconceived ideas. Start each improv like a blank canvas waiting to be covered with details.
Always agree; never deny verbal or physical realities.
Follow the leader. Lead so others may follow.
Silence creates tension. Don’t be afraid of this white space; let it happen by using the moment to build to the next moment, logical or if you wait another moment, a possible illogical one.
Move action forward by adding to the last moment, not sideways by trying to wedge your idea into the fray.
A scene is an idea and a comment.
Always take the active choice.
You don’t have to try to be funny, laughter will happen just by being human--humanity is funny enough.
Be alert. Listen very hard to everything outside of yourself.
KISS—Keep it seemingly simple.
Always play to the top of your intelligence. Know what you really know; know what you can do. If you really truly don’t know, play your ignorance, real or imagined hold you back. Your honesty will help rather than hinder you.
Follow your fears; if you are not comfortable with some aspect of your work, try to do it anyway. Your ineptness and courage will be a truer source of entertainment.
Don’t push a scene, follow it and add to it.
Trust your instincts and intuition. Let your character help guide you through the unknown.
Try not to invent, try to discover.
When in doubt and at last resort, try seduction.
Wear your character as lightly as you would a hat; be ready to tip it to reveal yourself.
Play against cliches. Blacks, gays, Hispanics, etc., will be less a character and more of a caricature or cartoon, which is not what we are really after.
Play the game by the rules to the best of your ability.
A space can be anything you want it to be, and can have anything you want to have in it. Once it is there though, it is THERE.
Recognize the space. Own it, use it, make it yours. Adapt, adopt, and improve it by making discoveries that help define it even more.
Show—don’t tell. Trust that the audience will see and they will respect you even more.
Be prepared for anything, like a Boy Scout.
Straight actors in plays have to trust their lines and the play. Improvisors have to trust the moment and the other actors in the moment. This trust will be reflected in the reality of the moment.
Accept what your partner does or says, as you would a gift, not as a challenge.
Make assumptions, but don’t script-write. You only have what you have discovered in the improv. Again, try to stay out of your head and in the space.
Know each other, avoid introductions by sharing an assumed past.
Keep the action onstage. Don’t story tell or plan for the future. Try not to bring up the past. Try not to focus on people or animals that aren’t there. It’s very difficult to have a scene on what is not there in the now.
One should always know what the audience knows or has just learned. Playing against this will lead to denial.
Don’t let the little details go. By being ecological, one can create the whole. Those little details are all you have to build the bigger things out of. Remember the details.
Follow the process and the product will follow.
As co-characters, playing together in a scene, the optimum time to have known each other is between a couple weeks and many, many years. The ability to discover things about each other over many years can’t be reproduced on stage, yet the comfort of knowing each other and those discovery results can come across in the comfort of each other in the moment.
Play the realities as if you are living them for the first time; and yet every discovery must be made freshly, in a unique way.
Think of all your possibilities or think of all the availabilities.
End a scene after a new element has been added or a new discovery made. Also, if you are entering a scene, enter knowing you are either ending or adding information to help further it. Try not to prolong the agony of a scene that is slowly dying, but infuse it with the momentum it needs to end on a positive note.
Every character ever written, played or made is inside of you. Release them as necessary.
Rather than focusing your energy on what you're going to say, focus on the point of view of the character’s or group's activities.
Think of the environment as a multi-dimensional where the audience is a part of. The environment also contains an outside or beyond, and an inside--focus in and focus out.
One can do anything onstage: if one does it honestly, it is believable. This enables us to travel in time.
Invest a great deal of importance in what you are doing, saying, choosing and reacting to.
BECOME A PART OF THE WHOLE. Help out in any way that you can. Be each other’s stage managers. Help and be helped. It’s OK to not be Superman all the time.
Once playing onstage, take on a competence at something, with the confidence of an expert, at whatever it is you are doing.
To help find an end to a scene, look to the beginning.
As soon as one starts to tell jokes, one starts to treat the other actors as objects. Comments on the scene or to the audience are not part of the scene and can be very detrimental to the scene reality. They are also subtle displays of not trusting. This is also a sign of the player going into his head to solve the problem, rather than trusting the focus and the other players. The stronger improvisors try to make use of the discoveries in the environment, using objects or details.
Try not to tell, but try to show.
Do not talk about what you are doing.
For heightened object work, focus on the object. Give it time, weight, space, shape and detail. This will help the object take on more reality and the audience will appreciate your talent more.
We create the rules that the audience feels uncomfortable for us in.
There is a great deal of difference between improvising and making things up. “Let’s pretend,” as we played when we were younger, is only the doorway to creating the realities of the stage. Once can feel the vast difference between inventing or thinking and the incredible state of improvising.
It’s interesting how “dull” can be interesting.
Improvising is a bit like Zen Archery. One must misdirect oneself to be on target. Make your partner look good, being more than interested in them and you will look good.
Comedy = Tragedy + Time. It is strange how we accomplish this. Humans are unique in our ability to laugh at things, and after a very sad or tragic event, with some interval of time we can find some humor in it to help ease the burden or grief.
We can handle conflict or disagreement, if it is all contained within a larger overall agreement between the players. Do not argue just to argue, and find the solution if you must disagree.
No attempt should be made to emotionally affect the audience, unless the work being done at that time demands it. This is not to say we do not want to affect the audience, but not to hit them over the head with the message. Again assume their intelligence will allow them to feel for themselves.
There are no holds barred, anything can happen and should, it’s just a matter of when the holds are used.
Occasionally play against your feelings. Surprise yourself and the audience at the same time. This will help the audience from getting ahead of you.
Remember to give and take with equal intensity.
In group scenes, introduce each character one at a time. Let everyone have their moment. This will allow the audience and the other players to know who is who and what is what.
Share the responsibilities for the success of the scene. IF you use the analogy of a motor, driving the car. If there are six people on stage, then each person is like a piston and responsible for 1/6 of the scene. You may be the scene leader, or motor, but you can’t do it all by yourself.
Incorporate the moments of discovery from the past into the institution of the future i.e. learn from the mistakes of the past to help improve your future.
What we are is infinitely more interesting than who we are.
Try to end just before you speak.
Ideas reveal more when they are acted upon than when they are discussed.
If you are bored, your audience is also bored, and this may mean you are not building anything. You can do just about anything to an audience, scare them, disgust them, please them, amuse them, but try never ever to bore them.
Explore each beat to its fullest then let it go.
Playful, direct, co-developed ideas, information or dreams will always be far hipper than one person’s alone.
Everything can be as obvious as a symbol in a dream.
For building a machine, go with a different motion of what is already there, and then interconnect with at least two other actions.
“Harolds” are like holographs or “Etch-a-Sketches”—the more we add to them, the clearer they become.
Think on the laughter, talk and move on the silence.
When taking audience suggestions, put them at ease. It is not a test, or they are on the spot. Define clearly what it is that you want, and give a couple of good examples. Encourage them to be creative and at the top of their intelligence.
No scene is ever about the words that are being spoken.
Always respect your audience. As a group, their intelligence is higher than yours, simply because they have many more minds to draw from, as compared to your 5-8 players.
There is a wealth of humor available through status differences and the playing thereof. Realize it and play with it. The changes and shifts that are inherent are ripe for the taking.
Think of improvisation as worshipful play; in scenes, try to think profoundly and it will come off as pretentious, whereas profoundness will come out of natural honest exploration of reality.
Try not to follow on group activity with another.
We should be rational about our irrationality.
If the whole is going to be art, the parts must not strive to be.
Improvisation is the ultimate disposable art form; it is like toilet paper, if one sheet isn’t working, let it go and try another one. Try not to be tied to any one moment or discovery. One of the more important aspects of the work is to keep the discoveries fresh, and make them new each time, rather than go about the same moment each way in the same way.
Onstage the thinking should be in an ecological fashion, nothing should go to waste.
If one doesn’t play the game, one can become the victim or the game's punishments.
Try not to spend too much time and energy building a character, they’re already there to be discovered and utilized.
Most any common object or attitude can inspire a character: a lemon, a pumpkin, a Ford Bronco, a pencil sharpener. “The world is beautiful,” or “Nobody loves me.” Using the idea as a seed, let the character evolve to a flower as quickly as possible.
Be aware of patterns; play with them.
The challenge is to lose control, mental vertigo, changing oops into rarified logic. The discovery of improv is landing in the same play-space, and using it to the best of your ability.
There are no minor plays by a player.
After an exit, on your entrance, come in with the same attitude and new information.
If you are doing a teaching scene, the role of the teacher should keep fading in and out of focus. The teacher should not dominate the scene. The leader of the scene is responsible for bouncing the focus off of all the others in the scene.
If you go off stage keep your reality going. Visualize your off-stage actions, keep real-time going and then come back.
Learn to discover human nature instead of what you want the scene to be about.
What you're doing is to justify your existence in the where.
One should try to play out and fulfill the moment to its end before you go on to the next.
The best way to find something is not to look for it.
Do not attempt to parody anything unless you KNOW what, where, how, why, who, and which you are parodying.
Treat absurd notions seriously.
Derailment comedy; you think you are going down track A, when you discover you are going down track B instead.
Comedy can come from seeing a union out of two apparently disparate thoughts/images.
One old lady breaks her leg and it is sad. Two old ladies breaking their legs is strange. Three old ladies breaking their legs is starting to get funny.
Always be sensitive, aware and respond to anyone entering the space or scene.
In improvisations it is not a matter of setting out to “make things” but of letting the improvisation determine what it will become.
Don’t complicate the complications.
On becoming an object; vitalize the object by becoming the object.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, so respect your other actors because in improv, what goes around comes around. Remember, they can turn you into an ashtray, toad, or anything else any time they want to.
If you bring forth what is inside you, what is inside you will save you. IF you do not bring forth what is inside you, what is inside you will destroy you.
Every scene is whole; it is only incomplete on another level.
To look normal on stage, you have to expend some energy. This level of performance should be your neutral character. This persona is good for straight roles, interviewers and supporting roles.
Don’t worry about mundaneness. Any scene we start on a mundane level, by doing what we do, will no longer be mundane.
Try not to top somebody until you have equaled them.
Keep pulling on the string of ideas the something will take shape.
You do not decide your function on stage, the group in the scene decides your function for you.
Explore your where by handling objects (not props) and reacting to the discoveries.
If something seems like the obvious thing to do you probably shouldn’t do it. But if it seems like the normal weird thing to be doing, do it.
Identify an object. Let the audience know what “it” IS. Then you can use the exposition and say instead of “look at the car”, “look at the ’55 Thunderbird”
On speed rapping; try not to fall into the Robin Williams syndrome, remember, he is a stand-up comic. Allow yourself time; unless of course your character is a speed addict or disc jockey.
Choice: improvisation is a series of choices, you may not be able to choose the situation in which you make your choices, you are free to choose and think with your response to the situation.
Self consciousness can destroy your thinking, let the audience watch you.
Satire dignifies the object by recognizing it; comedy enhances the recognition.
What we are dealing with is a theater in which every decision is ecological and holistic.
The lowest level of humor is social satire, the middle level is thinly veiled allegory and the upper level is high fantasy.
Bring the energy or your life to your work; don’t suck the energy of your work into your lives. Ground that energy; return it to the earth and the muses from which it came.
Make the strange familiar and the familiar strange.
For object transformations, use what shouldn’t be there.
You can prove anything in terms of anything.
The more you tell an audience, the less they can imagine it. So we are searching for that privileged spot of Mohammed’s coffin between heaven and earth.
If you follow a fantasy long enough it becomes real.
Be careful not to win the game at the cost of going off the board.
Through theater, mirrors become prisms.
If you are lost on stage, then obviously you should be. So do a scene on being lost. Realize the next best thing to perfection is being damn good at whatever you do.
All masks are empty until they are put on and inhabited by the actor.
If you are always turning something into something you can never see what it is becoming. All your characters in your dreams understand your dream better than you do.
There is no idea as good as the inevitable. So if in the middle of someone else’s beat, and you have the great idea, let it sit a while, it may not fit or it may, but if it is the right idea and it is the correct one, then it will be able to fit in. If it was incorrect, or untimely, then waiting will prove how it may have been a comment on the action.
Try to remember the opportunity to incorporate rhythm at any and all levels. Each character, every moment, entrance, exit and line has an internal momentum and rhythm.
One aim of religion is the method of science, and the medium of theatre. One original function of theater was to find and focus on the problems and information of being a human in the current state. The truth of improvisation is about people. The objects, forms, structures, environments, games, characters and processes all lead us to these various truths.
A dream found is a dream lost.
Characteristics help a character express basic emotional patterns.
Sharing the history of the character with the audience can be seen as spoon-feeding. Sharing the emotion with the audience brings the history out.
All acting is writing.
Actors must agree to the ironic point, agree on the opening, then go.
Every line should advance the scene forward.
The faster you greet the exposition and get it out of the way, the sooner the scene can start to fly.
When playing someone who is young, play as smart as an adult and when playing an adult, try not to lose the childlike wonder of the world. I think this means experience each discovery anew.
Let each moment or beat have its time in the space before allowing the next one to unfold.
Let every object have time, space, texture and a life of its own. It is vital that you believe you are biting into a juicy peach and can feel the small bit running down your chin. This attention to detail is not exactly mime, but the focus you give these moments will be rewarded in the response to the scene. If you believe, the audience can’t help but share in your belief.
