Change your life!

Back in 2003, when I was going through my divorce after a 15-year relationship and scared as hell of what single life would bring, I got an idea that has inexorably changed my life for the better: I decided to take an improv class. 

At first it was just a way to get out of the house, get out of my head, and meet some new people. At first I wasn't very good: I'd stumble for the right words, get all wrapped up in what I wanted the scene to be, get frustrated when something didn't work, and kicked myself afterwards for all the mistakes I made. After two classes (all Dad's Garage offered back then) I figured I was done, but I eventually found my way back to it, had a breakthrough and got much, much better. Good enough to be invited to join the casts at Dad's Garage, the Basement Theatre, Cineprov, and my current home, JaCKPie.

But this isn't a story about my relative successes as an improviser. It's about how improv changed my life. You see, from the time we're little kids, we're taught to judge ourselves and, by extension, everyone around us. We're taught to reflect on the past and plan for the future, often at the expense of our ability to enjoy the present. We're taught to color inside the lines, keeps our arms and legs inside the moving car at all times, and keep our deepest feelings to ourselves. Worst of all, we're taught that "grown-ups" should be serious-minded, and that there's clearly something wrong with anyone willing to act a fool and embarrass themselves in public.

To become a good improviser, I had to un-learn an awful lot of stuff that had been programmed into my brain since I was a small child. I learned how not to judge myself or others, because "whatever happens is what was MEANT to happen," allowing us to learn from our "mistakes." I learned to stop trying to manipulate every single thing to be the way I wanted it to be– to let things happen organically and respond in the moment, without any agenda. I learned that letting it all out allows other people to let themselves in, establishing deeper bonds of connections between us as human beings. I learned how to support others while at the same time taking better care of myself. And most importantly, I learned how to play with the unfettered abandon of a child, completely un-self-conscious in my own skin.

I learned a lot of these things from my classes with Jim Karwisch, JaCKPie's founder, teacher and mentor. Over six years into my improv training, I'm still learning valuable lessons on improv every week, and finding a million ways that knowledge impacts me in my day-to-day life. If you've ever struggled to make friends, struggled to find your own path, struggled with public speaking, or just wondered how improvisers do what they do, I urge you to check out JaCKPie's improv classes, which begin next Monday night at 7pm. It will change your life, and you'll forever be glad you did. Register today at http://jackpie.com.