If you’re reading this and you’ve been thinking for a while about taking an improv class, but you’re still really nervous, this post is for you. First off, let me say: I see you. I was you. Heck, part of me still is you. Maybe you’ve thought about taking an improv class for a while now. Or perhaps you’ve been to one of our shows and thought, “That looks, really fun, but I could never do that.”
It’s possible that you’re an introvert, convinced that improv is just for the loud, outgoing types. I get it. I really do. Eight years ago, I was 32, a recent transplant to New Mexico and the kind of lonely that finds you looking forward to conversations with Uber drivers. Then I walked into an improv class. Now, I’d love to tell you that the moment I stepped through that door, all my fears melted away and I was instantly transformed into a confident, more hilarious version of myself. But the truth is, it was scary. It was awkward. There were moments when I wondered what on earth I was doing there.
But here’s the deal, everyone else was wondering that same thing. The burned-out nurse whose dog recently died. The soon-to-be cruise ship worker navigating a divorce. The Judo instructor who kept trying to work chokeholds into scenes. The computer programmer with a well-maintained mustache. The lawyer. The physicist…I mean the physicist was wondering so many things.
We were a weird crew. There was no reason we should have had anything in common. Except we did. We all said yes to being there. And slowly, class by class, scene by scene, something magical started to happen. We became a team.
I won’t promise you that improv will solve all your problems. But here’s what it might do: It might make you laugh harder than you have in years. It might help you see the world, and yourself, from new and wonderful angles. It might give you the courage to say “yes” to opportunities off-stage. And just maybe, it might introduce you to some of the best friends you’ll ever have. It did for me.
So, to you, the person reading this email, the one who’s thought about taking an improv class but is still really nervous, I say this:
On the other side of that fear is a world of possibility, connection, and comedy. You don’t have to be funny. You don’t have to be outgoing. You don’t have to be anything other than willing to show up.
We’ll be here when you’re ready.
Warmly,
Eric Weiss
