Say 'Yes' To A Taste Of Improv And Build Confidence In The New Year

The New Year is nearly upon us, and for some resolution-makers, 2020 will be the “The Year of Yes,” trying new challenges and seizing unexpected opportunities.

There is, perhaps, no better place to test out this endeavor than the improv stage — though it’s less about “Yes” and more about “Yes, and…,” explained actress Tina Jones, who will lead the workshop “A Taste of Improv” on January 7, at Guild Hall in East Hampton.

“I feel like so much in life, it’s so nice for someone to say ‘yes’ to you, or to even say ‘yes’ to yourself — your own ideas, your own impulses,” Jones said. “We tend to be very future-focused, and I think it’s very natural human behavior, almost like a survival mechanism. Improv, essentially, helps you dissolve that. It really allows people to step into the moment.”

In any given workshop, Jones — who earned her master’s degree from the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and studied at the improvisational training center Upright Citizens Brigade and with The Barrow Group in New York — begins by creating a safe space for actors and non-actors alike, a container where all ideas are valid and supported.

During exercises, games and imaginative scenarios, participants can feel free to take risks without judgment, she said, which is typically the initial hurdle to clear, no matter the level of experience.

“When I did my masters degree, there was an improv component, and I was terrified. I was terrified,” she said with emphasis. “And what I realized through the teacher is there are really just a few principles you need to follow, and if you follow those, you’re successful.”

“I was worried about having to be smart, or having to be funny, or having to come up with things, and having to be brilliant,” she added. “And I realized, through playing, that the magic is actually in these very simple principles.”

The number one tenet of short-form improvisation — the focus of the upcoming workshop — is “Yes, and…,” which encourages actors to build off one another’s ideas without questioning them or shutting them down with a negative response, Jones said.

“I’ll be in classes and I hear people saying ‘no’ to other people, and I’m like, ‘Oh no! Say yes, say yes, say yes!’ because that’s what makes a great improv,” she said. “That’s what takes you to places you could never imagine you would go. That’s what’s thrilling and funny. But people very instinctually tend to say ‘no’ to one another. Once you learn that and you really embrace it, that’s when you really start to grow as an improv-er.”

The second rule insists that funny can’t be forced — “It does kill it. When you’re trying too hard to be funny, it’s not funny,” Jones said — and the third rule encourages blind spontaneity. Do what comes first to mind first, she said, and try not to over-think it.

“You have to silence your inner critic, or your self-editor, or doubter,” Jones said, “and you have to give way to your impulses, or somebody else’s ideas, or your own imagination. I feel like that’s very thrilling for people. It’s very freeing. It’s actually like a release.”

The three pillars of improv translate to everyday life, the workshop leader said, building on collaboration and communication skills, as well as overall confidence.

“I feel like we live in a world where you can feel isolated or people have social anxieties, and performing in front of people or your peers or public speaking is one of the biggest fears, on average,” she said. “I think social anxiety holds a lot of us back, including myself, so when you step into an improv class, you really quickly create bonds with people, because you have to. This is a great way to blow off steam, have some laughs and connect to people that you wouldn’t otherwise.”

“A Taste of Improv,” led by Tina Jones, will be held on Tuesday, January 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Guild Hall, 158 Main Street, East Hampton. Fee is $20 and $10 for members. For a more in-depth improv education, Tina Jones is offering a six-week “IMPROV 1” workshop series that will focus on the fundamentals of improvisation, starting Tuesday, January 21, at 6 p.m. The fee is $120 ($100 for members) and the series is appropriate for ages 21 and up. For more information, call 631-324-4050 or visit guildhall.org.