I have to admit that, on the look of things, it seems unusual - after all, I'm not really in the acting/writing profession (unless you count my numerous attempts at trying to write). So when I heard about some improv workshops as part of the St. Louis Fringe Festival through Ed Reggi, I engaged in my semi-regular hobby of attending improv classes.
You would think that a Chicago boy would have taken said classes through Second City, but I never had the courage (or the money). Again, I'm just a community development/substance abuse/civically-minded guy: why take a class - albeit, cool - on short form improv?
Because...it's probably the safest form of play on the planet. It's a confidence builder that only involves threatening the imagination - no worries about bumps, bruises, or broken bones. It's about being able to mentally turn on a dime, on earning trust with another person, about doing the invisible dance of turning nothing into a symphony of action, motion, and laughter.
The stage acts as a laboratory, as a safe way to engage in hairpin turns. As an added bonus, it allows for creativity on the job, clearing out the mental cobwebs, and just allows for pure fun - entertainment for its own sake. A high that almost never gives out, and a few moments of joy in an otherwise overstructured world.
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