Have you ever thought about Abraham Lincoln as an improviser? Of history as a series of unexpected events much like a performance? Improv and Sketch Comedy instructor Sean does, and he can't wait for his students to take some risks and practice adapting in moments of uncertainty — on stage and in life!
I’ve been doing Improv for five years. I started in high school doing short form improv with a team, and then in college I joined a long form team. My improv experience is actually helping me outside the classroom here at EXPLO. If you have public speaking skills and improv skills you are more prepared for things to go in an unexpected direction. Being comfortable in flexibility and winging it a little bit helps.
I am actually a history and Econ major at school, which I guess seem a bit more practical. A big thing that draws me to history is that often it is perceived as a decided list of dates, events, and names. People think that history is just unchanging points in time that need to be memorized. Really, history is just a really long improvised story with no ending. No one ever really knows what is going to happen next. Connecting improv to history is all about thinking about how everyone is just winging it all the time and how people will continue to wing it in the future as well.
My hope for the summer is that in my classes I can get my students to not be afraid of being vulnerable. I want them to be comfortable with other people and with putting themselves out there. It takes a lot of courage to go on stage and not be afraid about making a mistake. You can’t be afraid of messing up lines when you don’t have any! I want my students to be capable to deal with that kind of risk of imperfection or failure and just have the courage to get up there and be themselves.
Ally Marcino