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As an advertising writer, I struggled for years to “find the funny.” Every brief brought on a cold sweat and the fear of failure, of never having another good idea. It wasn’t until I learned to relax that writing became easier. The more I stopped worrying and focusing on the problem, the faster ideas came.

“I can never get used to the fact that most of the time it looks like you’re doing nothing.” – Roger Sterling to Don Draper

I’ve found the same to be true in improv. If I hold on tight to a preconceived idea, there’s no space for the unexpected. When my ego tries to steer the scene (and fails), I end up where I started: in my head.

When you let go, something amazing happens. You say and do things you could never have planned. Things that surprise your teammates, the audience, and you.

One of my favourite commercials of all time is this Holiday Inn spot (below) featuring actor/improvisers Jerry Lambert, Roy Jenkins and Nat Faxon. A director who worked with Jenkins told me the line “I hope so” was improvised. When I heard that, I tried to imagine the spot without it. Impossible.

The writer knew to let the actors play.

Clients will always try to fill 30 seconds with sales talk. It’s my job to leave enough space in the script for some magic on the shoot day.

That goes for improv too. Just because you have a 20-minute set doesn’t mean you have to fill every second with jibber jabber. Let the scenes breathe, and invite the comedy gods to speak. Even if sometimes that means not speaking at all.

Photo © Brian McConkey

Object work is a simple way to take your scene from meh to mesmerizing.

Watch a master improviser onstage, and you’ll swear you can actually see the banana they’re peeling, the stick shift they’re driving, the roll of duct tape they’re wrapping around Grandma’s dead body.

On the other hand, bad object work can destroy the reality of a scene like nothing else.

We’ve all seen tables get walked through, floor mops that come and go, and razor-thin cigarettes inhaled between two fused fingers.

When you give your objects weight and mass, it instantly grounds you and makes your movements more deliberate. It also paints a more vivid picture for the audience.

One of the biggest go-to’s in improv is drinking (insert AA joke here). For some reason scientists have yet to explain, we drink improv beverages through our thumb.

“Watch how you actually drink from a can or glass, then watch how most improvisers mime it. Just try drinking with your thumb in your mouth.” – TJ Jagodowski

Become an observer, starting with yourself. Notice how you do everyday tasks. Practice the movements with and without the physical objects.

When you’re bored with that, go people-watching. Someone who holds their cigarette with their index curled over top is very different from someone who holds it cupped beneath their palm. We all have our little quirks. Try on someone else’s for a change.

A lot of people try to get through object work as quickly as possible in order to “get to the scene.” But if you take your time and invest in whatever activity you’re doing, it can actually inform your character. Or become the scene itself.

Which is funnier: A guy taking off his clothes in two seconds, or watching a guy unbutton his shirt, unbuckle his belt, unzip his pants, and finally remove his underwear while his doctor puts on gloves, one finger at a time?

It’s the anticipation.

When you take your time with objects, your scene partner has time to process what’s happening too.

Say you’re in a scene where you’re on a date. Instead of flipping a pull-out bed instantly and throwing your scene partner on it, the struggle becomes turning the couch into a bed. Removing the cushions. Trying to lift the rusty metal frame. Smoothing out the wrinkled old sheets while your date – and the audience – watches.

As Joe Bill says, “You don’t have to put a shelving unit together in ten seconds.” In their workshops, he and Mark Sutton teach that, “Improvisers spend a lot of time on stage moving things around, and not enough time letting things move them.” That’s great advice.

Like the song says, it ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it. Look at TJ holding a glass while he’s on the phone (below). The way he holds it speaks volumes about his character (in this case, a housewife with a fondness for cocktails).

Cheers.

Photo © Sharilyn Johnson