"The world is a slightly better place for having improvisation in it than it was before. There's something about it that says something positive about the human spirit, that a bunch of people can get together and by following a few simple traffic rules can create art and can entertain an audience and can thrill and exalt each other." - Del Close
Last fall, I spent 50 days on an inpatient unit at Highlands Behavioral Health. There were approximately 25 patients on the unit. A Charge Nurse named Rachel told me, towards the end of my time there, that I went from having the worst behavior on the unit to having the best. What happened was a miracle. While at Highlands, my dad relayed to me that a psychiatrist our family has been connected to for a long time told him a medication I had been on for 25 years could sometimes have a side effect of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. On October 30th, 2024, while at Highlands, I refused that medication.
My excellent psychiatrist at Highlands told me it would take about six days for it to get completely out of my system. I had compulsive behavior the next day, and since then, I have been free from them. The last year has been one of the best of my life. I have not felt this healthy since I was 10 years old.
One important part of the last year was discovering improv. Last June, I took an introductory improv class at Colorado Free University. The six-week class was called “Improv 101: It’s Time to Play!” I found it very rewarding. Some topics we covered included listening, playing with emotion and character, creating a space, and having fun. The last week was a performance during which students in the class could invite family and friends.
A lesson I learned was that one goal of improv is to make the people performing with you look good. Being in the moment is another key element of a successful skit.
I have continued improv at a theatre in Denver, doing drop-in classes pretty much weekly. It is a fun, low-pressure way to learn the basics of improv. The instructor(s) guide participants through group warm-ups, improv games, and even a few scenes. It’s all about expressing yourself creatively, making interesting and sometimes surprising choices, cultivating group mind, building cohesive ensemble, developing fun characters, creating rich environments, and, of course, just having FUN. After the class is an experience called a Jam. This is an opportunity to get on stage and perform in a supportive environment.
"Yes" (Acceptance): This means acknowledging and accepting as truth whatever scenario, character detail, or fact your scene partner has introduced, without denying it. Denying a partner's offer (e.g., responding to "It's so hot in this dog's mouth" with "No, we are not in a dog's mouth") can stop the scene's momentum.
"And" (Contribution/Expansion): After accepting the reality, the improviser must add a new piece of information to the shared reality, moving the story forward. The goal is to build upon the established idea, not just agree with it and stop.
Now, improv is not always easy for me. Sometimes people say things that make me uncomfortable, and there are times when my ego takes over. It sounds great to listen, collaborate, and make the people around me look good, but there are times when I am participating that I don’t listen well, don’t collaborate actively, and focus on making myself look good. Upon further reflection, perhaps part of the reason I am drawn to improv is that it challenges me and helps me grow.
One concept in improv that I have often come across is “yes, and…”
“Yes, and…“ is a fundamental rule in improvisational theatre that means an improviser must accept their partner’s premise, or “offer,” and then add new information to build the scene. It is the foundation for collaborative and spontaneous storytelling.
“Yes” (Acceptance): This means acknowledging and accepting as truth whatever scenario, character detail, or fact your scene partner has introduced, without denying it. Denying a partner’s offer (e.g., responding to “It’s so hot in this dog’s mouth” with “No, we are not in a dog’s mouth”) can stop the scene’s momentum.
“And” (Contribution/Expansion): After accepting the reality, the improviser must add a new piece of information to the shared reality, moving the story forward. The goal is to build upon the established idea, not just agree with it and stop.
If I think of getting off that medicine as a new reality, yes, I am off of that medication, and.. how am I going to live my life going forward? I resumed volunteering at Jewish Family Service last December in Records Management, and last month I began a game group for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities there as well. The group is called “Games With Evan: It’s Time to Play!” We play the board game: Sorry!, and it is going really well. I play chess and poker regularly. In October, I gave a speech at the National Dialogue on Schizophrenia: Colorado. I am currently searching for employment again as well.
While preparing this Karis blog, I did a Google search of articles on Improv and mental health and found one that resonated with me. It was a 2023 Psychology Today Blog by Clay Drinko, Ph.D., entitled 7 Research-Backed Benefits of Improv Comedy. Here are the seven benefits covered:
- 1. Improv activates language and creativity centers in the brain.
- 2. Improv helps promote brain connectivity.
- 3. Improv boosts creativity.
- 4. Improv reduces social anxiety.
- 5. Improv reduces uncertainty intolerance.
- 6. Improv boosts confidence.
- 7. Improv decreases stress.
While I first moved into Karis in 1999 and have been actively involved ever since, this past year, I feel I have been more engaged at events. I love participating in Alumni group activities and have recently made the choice, with Annie, to do something I did in early 2000: come to dinner at Karis periodically. I brought cheesecake in October and intend to come every six months or so.
I am going to close with a quote. I feel one could replace the word “improvisation” with “Karis” and it would fit as well.
"The thing about improvisation is that it is not about what you say. It's listening to what other people say… It's about what you hear" - Paul Merton
Thank you!
Evan Silverman, Karis Alum