CORE Improv

CORE Improv is proud to announce another season. Already, auditions have occurred and the weather is changing. 

Things have changed over the years. With the opportunity to work with several schools over almost two decades, it's been interesting to see some commonalities between the students that would not have been imagined when we started CORE.

• More activities. More students have to join rehearsals late or leave early than ever before.
• More collaboration. To reach a decision, team captains are ...

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 If you are reading this, you are wondering whether a school/improv balance can be done. You might be asking whether one will interfere with the other. I'm sorry if you have every had to make the decision to weigh one versus the other. Some would argue that improv is the perfect remedy to the stress and structure of schoolwork. But that's not why you are reading this, is it? It's come down to time. You only have so much and you are trying to "do the right thing" and make a mature decision.

The...
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This is the last of the series created from a brief survey sent to experienced improvisers. The goal is to provide tips for newcomers to improv, so they can get different perspectives. Although there is a lot of info here, it's all valuable. My suggestion: just focus on something from the list that resonates with you. Otherwise, it can be overwhelming.

What advice do you want to share about getting comfortable and "up to speed" with performing?

Improv is like walking a tight rope with a net bel...

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The second and third sections resulting from the survey are entirely comprised of comments. No data here. Just delicious thoughts. Happy reading!

Question: What advice do you want to share about joining a new team?

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A lot of great information was provided by a lot of people. Enough info, in fact, that it will be broken up into three parts to make it digestible. I want to thank everyone who submitted, but since I have the opportunity, here are some folks who did not submit anonymously. Anonymous or not, all the comments were valuable.

-          Nate Smith

-          Katie

-          Zach Moore

-          Nick McEnery

-          Donny

-          John Langen

-          Dustin Reppell

-          Zach...

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I finally nailed it! 

So in the kitchen, I improvise, but I've always got one eye on history. When it's time for Daddy to make a meal, he has allrecipes.com on screen. But I will never, never, EVER follow the instructions. Not exactly. Just like with performance improv, I feel like I am always circling the perfect scene/chilli/burger/pork steak. Some of the trouble comes with memory - I forget what I did last time - which is where notes come into play. It's good to get notes and it's good to t...
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Improv is not just about a team. It's about these quivering globs of potential we call "people" which come together and react to each other. Over time, these globs learn more about each other and their reactions become potent. But what about the first time they come together? You know, when they cross the space between "individual glob" and "team of globs" for the first time and they have to (gulp) learn to interact with the other globs. You just want to nudge that little glob forward, don't ...
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This is a great article describing how businesses, military, and scientists are all starting to bail on PowerPoint-style presentations in favor of a more engaging, interactive, style. What is interesting is the value of improvisational skills required by the "new" approach.

My favorite excerpt:

• Andrew Askew, an assistant professor of physics at Florida State University... admits the presentations[without PowerPoint] are now considerably longer.... It's also been harder to find speakers, because...

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Let's get real. There are two reasons you don't care about the "Proactive Approach." 1) You're a human living in USA 2014 so you don't have time. 2) You're an improviser, so planning is for lames.

Okay, point taken. (Please don't get mad if I don't entirely agree with you, but what is important is that I have felt the way you do right now.) Regardless whether you do or don't take a proactive approach, the following might be useful to you.

Here are CORE's nuggets for getting rid of the creeping ...
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Do you trust yourself onstage yet?

I hope the answer is yes, but let's get real. It's not always going to be that way. Some days are better than others and there's no explanation for it. Self doubt comes like a thief in the night.

I was sitting in a meeting today, peering down at the agenda, and realized - gadzooks - I might be expected to present something here. My mind clouded and I started fumbling around on my laptop, rapidly gathering information I might need to sound like a coherent pers...
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