Improv and Intimacy
Workshop and Social
Saturday, April 5, 2025
6:30-8:30PM, 2100 Fairway Drive, #10
Doors open at 6PM – Informal social to follow
Obviously, intimacy is and can be a playful improvisational practice, but the practice of improv – usually associated with comedy – has many other lessons for us in intimacy. In improv, we must listen. In improv, we must be aware of each other's feelings and boundaries. In improv, we must learn to trust ourselves, our partner, and our bodies and voices. Have fun playing, but learn lessons that can have a serious benefit in helping us be more intimate with each other.
No improv experience in any way required!
Cost: Recommended $25 (pay what you can)
Next workshop: April 12 – Sacred Space
Improv and Intimacy
Facilitated by Jim Macdonald
Let's play together in week 9 of our 10-week intimacy workshop. Improv – that is, improvisation – is what we do every moment of our lives, but on a stage, it is a particular art form that is misunderstood. A common perception of improv is that people go up on a stage and simply say whatever random things come to their mind, chaos ensues, and we find it funny and laugh. While there can be value in speaking out randomly whatever comes out, and it may be a practice I use in a future workshop, improv as an art form is closer to life. In improv, we go on stage feeling some emotion, meeting someone on stage, and express that emotion vocally and through our body language. Then, something magical happens. The other person notices our emotion, listens to it, and with that information, expresses something through their voice and body that expresses their emotion. Given the relationship that exists between the two characters, they begin to define that world, but more importantly, their relationship with each other. The actors on the stage listen to each other and build together, acknowledging (what we call in improv the "yes, and") each other's contributions, and using that to create more.
Improv, then, is like life in that we all have an emotional stance in the moment, and we all have relationships and situations we are navigating where everyone around us has emotions. Unlike life, though, while the improvisor is always aware of what her/their/his character is feeling, we often walk through life unaware. We often are not listening to the people we are in relationship with, and we are often denying the reality being expressed by the other person. Therefore, improv is more like intimacy – the more ideal life that we are after in this series.
In this workshop, we will be paired up in our sacred space container, where we have our chance to express our desires, fears, and boundaries about what we would like to do or will under no circumstances do on a stage. We will practice listening to each other, looking them in the eye, and noticing our emotions when the person across from us expresses what they do. Then, we will play! With your partner, you will practice improv. If you think you cannot do this, believe me that you can. And the point is not to be good or funny but merely to connect with your partner. Finally, each group will have the chance to perform in front of the room.
Improv is built on trust, and so while this is an awesome practice to do with strangers, feel free also to bring a partner or friend to share the stage with. This is a practice in intimacy, and you may be surprised how much you learn about your friend or partner through the practice of improvising together. As always, solos are just as welcome to attend.
The suggested price for this workshop is $25, but all of these workshops are pay what you can (even if what you can is $0).
Space for all these workshops is limited; so please RSVP to guarantee your spot.
Jim Macdonald