One activity that we did during Improvisation was called “Yes, and”. We were paired up with someone, and we would have to respond to their statement with a “Yes and” at the start.
For example:
a: Let’s go to the beach today
b: Yes, and let’s bring some drinks there!
We were only allowed to add on to our partner’s sentence; we were not allowed to change the topic and say anything else at the start of the sentence other than “Yes, and”.
- I used to think that it wouldn’t be wrong to not participate in games and ask my questions. It is not that it is wrong, but now I think it is better to participate in games and ask whatever questions I have. After I stopped being shy and just started taking risks, I realised how much more I learned. I started participating in more games, and I understood that my risk-taking made my classmates feel more comfortable participating, which resulted in more of us learning more from the game.
- I remember one big idea about Improvisation is how I should go along with anything my co-actor says. The “Yes, and” activity will help me remember this. It was emphasised that the scene will not go anywhere if we say ‘no’ or don’t go along with something our co-actor says. This idea will help make my scene easy frot the audience to understand and will flow smoothly.
- One thing I did well was that I took more risks. Instead of acting as a teenager, which I am, I acted as an old lady. I think this makes the scene more interesting and challenges the person acting with me. One thing I struggled with is to come up with ideas quickly. I wanted to think outside of the box and act as a character I normally would ever act as. I hope I can work on this better throughout the theatre lessons. Observing my peers and how they approach an acting task or working with my classmates will definitely help me improve to become a better ensemble member. When I observe people acting, I tend to start doing what they did that I liked. This will broaden and build my acting skills. If I work more often with my peers than by myself, I will learn how to work as an ensemble better.