Improv unit

By Isabella Thomas, Lianna

Martinez, and Margo Peace
 Summary of In-Person Improv Unit
Even though our school shut down in
the middle of the unit, we were still
able to do many things when we got
back to school. We were able to
watch an improv show that Mr.
Hodge and some of his friends put
together, and we also got to play fun
improv games. Some of these games
were the I Am game and Slide Show.
We also dove deeper into creating a
base reality of a scene and
characterization.
What Were Your Favorite Activities from this Unit
During the Improv Unit we played many entertaining games. One of the
popular games that we played was the I am game. In the I am game there
was a group of 6 people and one person the initiator would walk up and say
I am and would be an object or a person. Then the other group members
would come up with objects or a person that matches. Once every group
member went the picture would be finished and the audience would choose
their favorite object or person and that group member
would initiate the next picture. The group would do 3
pictures in total and once the 3 pictures were finished
the group had to go back to all three pictures and
recreate them. The I am game was not only about
improv but being able to think with the top of your
intelligence.
 Major Things We Learned
One of the most important things we learned in the improv unit was to go with
the flow, no matter what. Similar to real life, you are thrown curveballs in improv
that you don’t expect, or you expect something to go one way, and it goes the
complete opposite way you planned. We learned how to deal with curveballs
gracefully while still driving things forward. Yes-anding is a huge part of dealing
with whatever comes your way. By yes-anding, we not only go with the flow of
the scene, we also drive it forward into something greater! Another thing we
learned was how to actively listen. Listening skills are very important for daily
life and we learned how to catch onto pieces
of information, be on our toes, and actively
listen to what is being said, so we didn’t miss
anything. Improv is fast paced, and you have
to be actively listening to not get lost, this was
a hard, but important skill to learn because it
will up us actively listen in the future!
 Why was this Unit Important?
This unit not only taught us how to improv in theatre arts class, but it also taught
us how to improv in real life, and to not get stuck on a loop of constantly saying
no. A big takeaway from this unit was to say Yes, and to more things. Yes-anding
brings power to ideas and also can create a positive, collaborative atmosphere
that is needed when doing projects, in an office setting or even at home! Saying
yes to more ideas, and not blocking or denying what others had to say is not only
a great skill for improv, but also a great skill for life in general. Another important
part of this unit was collaboration and interaction with those around us (and
online!) we got to do a lot of fun scenes and games while also interacting with
others, knowing when to speak and always
actively listening. Listening is a very important
part in life and we were able to heighten our
skills through this unit.