Meet your teacher: Ryan Goodwin
Ryan Goodwin in Hooking Up, New Zealand Improv Festival.
Announcing the teacher for our upcoming Storytelling and Creativity Class - Ryan Goodwin.
Ryan has a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Theatre from Griffith University and a Bachelor of Film and Screen Media Production from the Queensland College of Art. He is an award-winning improviser who has performed in Australia and overseas. He has been with the ImproMafia teaching cohort for several years and brings his passion for Improv and knowledge of theatre to share with his workshop students.
We sat him down recently and grilled him about his views on improvisation as a passion and a skill.
How did you discover improvisation?
I had a mental health breakdown after film school and I found I was limiting my social interaction based on my need to be ‘perfect’ all the time. I thought I would give impro a go as it seemed in many ways the opposite of film, more instantaneous and tapping directly into creativity, rather than endless planning and reshoots. I stuck with it because it really helped to live in the moment and the effects went through all my life.
What do you love about improvisation?
Apart from living in the moment more, on stage I love when everyone’s ideas come together and we come up with this wonderful creative thing as a group that is really honest, and not trying to manipulate an audience to feel a certain thing or respond a certain way. In fact the audience is part of the show and helps guide it as well. You can’t pre-plan it and it is something you can only do in the moment. I love that collaborative aspect.
What is your favourite experience teaching improvisation?
I love in class when you just see people’s ideas and creativity burst forth. We were doing a series of scenes and they were all hilarious, but we had this amazing bittersweet scene where it turned out that a character was saying goodbye to her grandmother. It was so touching, you literally felt the energy change in the room and it sent chills up everyone's spine. It really just opened up the class's experience of impro that it doesn’t just have to be funny, it can be beautiful or sweet or sad as well.
Why do you think people should learn improvisation?
It's accessible and it teaches great life skills and it gives you permission to play as an adult.
What is your proudest impro moment?
Telling queer stories on stage at the Brisbane Powerhouse and in Wellington and it being so well received I got a boyfriend out of it (not a guarantee from doing impro).
Who is your impro hero or role model?
My peers who I get to perform with. Impro is very non-hierarchical and people hate being put on a pedestal.
When you aren't improvising, how do you like to spend your time?
Long walks listening to podcasts and sipping on a good cup of coffee.
Build your improv skills today with Ryan.
Storytelling and Creativity’s final term for 2021 kicks off on Tuesday 26th Oct, from 7pm to 9:30pm in Red Hill, Brisbane. For more information, click the link below.