One of our wonderful teachers and working actor Carla Haynes explains how improv has helped her in her acting career.

My improv skills feel like a secret weapon that gives me an extra boost of confidence when going into auditions or stepping on set. I know that whatever gets thrown at me, I’ll be able to handle it without panicking or getting flustered.

I personally believe that everyone can benefit from taking improv classes. But if you’re an actor, I think improv classes are absolutely essential, as there are so many tools and skills you will gain that will help you immensely throughout your entire career.

Firstly, improv teaches you to really listen and respond to your scene partner in the moment. No-one wants to be one of those actors who, rather than responding to their scene partner and really hearing what they are saying, is instead in their head thinking about what they’re going to say next.

Skilled actors are also able to adjust their performance in different ways based on feedback from a director

When improvising, really listening to your scene partner is essential. We need to listen to each other so we know what’s going on in the scene as we are creating the scene together moment by moment. This ability to be present and to really listen and respond is absolutely key for actors.

Skilled actors are also able to adjust their performance in different ways based on feedback from a director. To do this, they need to be flexible and they need to be willing and comfortable to try different things without having any time to prepare.

Improv training can help here, as it teaches you to be spontaneous, adapt to changes, and respond to cues in the moment. Improv also teaches you to loosen up and let go of your ego. Our egos mean well - they try to protect us from looking “silly” - but they can hold us back as actors, and they can keep us stuck making safe and uninteresting choices. Improv challenges you to step out of your comfort zone. It invites you to let go of the need to look “cool” and to get things “right”, and it allows you to relax and play.

Let’s face it, being an actor is tough.

When you’re in an improv scene, you can end up being anybody, anywhere, at any point in time. Therefore, you can find yourself playing all sorts of different characters. In this way, improv can really stretch you as an actor. It can expand your ability to play different types of characters, allowing you to discover different sides of yourself that you can then tap into when preparing for a role. This process of discovery can improve your confidence in your acting ability as well.

Improv training definitely helps to build your confidence overall. Let’s face it, being an actor is tough. For one thing, the industry is super competitive, and actors have to brave audition after audition knowing how unlikely success will be. For these reasons, resilience and confidence are essential.

Improv training can help with this. For one thing, simply by stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something new and challenging, you will learn that you are capable of so much more than you may have realised. Improv training also teaches you to trust and value your instincts and ideas. And it allows you to reconnect with your innate creativity.

If you’re an actor (or an aspiring actor) and you haven’t yet tried improv classes, I really do encourage you to give them a go. If the idea seems a bit scary, I invite you to take a step out of your comfort zone. That’s where change and growth happen! Most people are nervous when they first begin improv classes, but we create a safe, welcoming, and encouraging environment here at Improv Queensland.

Plus - improv classes are actually super fun!

So I do hope to see you in a class soon.

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