Ben Mikola


Improv

Improv is the only time I can think of when a group of adults all get in a room together and play childish games that are so goddamned funny they send you into the kind of fits of laughter that makes your abs sore the next day.

Seriously, where else do adults do that? Nowhere. Not since you were a kid when you had recess. Improv is recess for grown-ups.

You might start out shy. But soon you realize nobody cares. They’re worried about themselves.

When the first person has the guts to get silly, it disarms you. You see everyone’s body language change. Everyone relaxes. The anxiety and unease escape the room. No more pressure to act normal. You have permission to be silly. Nothing matters except letting loose and enjoying the moment. Self-judgment disappears.

Everyone is on your side, rooting for you. You will never find an asshole in an improv class.