Showcase Summary: Be Nicer to Yourself

Well, it's over! My class had our showcase on Sunday and it went very well. We just had a lot of fun, got plenty of laughs, and even used some inside jokes.

Some thoughts on the show:

• I felt the best when I initiated a scene. I only initiated one. I used something said in a monologue in a unique way and it created a fun scene with characters, a setting, and game.
  
• In that scene I also walked through a "table" - that I created myself. I mimed putting a book on a table and later walked right through it. Doh. No excuse for that. I certainly need to work on that.
  
• The lesson from class I applied the most was high status vs. low status characters. I played a boss, an employee, and a creepy onlooker and tried to keep mind how those characters would act based on status. I'm not saying I applied it well – I'm just saying it was on my mind.
  
• I was hesitant to invite my friends to the show and as I was walking to the theater, I knew it was a mistake. I usually invite many friends and coworkers and knowing that members of the audience are on my side gives me more confidence. Lesson learned!
  

Truthfully, I've been beating myself up about the show a little bit. I tend to overanalyze every moment after a showcase and this was the worst overanalyzing spree for me. I just want very much to be good at improv, but I won't get better if I doubt myself. I was reading Will Hines' awesome blog today, Improv Nonsense, and his response to this question resonated with me:

"It's that you're judging yourself so harshly, that's what's killing you. You want to be able to know exactly how well you're doing, and there's no way to know, and so you're condemning yourself just for the certainty of the condemnation. Listen to your coach/teacher, even the audience, instead of your worries. You don't know if you're yessing/not anding. If it were that simple you'd do it. You're doubting and fearing. It's very common to do this. You've got to be nicer to yourself, give yourself the benefit of the doubt and assume that someone will tell you when you're off and that you are good enough that you will notice when someone is telling you. It's all gonna be okay!"

Such good advice and certainly relevant for me! I gotta give myself some slack and "let it go" as the ever wise Queen Elsa would say.

So a good show all in all, but next time I will be kinder to myself, especially afterward.