Tips for Success.
This was recently in an Annoyance newsletter and an old co-worker of mine posted it on her Facebook. It's written by Mick Napier and it's packed with good advice. Better advice then I could ever give my students! So here, students, and all improvisers and comedians I know! Here!
In these newsletters, I rarely write about improvisation, because it's little fun to "measure the magic", but here goes:
Next week is Second City's general auditions. Over 500 people will be
auditioning in 4 days. I will run a great many of these auditions, along
with my friend Matthew Hovde. It's one of the scariest auditions in the
world, and it got me thinking about people I've known, and what it
really takes to make it in comedy in the United States through this
particular journey... improvisation. I think I know a couple of things. I
thought I'd share some thoughts about what to DO in this often
confusing world... This is real, not joke...
It doesn't
matter which school of improvisation you go into first or at the same
time or whatever. There are sound reasons for any order or any degree of
simultaneity.
Don't be seduced by being on a team. It
seems like it's enough and you are going along just fine. It's not
really enough, and it's not a mark of evolution, it just seems like it
is.
Character work isn't bad, particularly if you want to do
sketch comedy. Don't listen to false affirmation that character work or
broader acting has a lack of integrity, it is just different. And that's
just true. Character range is a skill set that is not attained by
continuously denouncing character range. It's not something you can
magically turn on at, say, a Second City audition. Believe you me.
Write. For absolutely no fucking reason, write.
Make it o.k. with yourself that you admit that you would want to be on
the mainstage or on a house team or in an Annoyance show or on
television or SNL. It really is o.k. Just don't be an asshole about it.
You won't be, anyway. It really is o.k.
Do solo work. Find a way to feature yourself.
One person shows are fucking boring. Find a reason they're not. Do that.
Don't wait for stuff. It not only drains your power, but actually
has you be perceived as less powerful. You will have plenty of time to
wait with great stakes for absolutely nothing when you move to Los
Angeles. DO things here. Get a group. Create videos, write even more.
Here's two boring things: Headshots. Resumes. And don't lie.
This has happened: "We put this guy (someone holds up headshot) in the
'yes' pile. Anybody remember him? No? O.K." (headshot goes in 'maybe' or
'no' pile) Because his headshot didn't look like him, and his photo
ironically worked against him. Look like your headshot, that is what
they are for. Look like your headshot. Don't lie on your resume. Man,
you will get caught and you will look like an asshole. And even if you
don't get caught, you are that kind of person.
Talent is
everything. Just kidding. How you are to work with is as important. Your
character shows up everywhere. Whether you are at S.C. or Playground or
Ale House or a class or Corcoran's or I.O. or Skybox or Annoyance or in
the middle of the ocean:
a. everything counts.
b. everyone hears about everything.
c. everyone talks about everyone all the time.
Your behavior could affect whether you work here or there for the bad or the good.
Take a break occasionally. From it all. For perspective, sanity,
life. You and what you bring to the stage will benefit from your actual
life experience. My own life has been a series of wonderful hobbies.
Study acting. You won't, but you ought to. You won't because you
think you are SO fucking funny, and don't need it. But you do. You
really do. I tell people that, and they say "yeah, yeah, but what do I
need to DO to get an edge?" I say it. No one does it. It's such an easy
edge.
Twelve, just like the 12 points of the Scout Law.
Oh well, all of this is true. So there. And that, is as simple, as that.
-Mick Napier, Founder and Artistic Director
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