Improve Phobia - Kris Keppeler

 I’ve been a singer since Jr. High School but I got tired of choir in my early 20’s. So, I quit singing for awhile. A blind date took me to a Gilbert & Sullivan production several years later and I noticed the program indicated the company needed chorus members. I wanted to sing again and it looked like fun, so I auditioned for the next production. I had no resume or headshot but I got a chorus part.

Being a fairy in Iolanthe was fun, the other chorus members very nice but the director was very eccentric. My friends who attended the performance found the director’s performance fascinating as she almost took out the pianist with every swish of the baton. I didn’t repeat the adventure for another year but decided I liked it after my second G&S production in the chorus. I decided I wanted to be out front too and the director offered acting lessons to the chorus.

The director was a nice guy but not a good teacher. He used improv only to teach and yelled at me constantly. The improv situations were in your face stuff and stressful for all the students. I discontinued lessons with him but just the mention of the improv work sent my blood pressure soaring. I continued acting lessons at the most highly recommended school in Seattle and kept improving my skills. All except improv, I wouldn’t touch a class with it and I couldn’t handle improv in an audition situation.

Gary Austin came to Seattle to teach and promised improv in a safe environment. Working with Gary, I finally managed to do some improv work without sending my blood pressure through the roof. But, just the mention of it still made me nervous and likely to freeze at any time. After a few years, I decided to bite the bullet and attend an Improv camp. Yes, 6 days of straight improv, 9am to 10pm each day. I hoped to survive and get over my improv block. Much to my surprise, the work got easier by day 2. I met lots of great people, fellow actors and wonderful teachers. I learned lots of fun improv games, succeeded at improvised singing twice and I finally got over my fright.

 Do I regularly do improv now? Not on stage. But, when I do singing telegrams, comic roasting, auditions or rehearsals it comes in really handy and I couldn’t be a successful actor without it.

Improv is all the rage now, but you don’t have to be great at improv to be a good actor. Find an acting teacher you respect and who respects you and don’t allow yourself to be abused. Do allow yourself to be challenged by that teacher to get better at your craft.

I believe my story applies to any teaching situation, whether you’re the teacher or the student. A bad experience ruins future prospects for the student. A teacher loses students and damages their reputation. Learning is fun and expands your boundaries if you find the right teacher. Have fun learning at any age.

Improv Phobia By Kris Keppeler, voice actor, actress, comedian and singer with a blog on Wordpress - http://doesthishappentoyou.wordpress.com