Formosa Improv Group is a bilingual improv troupe focused on exploring cross-cultural communications and relationships while having fun. We are grateful to the Red Room for providing us a safe space to host our Open Practice Workshops for the community on Mondays (7-9pm) and our monthly mainstage performances.
Upcoming shows at the Red Room are June 29, 2019 and July 27, 2019. Show starts at 8pm and doors open at 7:30pm. FIG will also be hosting an anniversary show at Social Innovation Lab on August 17, 2019. Please follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Meetup and Line) for the latest updates of our upcoming activities.
The write-up below is provided by Isaac Myers, one of FIGs founding members. Read on to learn of his experiences as an improv player and thoughts about the Red Room.
When I started doing improv just a year ago — with members of what would later become Formosa Improv Group (FIG) — I never imagined I would have the courage to perform in front of an audience, let alone direct a show.
The first practices were pretty low stakes: seven or eight people playing at an MRT station. And yet I was extremely nervous about saying something embarrassing or showing an ugly part of myself to the other players. Telling stories or creating scenes without any prior rehearsal can be frightening terrain for someone who isn’t completely at peace with his subconscious.
On my second practice, my worst fears became reality. At one point, before I could stop myself I blurted out something offensive about the other player doing the scene with me. I felt a jolt as I realized what I’d said, and looked at the player, expecting him to be upset. Instead, he justified my choice without batting an eye, and we continued the scene.
This incident made me realize I had been holding myself back. Learning that I could occasionally be a complete idiot or a jerk, and that rather than criticizing me or kicking me out of the group, the other players would actually support me — this was the beginning of the unraveling of my fear of improv, my fear of public speaking, and my fear of myself.
Improv is a place to bring out your best self and your worst self and let them shake hands. It’s an environment in which to play — an environment that so few of us get to experience as adults. Play is essential for learning and development. Why is it so often assumed that this is only useful for children?
One misconception I hear a lot about improv is that experienced improv players are great at “making stuff up.” I’ve learned from my year with FIG that “making stuff up” isn’t the point. The beauty of improv comes from learning to notice and accept the gifts that our minds are constantly giving us, and from learning to support these gifts in others.
Improv shows usually involve asking the audience to suggest certain things, relationships, places, or ideas to inspire the players in their scenes. For the May show, True Stories, we asked audience members to give us personal questions instead. The players, in turn, resolved to answer these questions as honestly as possible. In making this choice, I wanted to emphasize the concept of accepting what’s already there, as opposed to “making stuff up.” There’s more to truth than just facts, and the audience can sense how true a story is — even one that’s ostensibly fictional.
On the stage in the intimate, inviting atmosphere of the Red Room, the players of FIG used improv as a vehicle for exploring real relationships, conflicts, challenges, and achievements. The stories that unfolded were at turns shocking and joyful, sad and silly. Just like real life.
The Red Room is an incubator in the best sense: a place of warmth and safety for people of diverse backgrounds to challenge themselves and be supported by others doing the same thing. Making mistakes is expected and encouraged. I am thankful to Red Room for nurturing my growth as a human being.
Isaac Myers is an avid language learner and co-founder of Say What! 語言健身房, which uses improv and other forms of play to help adults rediscover their natural language learning abilities.
Photo credit Catherine Openshaw
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Roma Mehta2023-04-21 01:01:442023-04-21 01:32:38Ancient Wisdom and the Modern World ~ IWD 2023
