I was always that kid that needed to be right. I had to know every answer to every question on the test. That knowledge gave me confidence and a sense of security. When I started acting in high school and college, I drilled my lines and my blocking over and over again, because the fear of forgetting anything was too great to bear. I was not a spontaneous or dangerous actor; I was a consistent and safe one.
I moved to Los Angeles 20 years ago and the first week I was here I saw an improv show at The Groundlings. I could not believe that those performers were making everything up on the spot. And they were hilarious. And confident. How was this possible? Terrified but intrigued, I immediately signed up to study with them.
Of all the many things I learned at The Groundlings, probably the biggest was how to let go of my fear of the unknown and embrace it. That’s when we are our most interesting, our most wild, our most human selves. Letting go of this need to be correct also helped me in daily life. Conversations got infinitely more interesting when I listened and responded to what people actually said, instead of just thinking ahead to what I was going to say next.
I started teaching at the school in 2006, and I realized that my favorite moments were when students let go of rigid perfection and invited their messy uniqueness out to play. When they could stop correcting themselves and allow themselves to be wrong. With joy.
Leading corporate workshops is particularly exciting for me, because I get to walk into a room of terrified people and relieve them of this fear. Many participants have told me before the workshops that getting up in front of their peers or strangers in their company and saying or doing anything is the scariest act they can imagine. Quoting David Jahn (one of our favorite Groundlings instructors), “fear is nothing more than the expectation of results.” What is going to happen if I say something wrong or do something stupid, or what if I start babbling and can’t stop, or what if I open my mouth and nothing comes out?
Well, all of these things happen. Because that’s the goal. The collective anxiety felt in the room begins to melt away, because everyone is laughing and living for these imperfect human moments. Improv is a brilliant equalizer. The CEO and the intern must work together, trusting each other and themselves, in order to be successful. Learning to harness the power of “yes and” is tremendous. Instead of being critical and coming up with reasons why something will never work, we guide you to say “yes” and add to your partner’s information. Suddenly you have created something together without judgment or limits. Letting go of the panic and embracing the unknown. And I promise the fear of doing it is far greater than its execution.