Improv Journal: Homeless Dan

In addition to the daily sketches and writing I’ve been doing more or less consistently since January 1, I need to spend a little more time developing my skills in improvisation. See, I love performing (or being the center of attention – they’re often the same thing), and, right now, my weekly antics with The Jesters Royale comedy improv team are the only times I ever get to take the stage anymore.

I used to think that, outside of our Wednesday workshops, there was very little I could do to “prepare” myself for performances. After all, isn’t “improvisational comedy” by definition unrehearsed? However, one of the teachers at the workshops recently started emphasizing the importance of keeping an “improv journal” – a record of things you notice that can help you with your performances.

Improv relies a lot on memory – what you’ve seen and experienced, as well as everything you’ve ever noticed about other people, has to be available for instant recall when needed. Recording these observations and impressions can, at first, feel a bit like scripting, but, in the end, writing is simply a memory tool.

I’ve started working on my “improv journal” – recording techniques I learn at workshop, making lists of plot twists, and writing up brief bios on some of the “stock characters” I’m developing. Here’s my most recent entry: a bio on a new character I developed last night at performance.

NAME: “Homeless Dan” (featured in the game “Bad Advice” 1.22.10)

COSTUME: orange overalls, leather jacket, rockstar wig (all costume pieces negotiable)

ACCENT: southern redneck

MANNERISMS: drunken stagger
frequently dozes off
does not make eye contact
distrusts technology
is LOUD

HISTORY: Dan has almost always been homeless. He comes from a long line of homeless men and women who took great pride in their homelessness. As a rebellious teenager, Dan got a job folding clothes at a K-Mart. He has since learned that people treat the homeless with more respect. Dan has hitchhiked across the USA and has tried every variety of local vermin and roadkill. He loves Arby’s Sauce. He says he once got a handout from Patrick Swayze, whom he now worships as a saint.