Pursuit of Perfection

Last night in class a student said that he needed structure in Harold group games because he was "a perfectionist". He was struggling because he wanted to "do it right" and was having difficulty committing to the game. He was just in his head, and hasn't yet discovered the fun of giving up control, but something about his wording made me think about it for a while after class was over.

Isn't improv by definition imperfect? Is it even possible to do it right?

I don't think so. I think we can do it well, but perfection is a goal best left unachieved. Humans are by nature imperfect. If we weren't, we would all be the same, and we would all be redundant, and we would all be boring. Our imperfections are what make us unique and interesting and beautiful as individuals and as artists.

The magic of improv comes from seeing actors being legitimately surprised in a scene, or making a mistake and embracing it, and there's no structure or formula that can prepare the actor for that. The only way to do it well is to release control and be completely true and honest in the moment. We must embrace our mistakes without judgment of ourselves and others.

In the movie "Almost Famous" there is a great scene between William and Penny Lane that goes something like this:

Penny: I'm going to live in Morocco for a year. Want to come?
William: Yes. (He looks confused) Ask me again.
Penny: Want to come?
William: Yes! Yes.

I watched it once with the director's commentary on, and Cameron Crowe said that the "ask me again" line was not in the script. It was the actor, Patrick Fugit, asking Kate Hudson to repeat her question because he wasn't sure he liked his original response. Crowe kept the "mistake" in the movie, and it's one of the most truthful and touching moments in the film. He was brilliant for recognizing it, and more importantly, he didn't let his ego get in the way of allowing a "mistake" through the editing room.

Life isn't perfect. Humans beings aren't perfect. Why should we expect our art to be?

Now get out there and make stuff up.