Improv advice from Sam Shepard

Patti Smith tells us how she got improv advice from Sam Shepard. Make sure you read the the last 5 sentences.

How to write using improvisation. Thanks Patti and Sam.

FINDING CREATIVE FREEDOM IN LEARNING HOW TO IMPROVISE
Sam [Shepard] and I wrote this play [Cowboy Mouth] because we had a relationship, which truthfully we shouldn’t have had because he had a family. But we were young, and we knew we had to end our relationship. So we write this play as sort of our swan song. I said, I don’t know how to write a play. And he said, you’re the girl, I’m the guy, just do what I say. He writes a little set up and he says something and hands me the typewriter, so I just answer him and we write out a whole play that way. And then he decided that we should perform it. There was a part in the play where Sam wanted us to have a battle of language. So he said this is where Slim, his character, he improvises his language and then Cavale, my character, improvises back. And I said, how do we do that? What will I say? And he said, I’ll say stuff and you just say stuff back at me. And I said, what if I make a mistake? And he said, Patti Lee, it’s improvising—you can’t make a mistake. If you miss a beat, then you invent another beat and that made perfect sense to me. And [with] that little instruction, I learned how to improvise, which has served me my whole life in everything I do. It’s one of the greatest lessons I got from Sam.

It’s improvising—you can’t make a mistake.

Creating material

Passing the script back and forth is a very fun writing activity. This method was used by a group of actor/writers I worked with called Buncha Buncha Grapes. They would get together every week and create small plays using this improv method. They generated a tremendous amount of material. Some of it was comic and some tragic. As actors they explored their different authentic perspectives and voices. Before the spent anytime evaluating or rewriting they would read the scripts aloud. Because they were actors this method allowed them to see the strengths and flaws in the material. And it kept the focus on ‘doing’… the act of writing collaboratively.

When they performed their short scenes for the San Francisco Fringe Festival – they won the Best Of Fringe Award.

Improv Activity

Everyone start with a sheet of paper. At the top write what type of story or play it is. For example: Drama, Comedy, Science Fiction and so on. Write a small section (dialogue or description) and then pass the paper to your right. Resist the temptation to speak. In my experience this is best as a silent activity.

Read the full article Patti Smith On The Meaning Of Success And The Power Of Improvisation.