There is a book and program about business Improv that says we have to move past ZIP ZAP ZUP in corporate comedy. Always open minded, I said/thoughy, OK. The more I read the more a feared this author/teacher is getting ao far away from our core, mostly trying to speak the corporate language, these teachers are losing what makes our value to the corporate world.

So I doubled down on ZIP ZAP ZUP and the value of its over simple silly approach. If presented and used properly this simple game is a powerful tool.

I start (almost) every workshop and class with ZIP ZAP ZUP.

1. ZIP ZAP ZUP breaks communication down to its basic levels. We point, make eye contact and utter a sound. Then we listen with our eyes and follow the game until it is once again our turn to give.
2. ZIP ZAP ZUP makes it easy to focus, with the simple task of following the energy around the circle with our eyes. Waitimg our turn, every errant sound (side conversation, mockery) or movement (fidget, lack of focus, looking anywhere but at the game focus) destroys the group focus. Less is more.
3. ZIP ZAP ZUP requires a focus. When it’s your turn, I teach to explode with sound, but hyper focus where you want to send that energy, reinforced by making eye contact with your target, pointing at the same person, in many ways with your full body. Even looking to me for approval, distracts and confuses your intent. I say, DON’T TRY TO IMPRESS ME. DON’T WORRY ABOUT MY APPROVAL.
4. ZIP ZAP ZUP is such a silly simple game we can say without worry for ego or insecurity that if we mess up “WHO CARES?”. (please don’t play elimination. This builds divas, not team, not focus). I teach I would rather hear six confident “ZIP!”s instead of “What am I supposed to do”, “ZAAAaaaap?” “OPPS I DID THAT WRONG?” “THEY DID THAT WRONG”. We need to create safe place to play and fail. Or better put, there are no mistakes, so never a reason to correct a mistake. As a teacher my goal is to lead you to a better place, a better way, but if you “mess up” who cares. As a teacher and player lead by example. Correcting others destroys the focus and adds to the distraction. Let the teacher teach.

“DON’T RUIN TODAY BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPEN TOMORROW!”

Walt Frasier

I love ZIP ZAP ZUP because there is no need for the above. It’s just a simple silly game. We can create a baseline of focus AND a safe space to silly.

As we move to scene and story games remember to ot let ego and insecurity to sneak into the mix and poison the well. Ego and insecurity destroys team, leadership, sales and service, relationships etc etc etc.

• Don’t TRY to be funny! You’ll more likely be jerky.
• Don’t TRY to be clever! You’re more like to be disconnected, elitist.
• NEVER try to be great (perfect)! Once you recover from writers block, you will most like settle on mediocrity.
• Don’t TRY to impress me! You never will impress me TRYING. But 7yos have impressed me with genius after 5 minutes of their first class because they have already let go. Too focused on HAVING FUN to be afraid.
• Don’t TRY to be cheesy! Theatre at its best has a cheesy element, even in our most deep, dramatic moments. Allow yourself to be cheesy and silly, but don’t lean into it. Once in a while doing the I’M GOING TO MAKE A REALLY BAD PUN now subtext thing is cute but gets old VERY fast.

REPLACE THE EGO AND INSECURITY WITH CHOICES!

It’s time to replace the ego (TRYING to be funny and clever, etc) and insecurity (fear of failure, judgement, ridicule etc) with simple choices. We need to flood the brain with productive programming.

There are numerous ways to do this. Actors will debate outside in (starting with a physical movement, look, costume, prop, etc) and inside out (emotion, motivation, breath, etc). I say what ever works for you, and more importantly wat works for you in this moment.

Meisner tells his actors to make a preparation. OFFSTAGE have a thought, a breath, a movement, an emotion…. what ever you need to get there. Then we make a series of choices, and more importantly LISTEN.

As an actor or writer, we make choices throughout our process in preparing a scripted work and continuing long after opening night. Even on a film set, directors, writers and actors are making adjustments. Even after filmed shows hit the theater or TV, directors and editors might between for later releases.

In improv we don’t have the luxury of months and years of preparation. We are the actors, writers, directors, set designers, costumers and props master.

Worrying about the ego and insecure based choices destroybour ability to discover amazing.

INSTEAD MAKE CHOICES

• WHO are we? Relationship, job, age, physical, mental, emotional states of being, status, motives, desires, ambitions etc
• WHERE are we? Location, light/dark, dry/wet, cold/hot, sparse/cramped, etc
• WHAT are we doing? Actions/ Activity, plot

EVERYTIME YOU TAKE STAGE MAKE A CHOICE FIRST

Then make more choices. Then play those choices, embodying physically the WHO, WHERE, WHAT choices. Those physically movements will inspire more emotion and story choices. The cycle ends until the scene is over. STAY FOCUSED until you are offstage.