What Type of Improviser are You?

Each person’s playing style is determined very early in their improv training. Improvisers driven by intellect use their mind to come up with smart and clever retorts in a scene. Emotion-based performers will often respond with “when you say that it makes me feel…” to show how their scene partner’s response affects them. Someone who loves a strong character will often have outlandish voices or shift their body to fully envelope the character they portray (there are numerous other types but to list them all would be more than a blog post).

I think those things that pull you in are your improv magnet. Don’t fight those things. It is part of your voice and who you are as an improviser. That being said, it is important to continue growing, as well. I challenge you that every time you feel like you are getting better as an improviser and having more successful scenes than difficult ones make a new choice on stage and see what happens. It might flop (and I hope it does) because that will remind you of your early failures and get you out of making safe choices, especially because safe choices mean you are catering to your audience instead of what the show needs. Constant growth and change is what will evolve you into an amazing improviser.