This week has been a weird one for me and the world of improv – mainly because improv hasn’t been able to happen due to life being hectic for me elsewhere! I work in live television news and sometimes work can get very heavy and this week was one of those times when I was asked to do a lot of night shifts in one go meaning that i was too physically tired to do improv.

We had a set booked in at the Miller for the Hoopla Pre Party but due to tiredness and a migraine I had to cancel being part of it – the guys were going to go ahead with the set but they came to a decision that they didn’t want to do a show that was only the three of them because improv is about a group and it can be hard with only a trio.

I also had to miss rehearsals this week due to work commitments but even though I could not attend the show must go on and the guys met to have a huge planning session. When I had left my house for work I called them halfway throughout their rehearsal to keep in the loop and have a laugh with the guys.

The one thing that I have learnt about improv since I started a couple of years ago is that tiredness and comedy do not mix. There have been many times when I have turned up to improv in between a line of night shifts or on a fast turn around deadline and my brain just can’t function. The part of your brain that is good at quick reactions and response does not work very well when you are working night shifts so it means that you can get a mind blank and very hard to think of things on the spot.

Whilst we are talking about sleep and improv lets look at another area – the world of sleep AND improv. I have a very active mind and at times when we have a very high powered rehearsal or a show I find it hard to sleep well and I have very vivid dreams that usually intertwine with members of the troupe and can create an array or crazy situations.

Case Study – Dreamweaver Quartet

When talking about dreams there is only one improv troupe I could really use as a case study this week and that is Dreamweaver Quartet. The troupe that are based in London are a musical show that bring the dreams of audience members alive in a set of improv scenes and musical numbers on stage.

I personally find that this is a great concept for an improv show – there are so many unusual and naturally funny dreams in the world and to see them played out on stage is very exciting and sometimes funny to see. It is a creative idea and whenever I have a dream these days i always think to myself ‘I must save that one for Dreamweaver Quartet.’

My dreams have always been really random, ever since a young age I have slept walked and been a dreamer (in life and metaphorically). I went through a time when I would keep my dreams in a diary to keep record as to just some of the dreams that I was having over a period of time. When I am working tight deadlines with work or have a lot on my mind I can have a lot of crazy dreams

In my last year of university I binge watched Chuck in between writing my dissertation and would have really vivid dreams about escaping from bad guys whilst on the run.

If you want to read any of my dream diary, you can by clicking here