Improv is a difficult thing to do. When you have learnt the dynamics of the comedy form then you can find it incredibly easy but the journey on the route to this can be difficult. The hardest part of learning improv initially is making your mind understand that it needs to let go, it needs to embrace the fails and embrace whatever comes out of your mouth in a scene spontaneously.

There is one thing that you need to remember when you feel insecure about the fact that you may be finding it hard to get your head around the dynamics of improv – everyone initially finds it hard. It is not a natural way to think in every day life as we are structured to abide by rules and do things the correct way. When you are asked to forget what you know and not to pre-plan what you want to say it can be really difficult as it is not how we are programmed to act in everyday life. That is what makes improv initially hard work.

The one thing that I have learnt from improv over the years is that you should embrace the difficulties as you find your feet. The best part about improv is that you start to learn the more shows that you do is that failure is appreciated on stage as it can make a scene a lot more hilarious. Initially you can feel a failure and it can have a negative impact on your self esteem but you learn very quickly over time that it is a good thing but that initial feeling is hard to deal with.

Don’t let these feelings take you over, we all get them and as time goes on thanks to your teachers and your improv co-players they will fade away. If you feel you need to talk about it with someone your instructor will always be there to give you great advice and support.

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