Originally published 30 June 2023 by Kitty Parker on Medium. Republished on this site with permission. Thanks Kitty!
The world has found a new normal after the covid pandemic and while zoom was used very intensely when there was a global lock down, it has all scaled back dramatically. I am still doing improv by zoom. And I do improv courses and classes in the real world too, so I am getting the best of both worlds.
I get it that zoom improv is not for everyone…. It is hard to imagine you are sharing a make belief world together when all you have is a tiny screen in front of you…. Your actions and movement of your body is limited, as when it is not seen it is not there…. And what does your scene partner say, is it the same what I see? If you have got a smaller screen you miss visual clues of intention….. So yes, I can imagine that some people have a bad impression of zoom improv, and this is not even talking about the technical failures of no mic working, being muted, bad lighting, flat mates making an impromptu appearance, the cat jumping on the keyboard…. It is hard to separate your home from your play space.
But, and it is a mega BUT ,because of all these obstacles you have to find ways around them and be creative in including them or making them less of an obstacle…. And there is fun and excitement in taking a class or a workshop with a teacher that you only have admired from afar. Or to join in last minute not having any expectations, and just letting it happen and experiencing this workshop or jam. The ability to sample different styles and compare to the experience and kno