This Sunday at the Loose Moose Theatre in Calgary, Canada a group of improvisers will get together for a good cause. They will hold a benefit performance to aid in the rebuilding of The Court Jesters home in Christchurch, New Zealand.

If you remember, Feb 22, 2011, Christchurch was devastated by an earthquake that killed many and destroyed a large chunk of the city.

The Jester’s home at the Court Theatre (http://www.courtjesters.co.nz/) didn’t survive the quake.

Emma Cusdin, a member of the Jesters, had been living in Calgary and exploring the Loose Moose when she had the idea to put some spontaneous entertainment together to raise cash and bring the plight of her home back to the public’s attention.

We hear about the initial devastation and then we move on to the next sexy disaster, forgetting about those still in the messes of Earthquakes, famine, disease and any other disaster.

Improvisers are in a perfect position to help those in need.  We can mobilize quickly and adapt to almost any condition to put on a show that people will willingly come to.

It’s a common belief that performers are generally a self centered bunch, happy to get their time on stage and complain when their dressing room is missing a stocked bar.  We know this isn’t true (of everyone).  But it is a little surprising at how rarely we donate a show, a moment or a piece of our time and talent for a good cause.

Consider an idea being developed at the moment at the Loose Moose.  “Thursdays for a Cause”.  One day of the month would be given to a cause to aid in benefitting the community at large. In reality it takes little effort on the theatre’s side because the benefitting organization will take up the administration and the performers just need to drop in for a couple of hours and entertain.

There is a movement growing that looks at the win/win mentality of idealistic partnerships in the corporate world.  Altruism is not all that it appears to be.  When we give to others, the obvious outcome is a financial boost to a needy group and a focus of attention on their cause.

The unseen benefits include a broadening of the theatre’s audience base. (Consider the massive mailing list that the Cancer foundation or Alzheimer’s society advertises their programs to.)

There’s also the media possibilities as your company benefits from the ‘altruistic’ connection you are creating. There are other hidden benefits that make this more than a “freebie” but in fact turn it into a beneficial marketing venture.

And in the end, the idea of building a strong relationship with the community will only benefit you in the long run.

“Improv Meets Autism”  was a successful  fund-and-awareness raising Improvisational event put together by two German improvisers Christiane and Deniz Döhler whose son Luka has autism.  http://www.artistsmeetautism.org/English/index.html

Reading about the SonRise Program which had great success with autistic children, Christiane and Deniz noticed that the program had similar qualities as improvisation; support, seeing offers and adding to them.

“After having overcome an initial shyness, I started by telling one workshop participant about the parallels between the pro-gram and improv and she immediately volunteered to come and play with our child. Two months later, it was ten improv players and we always explained the program in improv lingo. We kept looking for appropriate improv games and techniques that could help us reach our goal. And Luka’s development skyrocketed.

Search the internet and you will find numerous improvisation groups tackling issues and concerns to make the world a brighter place for everyone. Consider reaching out and offering your skills to a cause.  You might discover that your own benefit is greater than the expense.

There’s a final note about the Christchurch fundraiser.  Unexpectantly,  Emma’s father passed away a few days ago and Emma was on the first flight home.  She tossed in the towel for the benefit show.  There was too much to do and she understandably wanted to be near her family.

Before her plane set down in her home of Christchurch, a group of improvisers in Canada had already taken up her cause.  The show will go on for Christchurch.  Take care Emma.

On September 26 in Bogota, Colombia, the fast and physical La Gata will be hosting a mini international festival with Nadine Antler from Germany and Shawn Kinley from Canada.  For 10 days we will play and perform in a slightly different kind of a get together.

What we usually expect from an improvisation festival is a partyfest of shows, groups and get togethers, with a smattering of workshops.  I don’t mind these things but I always leave feeling like I didn’t meet everyone I wanted to, nor did I get enough time with the people I met.  On top of that, where some festivals program so many shows on top of each other, you rarely get to see everyone work… especially when groups perform only once or twice.

LaGata’s get together will be focussed a little more on the mixing and sharing of ideas, concentrating on the relationship of fewer people. 

In 2010, the Loose Moose hosted a similar event at “The Summit”.  It was a two week event with La Gata and Teatre Isenkram from Oslo, Norway.  It was great.

The focus was on exploration and workshops.  Keith Johnstone was in for a couple of days and we all hosted days of workshops with each other.

The thing I like about these gatherings is that you  get to play with each other.  You learn some skills and you get to work with each other multiple times on stage.

In a reality of increasing costs for flights and accommodation, this might be a reasonable alternative to the multi-group events that see each group perform only once or twice per visit.

The tour is coming together for Latin America.

Is it Latin America or South America?  Is there a difference?  And why do I feel bad saying one and not the other?  (Did you ever have a guilty feeling about inanimate objects and concepts when you don’t use them equally?  Hmmm… that’s insane.  )

Where was I?

Shawn Kinley will be teaching improvisers and performing in Lovely Latin America

Oh yes.  I was booking tickets to:

Colombia
Peru
Chile
Argentina
Brazil…

Check out my schedule at SHAWNKINLEY.COM -

One thing I like about Latin/South America are the people.  When I was first in Chile (and by no means was I the first to be in Chile.  Oh no…  Others have been there before me.  Many others.  So many in fact that I feel almost embarassed to be going on about this.  Almost.)

When I was first in Chile, I remember meeting people who gave me that look of “HEY, OLD FRIEND – It’s been such a long time since we’ve seen each other.  I’m so glad you’re here now.”  (Yes, there is a look for that).   I was certain that these people knew me and I had somehow forgotten their names.  But of course we had never met.  They are just so warm.  All that Chilean sunshine oozing from them.

But then… you try to kiss them and they run away.

It’s a lovely culture and I am looking forward to seeing some old friends and improvising with some new ones.

No Habla Espanol Senor!

I thought I would practice brevity in writing.

Einstellung!  Wasn’t he that smart guy with that crazy hair???

Nope.

The Einstellung Effect is the state of mind where your previous knowledge gets in the way of your ability to adapt, learn and think in the moment.  It’s a great thing to keep in mind because it affects us all and it always affects us.

SO…  Einstellung is a German word.  In English it translates simply as ‘attitude’.  The Einstellung Effect means a little more.  It explains our tendancy to hold onto ideas we’ve learned and lose the ability to see things outside of the original context.

See the picture below?  In Italy they have these crazy Christmas Cakes in a box.  Mmmm tasty. We learn that the box is for the cake.  We see the box and know how to use it.  We put a cake in it.

Imagine one day while it’s raining, you are looking around the house for an umbrella and can’t find one.  A child might see  the box and put it on his head for protection whereas the adult with the knowledge of “Umbrellas” and “Cake Boxes” would not see the applicability of the box to have any use.

The good side of it this effect is that it makes us fairly speedy in our ability to solve problems.  You learn a game, you get some tactics, you beat the pants off your friends every time you play.  YA-HOOO! You are brilliant.

The down side of learning this great new technique and branding it in your mind as a rule is that it gets in the way of better things.  The idea of brain plasticity and the flexibility of the mind is defeated by hard rules.  As you apply the lesson in that game over and over again and start to lose, you get stuck  with your once succesful information that no longer works.

EVGENY MOROZOV, author of The Net Delusion writes

We constantly experience it (Einstellung Effect) when trying to solve a problem by pursuing solutions that have worked for us in the past – instead of evaluating and addressing it on its own terms. Thus, while we may eventually solve the problem, we may also be wasting an opportunity to so in a more rapid, effective, and resourceful manner.

This past couple of months I hit a few walls with the 6 or 7 German improvisation groups I ran across In many situations the question, “How do I play this?”  Or “What are the rules?” popped into conversations.

Let’s be clear about something; this is a human condition and not just the behaviour of those smiling faced, efficiency minded, rule abiding Germans.  We humans create safety by knowing what to do in given circumstances.  We are taught this to a fault in school.  If we can follow the rules and apply the lessons, we excel in the institutions of society.  BUT reflect on how often we hear about the rule breakers, those who behave contrary to practiced behaviour and succeed beyond expectation.

I think it frustrates many participants in workshops to hear that they are not being given something that works all the time.  The ideas they are learning don’t apply in all circumstances but might apply at the right time.  And when is the right time?  Well the right time is when the tool will work.  The wrong time is when it will damage the story or inhibit the particular success you are looking for. Practice playing with your tool (giggle giggle… immature laughter) and you will find when it’s best to use.

Example:  In an Improvisation course, you are told not to start with negative comments at the beginning of scenes.  So you learn to be Mr. Positive.  Everything is daisies and daffodils.  The first few times you use this new tool you experience something you haven’t before.  It feels good.  Your partner seems happy and the audiences like the outcomes of the scene.  You have the secret of great improvisation!!! YA-HOOOOO!  You use it all the time.  You teach these ideas as gospel!  You write a book and gain followers and the cult of smiles grows…

Then… your shows start feeling predictable.  Other improvisers rebel, they say “there must be a better way”.  They start begin a few scenes being cruel or mean and to everyone’s surprise, they  create a memorable piece of improvisation.

You say THEY are wrong but you can’t deny that something in their work sparkles where yours is now a little grey.

What’s changed?  Nothing.  The rule was only meant as a “rule for now”.

You would have been well advised to look at your show as a big picture.  Maybe recognize that there have been too many Unicorns and Butterflies and happy monkeys to start your scenes and you needed a wart faced little troll swearing and kicking the innocent children to start a scene.  That would be fun once and a while.

The Einstellung Effect means that your brain will harden with rules.  Your flexibility will vanish and life will be a big bore. The lessons you learn might still work but they will seem over used and you will become predictable.

Understand what you learn might hold you back.  Be willing to see that all rules have a weakness along with the benefits.  Be willing to break a rule occasionally in aid of better work.  BUT… be aware of why that rule worked in the first place.  If you go around saying I am breaking rules because that is GOOD improvisation… then you have made a rule of working against the Einstellung Effect and your brain will explode just trying to think about that paradoxical little mind f***.

Think for yourself.  (but don’t listen to me…. )