3/31/11

During notes after our show tonight, our new coach, the amazing Jet Eveleth, helped me "re-realize" something I learned in classes at iO: set up your teammates to succeed, not fail. In the middle of our show, I came out as a music teacher introducing a choir of 3rd-graders about to sing Christmas carols. So far, so good, especially since our suggestion was "Winter". We could have gone anywhere with that abbreviated intro, but I added the detail that they weren't very talented. This set us up to be inept singers, which my teammates graciously obliged in the following game. (Props to the rest of MP for honoring that.)

Why did I do this? If they were going to fail as these 3rd-grade singers, wouldn't we and the audience want to discover that together in the moment? I'm a sucker for details, but when it comes to establishing a scene or a game, I believe that dictating action not only forces things to happen, but also limits group mind and creativity. My "game-move" tonight reminded me of this:

"If we treat each other as if we are geniuses, poets, and artists, we have a better chance of becoming that on-stage." - Del Close

Next time, I want to set us up to succeed. Plus, it's a lot more fun!

Ben