Truth In Comedy

Why does an audiance respond to some things and not others? Response comes from some sort of identification or recognition of reality. When watching a performance, the audiance becomes G-d. They approve, disapprove, do not understand, and sometimes, they let their minds wander. As improvers we need to create a reality observers can identify with, and recognize. If people cannot identify the place, situation, players, their minds will wander, they will turn off. Performers should not take too long to establish a reality, or get to point (climax), or truth. Too much dilly dallying is the kiss of death: dreaded audiance boredom sets in. Identifiable reality is harder to establish in fantasy scenes. On an alien space ship, we do not immediately identify with the aliens. If these aliens have to deal with familiar problems, we can then draw them in, but it takes more time, and effort. Too many improvers resort to shock to draw in an audiance: homo sexuality is a big theme. Grasping onto shock short changes the ultimate power we may be able to achieve in a scene. The best scenes I have watched involved every day people in every day places, presented with not every day, believable problems. It is a great deal of fun seeing how actors play out these situations: infidelity, divorce, death, marriage, etc. This brings us to an important part of truth in comedy. Appropriate reactions to fantasy situations on stage, can be a powerful teaching and socializing tool. We have the power to do a great deal of good.