The Buzzer

I got my start in high school with the IHSSA. My coach had a big black buzzer. This buzzer was intended to be used when ever someone denied their scene partner. For example:

“I’m Captain Impossible, welcome to my inner sanctum!”

“No Mr. Jenkins, this is your bathroom. Why don’t we get you back in bed.”

BUZZZZZZZ!!!!

Unfortunately, nobody really knew what denial was, so it wasn’t long before people would just buzz when ever they heard somebody say the word ‘no’:

“Why don’t you just run on home, Captain, you’re in over your head!”

“No. Your time is up Dr. Badguy.”

“Oh really, why don’t you take a look over at my pit of lava?”

“…no…”

“That’s right! Wave goodbye to your parents, Captain Impossible, Mwuhahaha!”

“Noooooooooooooooooo”

Right about now the person with the buzzer is probably orgasming. I’m not kidding, people loved that buzzer. Smiling, beaming even, as they squeezed that buzzer. Meanwhile their fellow improvers are left thinking they did something wrong.

I spent nearly all of my senior year trying to teach these people that it was ok to say ‘no’, and what denial actually was. The short scene I just gave you was not denial.

This is denial:

“Thank God you’re home, honey, I’ve been hearing terrible noises from the cellar!”

“Don’t worry about it, come on, we’ll miss the parade!”

This is denial:

Tim slowly and carefully mimes setting up a table.

“Dinner’s ready!”

“Great, I’m starving.”

Ben walks through the table, and takes a seat.

This is denial:

“I bet if I climbed on your shoulders, I could reach the lightbulb.”

“Great idea! Hop on!”

“Wait, here’s a chair, I’ll use it!”

Just because it’s a so-called rule to say ‘yes’, doesn’t mean it’s against the rules to say ‘no’. No is just a word, it can mean anything, and any word can mean no. If you ask me who I’m talking to on the phone, and I say “Banana”, I’m actually saying “No, I have my own idea, quit trying to screw it up.”

There are no ‘rules’ for improv. Unfortunately people love rules, and when they cling desparately to them problems like this develop. There are so many ways that the ‘Rules of Improv’ can be successfully broken. They don’t deserve to be called rules anymore.

That being said, there are Laws of Improv. I’m not talking about laws like speed limits or the drinking age, those are rules. I’m talking about laws like the law of gravity.

Law of Improv:

You can’t lie.

This is not a rule, I didn’t say ‘shouldn’t’, I said ‘can’t’. You can’t do it. It is impossible.

So what is denial? Denial is when you accuse your scene partner, or yourself, of lying. Which is absolutely absurd, because they can’t! Even if they wanted to, there’s no possible way to lie, so just accept it and move on.

Accept it and move on. That’s what ‘say yes’ really means. When your scene partner says something, it is true. Accept it, filter it through your character, and build.

“Why don’t you run on home, Captain, you’re in over your head!”

He thinks I’m in over my head, and maybe my am, but I’m Captain Impossible, so,

“No, your time is up Dr. Badguy.”

“Oh really, why don’t you take a look over at my pit of lava?”

There is a pit of Lava, I don’t know what’s going on there, but this is Dr. Badguy, so it can’t be good.

“…no…”

“That’s right! Wave goodbye to your parents, Captain Impossible, Mwuhahaha!”

My parents are hanging over a pit of lava. Obviously this troubles me.

“Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!”