“Yes, and”
Ahh… “yes, and” - the unbreakable rule of Improv! “Yes, and” means our scene won’t stop in awkward silence. “Yes, and” means I won’t feel foolish for saying the first thing that came into my head. “Yes, and” means…. What does it mean, exactly?
It’s a difficult thing to wrap your head around, but “yes, and” doesn’t mean you can’t have conflict in a scene. It doesn’t mean you can’t say the word “no.” It means accepting (as the actor) whatever your castmate just said and believing it to be true. This can be about the location, character traits, or storyline. There are three key steps to adopting a “yes, and” attitude:
Listen and recognize what is truly being offered by the other actor. “Let’s go see the giraffes” isn’t about the next plot point in the story. This line is saying “we are at the zoo.”
Take that on board and don’t question it. It’s OK if your character doesn’t like giraffes, but you must now accept that you are at the zoo.
Build on that offer with more detail. “But the giraffes are so boring! Let’s go see the new lions!” This tells the other actor that you understand what they were really communicating and that you agree. It also gives them something to build on themselves.
“Yes, and” is a surprisingly difficult skill to master. As actors (and humans), we are always caught up in our own agendas, putting our priorities ahead of others, and narrowly focused on whatever has our attention at the moment. Sound familiar? “Yes, and” is not just a skill for the stage. Bringing “Yes, and” into your day to day life encourages you to deploy empathy, critical thinking, and problem solving.
