Hey, I'm Gonna Sidecoach More
I was listening to this amazing interview with Brennan Lee Mulligan about his improv coaching. And he said something that just smacked me on the head, which was friggin' sidecoach more.
Sidecoaching is when a coach/director makes adjustments within a scene by telling improvisers "try this".
Brennan likens sidecoaching to physical therapy. See, the physical therapist is going to make adjustments to your movement DURING the session. You don't want your physical therapist allowing you to go through the motions, then your session is done and the therapist goes, "Great movements, but here's where your leg is wrong."
I want to do that last approach. But I'd rather tell you your leg is wrong.
It's incredibly difficult as a teacher for me to tell someone during a scene, "Hey, your instinct? This thing that I've been telling you to trust? The thing you have paid money and you have now finally felt safe enough to perform in front of me? It's wrong. Do it this way."
Sidecoaching strikes me as paradoxical, I understand it's not. But the people pleaser in me fires off in big honkin' ways.
Did You Know I Stopped Coaching For Awhile?
I've been doing some form of teaching/coaching since 2012. It's been in peaks and valleys since then, with a really prolific amount of teaching starting in...2018. That's when I started teaching at The Institution.
I took awhile off at the tail end of 2019, though. It literally just became difficult to tell people over and over, "Hey, your instincts are wrong."
Who am I to tell you what is right and wrong? Am I the killjoy, the one that is wrecking your enjoyment of my favorite artform in the world, because I'm going, "That fart felt inauthentic. Try it 10% louder and stand closer to your partner"?
Doing a Kindness
Since I’ve made my way back to teaching/coaching, I see sidecoaching an an extremely compassionate act. I’ve been doing this for 16 years now.
I see the solution, make the adjustment, and can put the muscle memory in the players so they achieve the result.
The more difficult truth here? Letting them improvise, giving them the illusion of what they’re doing is right, then lecturing (politely) afterwards is an unkindness. Depending on the type of player, the emotional memory is a far more potent tool of education than the lecturing memory.
So, in short...if you take a class with me soon, I may be trying out more sidecoaching soon.
COME SEE MY SHOWS
Kenny/Rogers @ Friends for Now
Coldtowne Theater, Thursday, March 27 @ 8 PM
Buy tickets hereCOME TAKE MY CLASSES
The First 30 Seconds Of Your Scene
The Seed ATX, Monday, March 17 @ 7 PM
Buy a workshop seat hereSlow-Prov Forever!
The Seed ATX, Monday, March 24 @ 7 PM
Buy a workshop seat here
My Wonderful Media
MOVIE: The Day The Earth Blew Up
Did you know there’s a Looney Tunes movie in theaters as I’m writing this? If you have kids, take them to see this. They’re going to love, love, love this. And you will love Farmer Jim.
TV: Luke Cage: Season One
Look, I watch other things than Marvel, alright? I have Criterion movies on my shelf, I’m smart.
But Luke Cage is hitting the right spots (and the right people, he’s keeping Harlem safe). I love the vibes of this and I love the Blaxploitation-lite feeling oozing out of this show.
What I’m Reading: Star Trek: Typhon Pact - Raise the Dawn by David R. George III
This is still going on! I’ll probably finish it this week.
Leo T. Dog Says, “Oh, HEYYO!”
