This spring, a group of students at the Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution (AOCI) in Lima had the opportunity to take a theatre workshop and improv class with Professor Margie Anich through OPEEP and it was a huge success! The class focused on active listening, confidence, teamwork, and unscripted scene creation. Students explored how improvisation techniques foster dialogue, manage conflict, and build community trust inside and outside the facility.
Student Carlos shares his thoughts and reflections on the class below.
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What did you learn about improvisation/acting/performing by participating in this class?
Where improvisation is concerned, I learned that tempering one's expectations is crucial to the concept of "saying yes." As humans we often project our expectations onto others and then attach our emotions to those expectations. So when something other than what we expected is said or done
we then choose to be upset, mad, angry, etc., even though the other person never agreed to those expectations. So letting go of expectations in lmprov allows one to get into the mindset of going with the flow of whatever is about to happen, which could be anything. I also learned how important it is to establish trust, amongst those with whom one is working, as well a solid understanding of the personality makeup of the individuals involved because not everyone has the same vibe or energy. A response to one person's cues may be totally different from a response to another person's cues simply based on the individual's personality.
What did you learn about yourself?
I learned that I am more of a leader than I give myself credit for. I've held leadership positions before (e.g., in the army, president of an NAACP chapter and the Bridges Mentoring Group), but I've always thought of it as stepping up and doing what needs to be done. The improv class gave me an opportunity to pay close attention to how others reacted to me taking the lead which, again, I thought of as doing or saying what was needed. Margie brought it to my attention when she thanked me for my leadership. But the guys themselves also commented on and welcomed me taking an out-front role and seemed to be more galvanized and motivated as a result. So, I learned I have the ability to move people in a way I had not previously thought of.
What aspects of this class did you find most valuable?
The most valuable aspect of this class was most definitely the exercises that established a tone of cooperation rather than competition amongst the participants. Some guys were more comfortable, of course, than others with letting go and opening up to whatever the moment called for. Yet the group remained a team that supported and encouraged one another and had tons of fun in the process. Another valuable aspect of the class was Margie's insistence that the participants have a say in what the atmosphere of the class would be like. This reinforced the idea that we were operating as a unit rather than an instructor dictating to students.
What aspects of this class were challenging for you? How did you deal with those challenges?
I have been performing since I was a small child, so it was easy for me to follow instructions as they were given. It was challenging for me when some participants did not hear the instructions either because they were talking while Margie was talking or simply not paying attention. This necessarily caused more time to be spent on catching them up, thereby taking away from what could have been accomplished with those lost minutes. I relied on my patience and tolerance to deal with that challenge because I understand that not everyone was as invested in getting everything possible from the class as I was and, also, that not everyone receives information in the same ways. Different people had different motivations for being there as well as varying levels of what they expected to get out of the class.
Did the work we did/time spent in class have an impact on you outside of the class?
I could say yes, but that would not be totally accurate. The person I am outside of class was the same person who showed up to the class. I believe that the consistency of how you present yourself is the true indication of who you are. I was just as silly in class as I am outside of class. I can say that I speak to some of the participants more now than I did prior to starting the class.
Building a community of trust and support was a big part of this class. Yet at the final performance, we had a few very eager participants join us who had not been part of the class. What was that experience like?
I didn't like it because they were not a part of the chemistry that had been developed amongst those who did take the class. Even though I appreciated the all-in energy with which they participated in the final performance, I also recognized that it gave a few of the actual classmates an excuse not to jump in themselves. Luckily, for the sake of the performance, those of us who took the class the best were well equipped to do what the class intended to teach in the first place and did just that: we improvised at improv!
What lessons/ideas/thoughts/experiences will you take with you from this experience? How might you use what you learned in other areas of your life?
One of the most important lessons I will take away from this experience is to be better at not underestimating the commonalities of the human experience. This is something I have always strived for anyway, but it is still surprising when you find you have something in common with someone you'd have never expected to. Another lesson I will carry with me is the importance of teaching and/or helping others to harness the power of self-expression. No one can truly know who you are if you are not willing to express it to them and, thereby, establish your standing in the human race.
As for ideas, several individuals have asked me to start an improv group here at Allen Correctional Institution. I am giving it serious consideration and, if I do not end up transferring to Lorain Correctional Institution to pursue a bachelor's degree, I may just go for it. If so, I'm hoping I can have the ongoing support of OSU Lima Campus' Theatre Department and other interested parties. My goal would be to first complete an official curriculum myself in order to be able to present it to the initial and subsequent groups. I would also like to attach the mission/purpose of the group to some type of charitable or community work. All ideas and suggestions are welcome!