I recently went to an improv comedy show, and the comedians decided to involve me into their act. It caught me off guard, and it’s like my brain completely switched off when I got up. They set up a scenario and started interacting with me, but I just couldn’t act correctly and gave the most absurd answers imaginable. Thinking back, my answers are making me cringe so hard, they were incredibly dumb… I tried to get out of playing multiple times, but the comedians kept insisting on me being a part of it… There were about 100 people in the crowd, too, so this was like a nightmare coming to reality.
What makes this even worse is that this venue has improv classes that I was considering going to this Spring, just to get better at creativity, conversation, and meet some people in the process. Now, I’m debating if I can show my face at that place ever again.
At this point, I can only calm myself down by thinking that people are too busy with their own lives and likely forgot what they saw the very next day, or that if someone were to try to mess with me about it, it really doesn’t matter at the end of the day, and I would just ignore them, but oh my, I just can’t help but feel extremely embarrassed at how I handled that interaction.
3 comments
Everybody is so immersed in their own lives that nobody will care what a stranger did on stage. “Nobody cares” can be a curse but often times it is quite liberating. And if somebody does remember, just own it, that’s why you want to take improv classes no?
Marinate on what made it embarrassing. Write about it if you’re struggling to process your thoughts.
Figure out what you would do different and why. Then let it go. Once you’ve learned from what you had to be embarrassed about, the embarrassment has done its job.
Also, improv is a skill – you aren’t gonna be magically amazing your first time. The class is for learning, so if you want to learn, go to the class.
Most people won’t judge you for failing. They’ll judge you on how you reacted to failing.
In my opinion, self-deprecating humor is like armor against being embarrassed or made fun of. And honestly, being able to poke fun at yourself generally makes you a more approachable person as far as I’m concerned.