It is common knowledge among stand up comedians and improvisers that the two do not get along. Just ask either one.
A great photo of me doing stand up in the woods.
I get it. I have done both and I can see both sides… I think. I have been an improviser for nearly twenty years, and did stand up a part of that time, mostly as an exercise in challenging myself to do things I didn’t want to. It was fun.
The reason stand up comedians don’t like improv is pretty simple. Improv is not funny. Sometimes. Many improv shows are done by beginners. The only way to really do it is to perform in front of an audience. You try and fail and try and fail until it starts to work for you. That’s how you get good. But, there is a lot of garbage in between, and there is A LOT of garbage improv across the world. I did several years of BAD improv. I know.
Stand ups also look at improv, as many people do, as a form of comedy like their own. Stand up comedy demands a laugh every 10-15 seconds or you are “bombing”. The reality of it is that improvisation is a form of theater, not just comedy. It demands you believe the world that has been created in front of your eyes before we can really be too funny. As an improv teacher, I would often say, “We need to build the house before we can throw a party in it.” We love it to be funny, but the best improvisers can deal with a couple of minutes of engaging the audience before they make them laugh. Patience and confidence are some of our best tools.
An old photo from the "Improv Olympic".
Improv is also extremely lazy. Granted, many times we have to go to a training center to “learn the rules” and even have a regular practice. I know, it’s sounds ridiculous, but improvisers do rehearse. Rehearsing helps us mostly with cohesion of the group and ensemble building. The better you know your scene partner, the better you can understand subtle clues they may be giving you. It’s also a time to try new techniques.
The reason improvisers don’t like stand ups can be similar. It’s not funny. Sometimes. As with improv, to get good at stand up, you need practice. Again, in front of an audience. No one writes the best stand up routine and hits the stage the funniest person in the room their first time out. Most people suck for quite a while, just as in improv.
My wife and I hosting a gig.
As an aside… a slight difference I have noticed is the preferred audience. An improviser loves to do shows in front of audiences of “straight” people and improvisers. Improvisers are generally great at supporting and sharing their laughs. In stand up, as far as my experience has gone, you would rather have all “straight” people in the audience. Fellow stand ups can be some of the worst about sharing their laughs. Maybe they are judging you, maybe they are going over their own set, maybe they have heard similar “bits” before… There’s a variety of factors. But if I was performing and looked out into the audience and it was a room full of other stand ups waiting to go onstage… kill me.
Another reason improvisers don’t like stand up is the repetition. The very idea of repeating a funny line is almost painful. It seems like a sin. THAT seems incredibly lazy to us. Repeating a joke, premise or even a character is almost seen as cheap, lazy and unimaginative.
But in my mind, probably the primary reason improvisers don’t like stand ups is because stand ups are very vocal about how they don’t like improv. It hurts feelings and creates a defensive attitude. I find improvisers are generally very welcoming. Except with magicians.
I think if both understood how similar, yet how different they are, this discussion could end.
Whoa! All-stars?!?!
What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Tell me what you think.
Unless you are a magician. No magicians allowed!
(Just kidding.)
Be well.