There's a lot to be said for literature - in fact, usually literature speaks for itself, so others don't actually have to say anything for it. There's a lot to be said for plays, and speeches, and dramatic readings, and all that happens when people take it into their minds to organize their thoughts and present it to others in a coherent fashion.
That said, there's also a lot to be said for spontaneity, which is the opposite of organization. What happens when you take spontaneity and present it to others in a coherent fashion? You get improv.
I recently saw my first live improv - at a tiny theatre in New York, for five dollars a show, and I was utterly blown away by the brilliance and wit. The other option was to see a Broadway play for about sixteen times the amount, and I'm certain that I enjoyed myself more this way.
An improv show goes somewhat like this:
-the audience shuffles in.
-the performers shuffle on stage, which is usually bare.
-the performers ask for a word from the audience (in our case, it was "marshmallow" "Rhode Island" and "Prohibition")
-the people on stage start making up random crap, weaving in and out of situations and assuming dozens of roles in the space of an hour, acting out skits, ranting, cracking jokes, and making fools of themselves, without having ever rehearsed any of it before.
I think that if the performers aren't very good, an improv show could get boring rather fast, but we were lucky enough to stumble onto sheer brilliance. Frankly my writing skills do not do any of this justice.
If you're ever in Manhattan, be sure to check out the Magnet Theater at 254 W. 29th Street. It'll be worth it. I promise.
