Improv Burnout? The Truth About “Selfishness” & Comedy Performance

Many of us in creative communities, especially the people-pleasing, team-focused world of improv, might have internalized the idea that constant agreeability and putting the group’s needs ahead of our own is the correct way of making good art and building strong teamwork.

Maybe we even think we want to sacrifice for our art, or suffer for comedy. That it shows we care a lot. We might try to achieve this by saying yes to every gig and accepting and implementing every note we receive. But this approach can also lead to resentment, in some cases, and burnout in more.

And I don’t know about you… but when I put myself last, I find myself showing up as someone who isn’t me at all… and when this happens I don’t think I create stuff or improvise in a way that connects as well to others (if I feel like “doing a comedy” at all!)

So how exactly do we do comedy for ourselves in a way that makes it better for the entire team, overall? I don’t think this idea of self-focus contradicts “yes, and” mentality. This episode explores what this looks like for me, and some ideas of how to start putting this in practice.