A question I often get from my course participants is whether you always have to say yes during “Yes… and.” This is a valid question, because there are situations where saying “yes” may not be appropriate. So how do you know when to say yes and when to show a different reaction? And what’s the deeper meaning behind “Yes… and?”
Why?
“Yes… and” is a classic technique in improvisational theater. The idea is to confirm your partner’s statement and then add your own continuation or idea to it. The purpose of “Yes… and” was originally introduced to beginners of improvisational theater as a tool to help them understand how the process works. When we first begin to improvise, we tend to rely on our everyday understanding of improvisation. In daily life, we tend to protect ourselves by rejecting offers, demands, or questions that come from the outside world. This can be a healthy and useful strategy for everyday life. However, in improvisational theater, we try to develop ideas and stories together; this only works if we also work together on these ideas. Ignoring or rejecting our partner’s ideas in favor of our own has not worked well in the past.Psychologically, this is initially a big step and a fundamental shift for every beginner in improvisation theater. Fortunately, “Yes… and” can help us overcome this hurdle quickly.
React and Add
So what does “Yes…and” exactly mean? It consists of two parts: the Yes-part and the And-part. Each part has its own significance.
React
The Yes-part means that we respond to what our partner said. In most cases it is appropriate to affirm it; however, other emotional reactions may also be appropriate depending on the situation – such as being outraged or surprised or sad or happy or whatever emotion makes sense for the character.
The most important rule is simply that you react to what your partner says by taking it seriously within the context of the scene.
And…
The purpose of this part is for us to contribute something extra (our interpretation) based on our partner’s offer; otherwise their statement will just hang there in mid-air without going anywhere.
We are equally involved in creating the scene; therefore, we must move forward with both reacting appropriately AND contributing something additional.
It doesn’t have necessarily always entail progressing through plot progression but rather it consists of developing ones character further (perhaps through self-disclosure) or assigning attributes/personality traits/characteristics/values toward ones collaborator/partner.