the 'yes' rule in impro

The rule in impro is to always say yes. For the beginner particularly, this is an inflexible rule, for when we say no, we are not accepting what is offered us, and therefore the time is simply wasted finding a new direction to go in. So this rule greatly facilitates scene and narrative development. Now. Thinking people will often object by saying quite rightly, but life is not always positive, affirmative, accepting. So how can I be real if I say yes? And this certainly appears to be a good point. In real life, people do say no. They do reject and block. Surely we must mirror that truth? Also the objection occurs that there is no freedom in it. It is to totalitarian. You MUST say yes. No choice. And I agree. This is true. The rule is inflexible. So why is it necessary?


Well the answer is not to do with truth or freedom. The answer is to do with something that sort of precedes those issues, and is largely, quite invisible or ignored. Something already in place when those concepts materialise. And that is, the properties of words. The nature of words. The way words work. And the word yes, is a word. First and foremost, that’s what it is. And like it or not, as a culture, we have put far too much emphasis on language and talking and everything to do with words being important and influential. In reality, a word is simply a symbol for something else. Therefore a word has no actual existence itself! So when we use a word, not much has really happened, if anything at all! And yet we live in a world where once a thing is said, or written down, we act as if it has actually happened! Think! If a newspaper has the headline, MAN HAS TWO BRAINS! If we were honest, we would admit that we would believe it. And this is why the rule exists. Not because people must always be positive or follow rules, but because we need to remind people that saying words does not change very much. If in a scene I say, “Tree!” People are forced to ask, “But what about the tree?” i.e. give us more. Something real. Something that is not just words. So I would be forced to say, “The tree attacked me!” And then they would say, “Ah ha! Thank God. Something we can work with. Well then. Attacked you did it? Let’s go outside and chop it down!!!” So the yes rule simply points to the fact that a large part of reality is feelings, emotions, atmospheres, the unknown, objects, et cetera... And only a small part is words.
And let’s stop and think about actors. Coming to the theatre the first thing an actor introduced to is a play script which is, in effect, just lots and lot of words. That’s what play scripts are. You can have a silent film, but a silent play, a full length play, is almost impossible. Could you do a silent version of Macbeth? As people know the story you probably could. But Uncle Vanya? That would be ridiculous. Vanya being a good example of our word obsessed modern world. I say word obsessed. Maybe a better way to put it would be to say a culture that is infected with ‘word-faith’. Or as William Burroughs calls it, a word-virus. Another aspect of this is that of people internalising a negative attitude. An automatic negative response. I once entered a scene and the other performer said,      “ Come any nearer and I’ll shoot myself!” The

ultimate negative blocking offer!!! To flow with  things you need to embrace them. And to embrace them, you need to feel positive or

good about them. Often people simply don’t,

and the yes rule here corrects this self

sabotaging behaviour, in performance terms,

but does not change this conditioned negative

 response at a deeper level. There it still very

much exists, despite the constant positive

YES SAYING!!!

Now having said all this I’m going to contradict myself. Oh bugger! Words are magical. Words do contain power. The power of a thing said in the right way, with the right words, like in say Shakespeare or something, cannot be gainsaid. When Oscar Wilde said, ‘A Handbag!?’ the world changed. Forever. But this is poetry. And poetry relates to the individual. And impro is a group exercise. So having a purist pious attitude to the use of words in impro is rather misplaced, wonderful as words are!!!!!!!!

So. I hope all this encourages you to flow with the yes rule, and feel happy about it, and not feel you have signed away your soul to some smirking devil, who just wanted you to mindlessly say yes. YES!