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| Members of the Korea Improv Society perform on stage. |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
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| Alex Park of Korea Improv Society |
"Give us a word, phrase or sentence and we will improvise. It could be your favorite movie quote or something you want for Christmas," Park said.
With the word "hat," Jang and Park immediately transformed themselves into an old couple. Jang was sewing a hat, of which the couple bought when they first traveled together 50 years ago and they squabbled over the old hat, complete with a short flashback to their first encounter which also involved a hat.
"In Korea, it takes some time for audiences to come up with suggestions, whereas Westerners are more comfortable with giving out their ideas. It is not wrong because Koreans are trained to think and filter before making remarks in public. We want to open that up. Improv is fun and comedic, but we want to achieve more than that ― being more creative and communicating better with each other. Improv is a very powerful tool for self-improvement and communication," Park said at an interview with The Korea Times at the improvisational troupe's studio near Sookmyung Women's University in central Seoul.
Park was a senior executive banker and now works as a business consultant. He is also an executive coach whose unique approach combines traditional leadership training with theatrical improvisational techniques.
"When I left the financial industry, I pondered over what young Koreans need and it was ways of communication, creativity and confidence. It's easier said than done and when people asked me how to obtain those capabilities, I had no idea. I was stuck there until I found improv," Park said.
Park said he was very introverted and shy, but improv made him enjoy the discomfort of being out of his comfort zone.
Jang is a full-time improviser and the one and only improv trainer in Korea. "I worked at an IT company for eight years and started improv at the Seoul City Improv (SCI) some seven years ago as a hobby. I felt it was something I wanted to pursue and headed to Chicago to learn improv professionally," she said.
Jang explained the most important philosophy of improv is "yes, and," which refers to accepting the other party and adding one's opinion to that.
"There are a lot of 'but' and refusals in Korea, but few sympathies and acceptance. You have to listen carefully to your partner and make the partner stand out in improv, so if we promulgate improv in Korea, it could bring positive changes," Jang said.
The biggest difference between traditional theater and improv is whether there is a script or not. "There is no written script and we go on to the stage without specific costumes or props. You need creativity and agility instead," Jang said.
Currently, improv education in Korea is centered on corporate orientations, but Park and Jang want to expand the horizon to local communities and children's improvisational theater.
"We have monthly open days and performances, but most of the audiences are acquaintances of the troupe members. Once we handed out some 200 flyers in the neighborhood to invite them to improv performances, but not a single local resident appeared. We were so disappointed," Jang said. "In the States, improv is well known and people are trained for improv since childhood, which makes them more expressive and flexible. Korean children these days only care about themselves and are poor at cooperation. That's why we want to do improv with children."
Park believes that improv can change the exhaustive entertainment culture in Korea. "Koreans are very creative but the social atmosphere blocks that creativity. Instead of binge drinking, people can become familiar and communicate through improv," he said. "If you are interested in improv, please visit the SCI meeting every Sunday evening. It's an open community and anybody can come. Anybody who lives one's life can do improve because they've been improvising throughout their life."
Visit koreaimprov.com for more information.
