Go for the Joke. Be Funny.
Don't ask for permission to get laughs in comedy improv. Just stay in your lane.
Don't go for the joke. Don't try to be funny.
Every time I see various versions of that improv advice, I recoil. I explicitly do comedic improv. Why wouldn't I go for the joke? What's the point if I'm not trying to be funny?
Like most improv advice, these nuggets contain a sliver of the truth which blocks the real message that improvisers need to succeed.
Don't go for the joke (which isn't present in the scene).
Don't try to be funny (outside of the reality in the scene).
One of the biggest events I do with the Lancaster Improv Players TourCo is our annual run of Improvised Christmas Carol shows. We take turns playing Scrooge.
I forget all the details of the night I had the lead role last year, but I know Scrooge was a surfboard salesman. One of the ghosts basically endowed me with causing climate change. I saw the opening and said one of my favorite lines I have said on stage.
"When they talk about man-made climate change, am I the man? Is it just because of me?" (Or something along those lines.)
My scene partner (the amazingly funny Scott Harvey) put the gift out there, and I saw the obvious connection via word play. It was a joke. I had to go for it. And, you know what?
The audience loved it. Which is a big part of the point, right? They paid money to see comedy. We gave it to them.
Scott loved it. I looked him right in the eye on that line and saw his reaction. It's the face so many of us love to see from our scene partner on stage.
"Fuck, that was good."
I loved it. Scrooge has a lot to do in these shows, but I kept listening for gifts. When I got one, I ran with it.
Go for the joke (that fits the scene).
Try to be funny (in the context of the show).
That was an amazing show. Yal are hilarious