RECENTLY DE-CLASSIFIED INTEL FROM CHALLENGER H.Q.-

We are, as always, greatly indebted to our Special Agents who laid groundwork far before our time.  The Challenger Principle of COMMITMENT is based primarily on the work of Jerzy Grotowski from his coded manuscript, Towards a Poor Theatre.  I would heartily recommend reading the entire manuscript or, at the very least, his Ten Statements on creating the Total Act, but Challenger H.Q. demands that all Agents memorize the following quote from his final Statement…

“Before an actor is able to achieve a total act he has to fulfill a number of requirements, some of which are so subtle, so intangible, as to be practically undefinable through words. They only become plain through practical application. It is easier, however, to define conditions under which a total act cannot be achieved and which of the actor’s actions make it impossible. This act cannot exist if the actor is more concerned with charm, personal success, applause and salary than with creation as understood in its highest form.”

JERZY GROTOWSKI

Our current world seems to be nothing but “personal success, applause and salary.”  Grotowski wrote this in a time when Actors and Theatre Practitioners at all levels were being imprisoned and even executed simply for expressing themselves through performance.  For him to make a request like that and for so many of our brothers-in-arms to have heeded his call despite the risks… We as CHALLENGERS can do no less than give our very best to the cause of Improv every day.  For us, it can be simply expressed as our honest INTENT to DO all that it takes to be truly better every time we cross our threshold.

So let’s DO THAT…

DEEP COVER, ASSET CONDITIONING and FIELD SITREP –

The primary skill needed for COMMITMENT is simply the desire to be personally better.  Better as a member of an ensemble.  Better as an Agent of Improv.  Better as a Teacher, Friend, Colleague, and Human Being.  That desire, stripped of the motivation of any “Reward” other than the satisfaction of personal and group success, is CHALLENGER COMMITMENT.

BASIC TRAINING FOR ALL FIELD OPERATIVES –

The greatest stumbling block for new Cadets is usually the Fixed Mindset that says you are simply as good as you are going to be right at that moment… whether a Cadet thinks they are all that and a bag of chips and can’t possibly get any better, therefore any activity they do where they are NOT great must be a stupid activity… OR they just think they are “Okay” where they are and CAN’T get better, so why bother.  The key, especially early on, is to SHOW Cadets that IMPROVEMENT IS TANGIBLE as quickly as possible, so…

• BIG BOOTY.  It’s a real simple Circle Warm-Up game that ALL GROUPS struggle with at the very start… and ALL GROUPS get better at it in a very VISIBLE way very quickly.  Circle.  Randomly select a player to be 1st Big Booty.  Group starts song “Aww, yeah, Big Booty Big Booty Big booty” (x2)while wandering about circle, but BACK in a new circle by the end of the song, then Big Booty says “Big booty number _____” (any number up to number of players in the circle other than the Big Booty)  Without ever losing rhythm, players must count clockwise to see if they are that number and respond with “Number _____ (Player’s number) – Number ______ (next player’s number).  Call out numbers till someone mucks it up then start it over with the mucker-upper being the next Big Booty. Players muck up in so many different ways… they don’t count, they go counter clockwise, they lose the rhythm or tempo, they stammer, they space out.  It’s hard.  Within a couple rounds, groups will start to see TANGIBLE improvement, and the more they improve, the more they LOVE the game, and when they love it they will COMMIT to it.  There are other games that can achieve the same result, but BIG BOOTY has the Official CHALLENGER seal of approval!

• “Serious” games. It’s a different kind of commitment, but it can be spun to have a desired effect on Cadets… Basically you just play scenes where the object is to make the other player laugh or “Break.”  Challenger H.Q. plays it as a line game with just two players on stage at any one time and the “Laugher” goes to the end of the other line while a new player comes in and takes over the laugher’s role and the scene starts from where it left off.  Many variations.

• “HARD” games.  Those games that you might not get to till “ADVANCED” training.  Try them early and simply side coach Cadets to “Stick with it.”  The Alphabet Game, the Question Game and Verse are quick Line Games that are very hard, and can train the muscle memory to persevere if side-coached well.

Side-Coaching requires that “Contradictions Fully Embraced” quality of being a Hard-Ass Drill Sergeant AND a Namby-Pamby Personal Therapist at the same time.  The CHALLENGER Principle of Paying Attention and “Reading a Room” is especially essential for all Mission Commanders.  We need to push these Cadets harder than anyone has ever pushed them, because we are asking them to go counter to every social ill that shapes young people today… Social Media, Cancel Culture, Risk Management from Schools and quick fix solutions from parents and society.  We are TRAINING these Cadets to be “better” through hard work and sweat equity.  Very few other institutions employ that model.  BUT… we need to READ the Cadets and try to really KNOW them.  They will have fears, and we must acknowledge them even when they are not known to us.  Listen with compassion and never stop pushing.

BLACK BAG ACQUISITIONS FOR DOG AND PONY SHOWS –

Performances tend to bring out the very best and the very worst when it comes to Commitment.  Pandering to a civilian audience is common when an extra laugh might be gained, and Cadets are not immune to the occasional “inside” joke that makes half the room giggle and half the room “put off.”  Cadets can also rally and gel in a performance, and the best moments are usually when one or more players “Save” a scene with a bit of on-stage “Chivalry.” 

• All Games can be used to train Commitment.  Starting with clear INTENT and ending with precise feedback is essential.

• Gag games can be played with serious commitment to the characters, relationships, locations, and situations.

• Longer form games can be played with the Truth in Comedy principles of simply playing the reality and letting the laughs happen organically.

Always understand that younger Cadets in particular will always be drawn to the laugh.  There is no shame in that, but slowly weaning your group from the teat of the “Easy” laugh will create a better future for all.

MISSION WRAP UP –

Commitment requires a thoughtful approach to every training session and performance, and it especially requires a VERY thoughtful wrap-up.  Breaks in commitment are part of the package, and they should be addressed with EXTREME PREJUDICE… AND EXTREME COMPASSION.  Ultimately, YOUR Cadets will follow YOUR lead as a MISSION COMMANDER.  Walk the walk, then talk the talk.  Your cadets will listen… eventually.

Commitment can be very tricky in an uncontrolled environment.  Unless you enjoy a VERY HIGH hierarchical status, pushing for great commitment in anyone BUT yourself can be a monumental challenge.  There are few concepts that have as many differing definitions and connotations.  The best bet for using Commitment in your WORK and LIFE is to always focus on YOURSELF first.  Write down your INTENT for a day, either the night before or first thing in the morning.  Not a standard To Do list, but a short, bullet-point list of what you want to personally accomplish to make yourself BETTER at whatever you are doing.  If you are an Administrator… can you be BETTER at LISTENING?  If you are a Teacher… can you be better at INTRODUCING concepts or WRAPPING-UP lessons.  If you are a Doctor… can you be better at really SEEING a patient instead of their CONDITION.  That’s INTENT to be BETTER, and it’s much harder than just Gettin’ Stuff Done.  In fact, Gettin’ Stuff Done is often the greatest obstacle to INTENT.  You HAVE to make time for INTENT before you get the stuff done, or you will be doomed to just gettin’t it done the same way.  Muscle Memory doesn’t work with JUST repetition, it works with the THOUGHTFUL INTENT to do the thing BETTER every time you do it, which requires BOTH the INTENT beforehand AND the FEEDBACK and ANALYSIS from yourself or others after.  Again, this is TRAINING you to be a better you.  Once you have mastered your own commitment, and IF you are of a status (Not necessarily hierarchically) where you can coach or teach commitment… do so with FIRM COMPASSION.