"}little known fact but the funniest thing you can do in improv is say no
That’s not true.
It is so fucking not true
Not only is it hard to play in a scene where your partner is not collaborating on your ideas it is just uncomfortable to watch
You CAN say no in improv but the fucking difference is hearing someone go \u201cWe planned this together, how could you betray me\u201d and responding \u201cno we didn\u2019t, nuh uh that didn\u2019t happen\u201d vs \u201cTogether? I did all the planning, I executed it, your contributions were worthless!\u201d
Both people said \u201cno we didn\u2019t plan this together\u201d but one gave their partner more characterization and a place to take the scene and the other left their partner on the back foot and having to scramble.
Saying no in unhelpful ways usually just leads to a boring scene where people argue meaninglessly, but saying no too much even in a helpful way also leads to scenes where people just argue. Likely much more pleasant scenes to watch and be in but still not as good as it could have been if the players were building off of each others ideas more.
Also, people want to see resolution!!! Scenes get less funny when you drag them out and you should try to find a good end point which usually involves some sort of compromise or solution. Ending a scene is hard, but if you work towards something together instead of trying to navigate around something together it\u2019s usually easier.
\u201cYes And\u201d is the funny little phrase but it is also a very important concept and mindset about collaborative storytelling and valuing others ideas. You can\u2019t come into improv and reject all your partners ideas but it\u2019s also unhelpful to not give back anything to build on. I live and fucking die by yes and, I\u2019ll name every shark and punch it in the goddamn face for \u201cYes And.\u201d
That\u2019s not true.