I'm in the Band

I've been playing with a concert band for a while now, trying to get back into the groove of playing regularly, and noting the similarities between band and improv that I can see now that I've done both. Of note: group mind in improv is equivalent to both the director/conductor combined with the sheet music, and also blend (how the various parts of the music fit together) and balance (the relative strength/intensity/loudness of the various instruments being equivalent). But I had a significant realization when listening to a recording of a performance we had done.

What I noticed is that the sound you hear from the audience is completely different from the sound you hear being in the band. Playing bassoon, I can generally hear a couple of flutes, the bass clarinet, the French horns, and tubas clearest, but when everyone's playing, I generally can't hear much of the rest of the band unless I'm really listening for it. The songs we were playing sounded a certain way (that is to say, what parts I could hear) from my seat. But when I listened to our recordings – holy crap did that music sound different. The sum of all the parts of the band adds up totally differently from the point of view of the audience: harmonies suddenly stand out, small flourishes suddenly exist, and bass line sounds complete. (Also, the bassoon has disappeared, but alas, such is life.)

Now improv has a unique design when it's being performed by a team, in that there may 2-3 actors playing front and center, but you'll also have a gaggle of players off stage watching. These sideline players are typically thought of as an artifact or casualty of team play, but should really be thought of in a much more practical and utilitarian way. By standing on the sideline, these players effectively become an additional audience of sorts, and because they are no longer playing, they have the opportunity to step out of the show, in a way, and ask the question: “what does this show need?” This is the equivalent of me having a twenty measure break, getting out of my seat, and sitting down in the auditorium.

This is such an important facet of team play and collaboration that I'm astonished no one has (to my knowledge) considered before. A sideline player doesn't just listen for an opportunity to edit or characters to call back, but should also be taking the time as an audience-player (plaudience?) to think about what has been established thematically and scenically and consider what choices can heighten dramatic elements. With a few minutes of downtime, we can analyze the show and improve it, and this feature of improvisation is just as important being on stage and can help elevate a show from “randomly assembled series of scenes” to “art piece strategically arranged”.