Stephen Colbert Quotes About Improvisation

Quotes about: Improvisation

• Life is an improvisation. You have no idea what's going to happen next and you are mostly just making things up as you go along.

  Stephen Colbert

  Inspirational, Graduation, Education

  "Top 10 Commencement Speeches: Best of All Time" by Meena Jang, www.hollywoodreporter.com. March 8, 2015.

• You are about to start the greatest improvisation of all. With no script. No idea what's going to happen, often with people and places you have never seen before. And you are not in control. So say 'yes.' And if you're lucky, you'll find people who will say 'yes' back.

  Stephen Colbert

  Graduation, Ideas, People

  "23 Of The Best Pieces Of Advice Ever Given To Graduates". Stephen Colbert 2006 Knox Commencement Address, www.businessinsider.com. May 15, 2013.

• For me, improvisation is about working with a partner. That is much easier to do in the interview, because you have a sounding board.

  Stephen Colbert

  Boards, Interviews, Easier

  Slate's Working Podcast with David Plotz, October 17, 2014.

• I'm not a standup. I didn't start off as a writer, I learned to write through improvisation, and so that's the part of the show that can most surprise me. The written part of the show, I know I can get wrong. You can't really get the interview "wrong."

  Stephen Colbert

  Writing, Interviews, Surprise

  "Working" with David Plotz, www.slate.com. October 17, 2014.

• I'm proud of my ability to understand what somebody else is trying to do and help them achieve it, because part of the aesthetic of improvisation is service. You never say no. Serve the servant, follow the follower. And that's very valuable in your life, as well as very valuable in your actor's work. I'm damn proud of my ability to help other people achieve their ideas.

  Stephen Colbert

  Helping Others, People, Trying

  Source: www.avclub.com

• Improvisation in general is good, and improvising material into themes, turning the material into something codified and repeatable, taught me scenic structure and dramatic gambits that work and things that are appealing both as a performer and an audience member, like you know, what does "want" really mean in a scene, and how do you achieve your want, and how is that expressed, and how do you achieve closure? Those are all things that I learned performing at the cabaret after just doing the same scenes over and over and over again over the years, with my own ability to change.

  Stephen Colbert

  Mean, Closure, Dramatic

  Source: www.avclub.com

• I'm proud of my ability to understand what somebody else is trying to do and help them achieve it, because part of the aesthetic of improvisation is service. We don't lead, we only follow. You never say no. Serve the servant, follow the follower. And that's very valuable in your life, as well as very valuable in your work.

  Stephen Colbert

  Trying, Followers, Proud

  Interview with Nathan Rabin, tv.avclub.com. January 25, 2006.

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