by Naomi Joseph

Words can’t express how I feel after Stella Duffy’s Masterclass. It would be an injustice to describe the woman herself, her character, her teaching style. To me her energy is lightning and sunshine in a bottle, that when you shake it becomes a kaleidoscope of colourful wise thoughts you should embody at the start of every day. She’s intimidating because she owns her vulnerabilities.

As much as Stella Duffy’s Masterclass taught me about live writing and improvisation, it taught me how to value myself as a person working in the arts.

The Masterclass was transformative because it relies on self belief rather than solely technical skills. Improv (and life) works better when we are generous, when we listen, when we are honest. So much of Stella’s Masterclass was about empowering us with the belief that as individuals we already have everything we need to create.

Stella reiterated some of the values that I try to tell myself when I’m working alone in my room, but I sometimes forget them or don’t believe them when I say it to myself. She urged us to give ourselves permission to fail, she told us to stop thinking. She exposed a society that has been built to tell us we aren’t good enough so that we don’t pursue potentially risky ambitions when in reality some of the most successful creatives are still working the day job. She emphasised that there’s no shame in being a person and bringing that person to your work (safely and responsibly; this isn’t therapy after all so it’s vital you look after yourself in your creative practice!). Improv gives us permission to mess up when really we should employ that in our everyday lives. We aren’t perfect, why should that change when we get onstage?

My favourite phrase was “let them dream in.” Audiences are smarter than we think, audiences should be using their brains and bodies and reacting instinctively as they watch a piece, rather than being spoon-fed all of the time.

I confess that some of the exercises Stella led took me to a personal place that I wasn’t ready to explore in a room full of creative professionals, so I’ve perhaps taken different lessons from it than other participants, but they are equally as valuable.

I learned:

To not overthink. To put your trust in a scene partner. That sharing vulnerabilities is actually an excellent icebreaker! That some of us with the strongest, most effortless demeanour are fighting big battles inside. That the most dramatic things that have happened to you are not necessarily the most interesting to see on stage. A moment in time can be more touching than an entire chapter of your life. That if you accept who you are and that your stories are valid it will free you. That even the best of the best procrastinate.

That making a living as an artist is hard. Trying to be someone other than yourself is harder.

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IMAGE: Naomi Joseph and Angela Yeoh improvise a LifeGame scene with Stella Duffy.  Photo by Laura Lundy.