Infinite Mad Rituals: Improv & Magick

At their purest, improvisors & magick-users wield the same, powerful force: CREATION. Making nothings into somethings, transmuting words into reality—these are the province of both immortal wizards, and college students who watch Whose Line & think, “I could do that!” Not many today, though, consider the overlap, & fewer still embrace it—even the growing number of magick-curious comedians tend to believe they keep their worlds separate! I think both crafts would benefit from more practitioners embracing the “other half.” Rituals can be endlessly reinvented & reformed, & improv can be elevated to a more powerful art, with just a bit more conscious cross-pollination.

SO: improv as magick, & magick as improv! Other than sounding very pretentious, what do we do with this idea? Get a word before the cakes & ale? Wear bigger hats during shows? I will not stop ye from trying those, but perhaps try these first, & let me know what ye think in the comments below:

For Improvisors

• Set an intention before the show or rehearsal. This needn’t be anything grand—notions like ”have a funny show,” or “leave our audience feeling happier,” or even “finish rehearsal stronger than we began” all work! As in a ritual, one’s intention & mindset can make or break an improv show. Zip-Zap-Zop warmups will certainly create a mindset, but the simple practice of putting an intention to words will carve a more focused path.

• Treat improv with the dignity of a craft. I do not mean make it boring, nor solemn. I mean take seriously the need to rehearse, spend time thinking about technique, & learn the skills needed to put on shows worthy of the audience’s time. Few improv curricula in America ever even mention projection, much less teach their students how to ensure their safety & comfort on a stage. Just as it behooves any witch to learn how to construct a productive altar, or to cover their crystal ball when not in use (fun fact: actual fire hazard!), an improvisor who invests time in elevating their craft-skills will elevate the work, for their audiences, their teammates, & themselves.

• Consider what impact the work can have. When speaking worlds into existence, one must consider the world one creates. Even in speedy, game-focused, pure-comedy-montage improv, there is time in the mind for consideration of what we are summoning together onstage. Improv can be meaningless, sure—I myself have crafted any number of worthless scenes, in my 6000 years of life—but improv can matter, too. If we are making things up, why not make up something meaningful? Why not portray a world onstage that we might want to live in? Why not craft a scene that gives the audience something to strive for? Those can be funny, I promise! And, consideration helps us keep ourselves & our scene partners safe. Just like we ought not frivolously curse our friends & neighbors, we ought not frivolously spread hatred, or abuse, in the context of a scene. Consideration breeds respect, whether on a stage or at a sabbath, & respect elevates us all.

For Magicians

• Freshen up the rituals & spells. I know! Heresy! “The Liber says this, & thus it must be”—but ossified magick, is dead magick, just like pre-planning will kill the energy of an improv scene. In every grimoire we have, all the spells were made up at some point, even if the author claims he learned them from a dead Egyptian warlock. & if the book is in translation, those aren’t the real words, anyway. & further, if the book is from the 60s, it’s probably sexist, or racist, or both. So toss in some new words! Take some old ones out! Massage a spell ‘til it feels natural, then tweak it again to keep the spirits on their toes. Let magick live!

• Try some improv Invocations. I know! More heresy! In the context of improv, an Invocation is an exercise wherein a group creates a god, frivolously-yet-powerfully, together. First they get a word—say, “potato.” The group then proceeds to describe the thing physically—”It is brown,” “It is a tuber.” Then they address the object—”You are tasty,” “You go great with butter.” Their passion for the object growing, they then address it as a god—”Thou art the savior of many poor bellies,” “Thou keepeth ketchup in business,” &c. Finally, having summoned the god, they become its avatar, addressing the audience (real or imagined)—”I am Potato, salt me or perish!,” “I am Potato, many-eyed, thick-peeled!” &c. The exercise can also be played as a game during a show, or to open a show—gods come & go easily, on an improv stage. Exploring what that means for your own gods, in a magickal context, can be a powerful fountain of insight. Plus, it is FUN. Which brings me to…

• Have more FUN! Just as I think improv could stand to have sliiiightly more gravitas imbued into it, magick often has far TOO MUCH. Lighten up! The entire process of a ritual is, frankly, a bit silly—especially skyclad ones! Why are skyclad rituals so SOLEMN? Everyone is nude! We ought to be able to have a laugh about that. & having a laugh during something, or after it, does not mean the thing was unimportant! Joy is, in this miserable burning world, so important. Dour dweomers are not what we need right now.

This became longer than anticipated—I meant it more of a pamphlet, less of a grimoire! But, I appreciate ye taking the time to read, & would very much appreciate hearing thoughts & questions! Please, let us continue the conversation below—is magick+improv something others have considered? Is anyone putting these concepts into practice? & if ye found this interesting, please share this with a friend!

Cheerfully,
Amoenus Franco
Immortal wizard, improvisor, & talk show host

P.S.: Some may be wondering, “What about Del Close? He saw improv as magick!” If ye do not know, Close was a formative figure in American improv theatre, who dabbled in the occult, sought to use improv as magick, & was a horrible bastard man—much like Aleister Crowley. Full of spite, bigotry, hubris. Wielding his arrogated authority like a cudgel, he helped birth Charna’s dreadful dream of a petty queendom of exploitation, transmuting American improv from a populist art into a money-grubbing endeavor. He was the worst kind of black-hearted sorcerer, abusing magick & improv in turn, to feed his own ego. I have no love for him, I will not lionize him, & we can safely leave him out of the future of improv, except as a cautionary historical footnote! Much like Aleister Crowley. 🧙‍♂️

P.P.S.: Others have wondered, “why magick, with a K? Why not ‘ improv & magic,’ the normal way?” The spelling is to differentiate it from stage magic, sleight of hand, “illusion” acts, & so forth. ‘Tis a bit goofy, to insist on a one-letter spelling difference, but it has become normal, particularly in the broader magick practitioner community. Magic with a C does require a lot of improv as well—particularly any magic acts that involve audience participation—but today, here in this missive, we are focused on the “real deal” magick 🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️