Improvisation, part two

He sat backstage as he had done many times before. Stage fright stared him in the eye as it always did before. Patiently waiting for his turn to impress the audience, he acknowledged his fear without letting it take over him. In fact, he would use the feeling to push him throughout his act.

The hosts then summoned the performer onto the stage, and he knew there was no turning back. It didn’t matter that he didn’t have the time to plan his routine ahead of time. Nor did it matter that the trails of a fourteen hour school day weighed him down. His top priority at that point was to make up something to please the crowd.

“Punch left, punch right, kick, jump!” He made decisions every second while doing his best not to repeat himself too much. If he did that, the audience would know he wasn’t prepared. And yet, if he stalled for too long thinking of something different to do, the audience would know he wasn’t prepared. He only knew that whatever he did, he had to get through it no matter how tired or lost he became without a previously made plan.

After three minutes that seemed like three hours, he reached his goal with one final punch. The audience roared with approval and applause that congratulated his efforts. At this moment, he realized that it isn’t necessarily his organization or lack thereof that determined the quality of his performance. His stamina didn’t make the show either.

It’s all about the audience.