Improv Comedy Communities and DAOs Have a Lot More In Common Than You'd Expect!
I've spent 10 years learning and performing improv comedy and my last seven months in DAOs feel eerily familiar in all the best ways.
Improv Comedy communities feel like DAO communities, and I'm so happy to have this feeling back in my life.
I've had a feeling deep in my bones lately that I've only had once before, and it was when I discovered Improv Comedy.
I hadn't been able to put my finger on it until I started to pay attention to some commonalities since joining the DAO space and going down my Web3 rabbit hole.
On the surface, I'm fully aware these two things appear to have absolutely nothing in common.
Improv and DAOs, Say what?
Improv comedy is the art form of "creating something out of nothing." A group of improvisers gets up in front of an audience and creates anywhere from a 10-60 min unscripted comedic show.
Creating a show requires time spent together practicing, learning, and performing together in person in real life (IRL). The improv troupe gets up in front of a live audience and does not know where the show is going, exactly how going to start, and certainly no idea where they are going to finish. (Yes, I realize this sounds terrifying!)
It's the way a team gets there (the HOW) that reminds me so much of my time so far spent in DAOs.
DOAs are Decentralized Autonomous Organizations on the cutting edge of technology in the crypto world. They are not only organized online only (likely never meeting up IRL), but it also encourages and thrives off of anonymity. Again, I realize this could not be more different from an improv community at face value.
So at this point, you've either stopped reading, or I've got you wildly interested.
Here is where they intersect!
Is an Improv Form = DAO Governance?
What is an Improv Form?
In improv, a troupe (group of performers) agrees up front on a form they will use to create their show together.
Said another way, a form is a troupe's working agreement. This is an agreed-upon structure that is discussed, iterated over, agreed upon, and practiced long before the troupe gets on stage and starts performing before an audience.
If you want to deep dive and nerd out on this, The Harold is easily the most famous improv form created by Del Close.
The form a troupe chooses to perform on stage is the backbone and framework the individual performers will use to create a show as a team.
An improv troupe has no leader; it is, in a sense, a leaderless organization.
There is a common goal and north star of making the audience laugh (yes, I'm oversimplifying it, but you get the point). HOW we make the audience laugh is up to us as long as we do it together and within our agreed-upon form.
What is DAO Governance?
In a recent DAO Governance Primer published by Bankless DAO, governance was defined as:
"A mechanism used to create the structure or framework that allows groups of people to cooperate as effectively and efficiently as possible."
(Sounds just like the purpose of an improv form to me!)
Before joining a DAO, governance had always been a "four letter word" and something I'd relegated to getting in the way of innovation, creativity, and progress. Not enabling it.
I liked to call it “organizational cholesterol.”
It’s the speed bump in the middle of the neighborhood because Bobby McSports-Car drives too fast around it and leaves you saying, "this is why we can't have nice things!"
Having been in DAOs for the past seven months and learning about, reading up on, and experiencing governance, I have a whole new appreciation for it.
Governance is what we agree upon and what we ground ourselves to as a collective of self-sovereign individuals working together to achieve common outcomes. Given the fluidity, diversity, ambiguity, and self-directed nature of DAOs, governance is essential for context, collaboration, and continuity to get sh*t done.
The most significant "ah-ha" moment is that governance isn’t something bestowed upon us that is set in stone by the "mythical they" because of our human coordination failures (see Slay The Moloch).
It's everyone's responsibility, and we learn together as we go, inspect it in iterations (seasons), and adapt along the way.
Community And Belonging
What I fell in love with instantly when starting improv was the community.
Improv attracts a diverse but also like-minded and values-driven group of people. Something we'd find ourselves saying is, "you've got that improv heart." In improv, you have to be vulnerable, you have to listen, you have to care, you have to commit, and you likely have a love for learning (improv especially).
Improvisers don't make any money. In fact, we likely lose money on classes, workshops, shows, and traveling to festivals. (Sure, some do make money, but those are far and few between).
Most of us do it for the love of the art form and are purpose-driven in pursuit of our mastery of the craft. We are all “chasing the perfect show.”
I've run into the same kind of values-driven community in my DAO experiences so far.
While there is much more of a compensation factor in DAOs than improv, it has not led or influenced the conversations, collaboration, or outcomes I've been a part of. My hypothesis is it's because we choose to show up in DAOs. To take it one step further, we choose to show up in DAOs that align with our personal "why."
This is exactly what you find in improv. People who are in the community and are showing up want to be there and are there because of a tight personal alignment to purpose and mastery.
I have not only felt accepted in the Web3 community, but I've also been welcomed with open arms (along with all my questions!). I've made connections and felt psychologically safe to speak up and contribute immediately. I'm in awe of the curiosity I see and the growth mindset that permeates our discussions and the content I consume.
A Tale Of Caution - Burnout. Is. Real.
One more thing DAOs and Improv share is an endless opportunity to dive in and down deeper into the rabbit hole.
It's easy at first to say yes, and very very hard to say no. It's exciting because you're learning at an incredibly rapid pace. You want to make a great impression and build your reputation in the community. Oh, and there is that incredible sense of FOMO.
It's easy to get burnt out and even resentful of the work you are signing up for by spreading yourself too thin. Remember what brought you here, be kind to yourself and reflect on what work is filling your bucket.
Chose that work and, most importantly, have fun along the way!