Words by Hayden Wright.

What do you do for fun?

I get up in front of crowds with no preparation for ten minutes, twenty, sometimes whole hours at a time.

Yep, that’s what I do for fun and I could be doing it at a pub near you.

If you read "improv" and think "theatresports" or "Whose Line Is It Anyway", let me introduce you to a new underground. The Chicago-style, long-form improv shows feature 5-10 people on stage (like a play) where nothing is planned, there is no script, and EVERYTHING is made up. To see an improv show at places like the Upright Citizens Brigade is to see something that has never been seen before, and will never be seen again.

To understand how improv relates to anxiety dreams, I should describe a little history. Long-form improv is widely accepted to have been started by a proper loose unit, Del Close, in Chicago, IL. Del was a self-described warlock who outside of casting magic spells onstage, helped forge careers for the likes of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Chris Farley, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers through his work with the iO Theatre, formerly ImprovOlympic.

Del's focus was on creating improvised theatre through collaboration; generating something new to show in front of an audience that could succeed or fail. And to create those ideas, he focused on being truthful, honest and fearless, encouraging players to "follow the fear". He was convinced that being curious about fear, rather than fighting it, led to exciting ideas.

I've been performing for nearly half a decade, and I agree with Del. I discovered that a fear of failure put me in my head and locked me up.

Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable let me be creative.

Learning to create new ideas from nothing taught me to generate loads of ideas quickly. Getting immediate feedback from an audience trained me to recognise bad ideas early.

There's a lot to learn from improv - Google "Yes, And" for example - but for me, improv comedy has carved a shortcut of grey-matter in my brain to all-around better stuff. Ideas. Conversation. Positivity. I'm hooked.

If that hasn’t convinced you to search for a free workshop or sign up for classes, I do encourage you to see it for yourself. Seek out shows at Improv Theatre Sydney, The Improv Conspiracy in Melbourne or Big Fork Theatre in Brisbane. Improv gigs are happening all over the place. Tickets are rarely more than $15, and it's an experience to behold.

Although improv might sound like a mess, it's rarely disorderly or dirty. I believe it's better described as beautiful chaos. For less than $20, you'll see scenes spring from the nothingness, change and disappear with flashes of brilliance so quick you won't be able to tell where one thread ends, and the next begins.

Somewhere deep inside me, I'm suspicious that long-form improv might be what the universe is made out of.

So get terrified. Take a risk. Follow your fears and learn something about yourself. If nothing else, you might at least sleep a little better at night.