practise dying without a smile!

it was the last improv session of the year. we'd had a pretty good session, all 'end of the world' themed, as it was the last day before the supposed Mayan catastrophe. when i left, our group leader asked me to practise dying without a smile over the holidays. i was a bit surprised cos i hadn't 'died' at all that evening but it's true that it's a lot harder to do in improv than in a play. in a play, there's the build up, the mood, etc. in improv, you have no clue what's going on from one minute to the next and the point is generally to be funny. and i must admit that every time we've suddenly turned serious, the rest of the group's laughter means it's impossible for me to keep a straight face. still lots to learn!