Taking Care of Yourself

A performance philosophy, strongly associated with Mick Napier, Joe Bill, and the Annoyance Theatre in Chicago, that encourages improvisers to prioritize their own strong choices, commitments, and instincts onstage rather than waiting passively for scene partners to provide direction. The concept inverts certain traditional yes-and formulations by placing the performer's internal strength and bold initiation ahead of reactive support. As Napier articulates it, if an improviser's first thought onstage is to take care of themselves, they become a more powerful, aggressive, and playful presence. By focusing on one's own bold contributions first, the performer becomes a more reliable scene partner, which paradoxically strengthens the ensemble as a whole. Annoyance-trained improvisers tend to be more brash and confident onstage, with a higher tolerance for risk, precisely because they trust their own instincts before looking outward. The principle also appears in applied and organizational improv contexts, sometimes reframed as "taking care of yourself by taking care of everyone else," emphasizing that individual strength and ensemble support are not opposing values but complementary ones. The philosophy extends beyond the stage; Jimmy Carrane notes its importance for career sustainability, urging improvisers to invest in their own artistic health with the same vigor they bring to class hours and rehearsals.