"World Building" is a noble pursuit in long form improvisation. It can focus our creativity to try to link our scenes to a single location, time or conceit. The Chicago-based People of Earth, for example, placed all of their scenes on the same train. Horse Apples set an entire long-form in a future where everyone […]
Looking for a fun improv warm-up with some character-building tools?
Want to play more than one character in a single scene? You can! It's a powerful move. But - as goes the cliche - with great power comes great responsibility. Let's explore how and when to use the move and when and why to not.
As a warm-up exercise or a short-form performance game, Four Corners is a fun way to explore two person scenes and subsequent beats. Check out this wonderful example from The Coalition Theater's class showcase. I am particularly fond of the players' choice to enthusiastically agree and trust in the power of emotion alone when met […]
Mirroring/repeating language, details and rules heightens a group’s work while keeping it cohesive. INVOCATION – Players stand in a half circle. On the count of three, a “god” appears before them that they will worship in three phases: First, they will describe it physically; “Oh, God, with your fowl beak.” Second, they will address its […]
"Welcome to Crappy Car Mountain." "The mountain's top is held on with duct tape." "Cellophane bushes rustle in the wind." "This one side is a different color than all the rest of it." Looking for a fun warm-up to get your ensemble playfully building a world together? Here's one!
USSR 1730... Vladimir Toma invents a heating device... "Yah, so, this I call...vodka..." The difference between one actor delivering all three of those lines and three improvisers delivering one of those lines apiece is huge in terms of audience reaction. When the audience sees that a player is accepting a choice given to them - […]
Nothing bugs me more than a scene where two improvisers meet stage center, stare only at each other and talk only to and about each other. I get it. Your stage partner is truly the only other active element on stage with you. But, c'mon, show some imagination. The audience likes to see us interact […]
Looking for an exercise to help with creating characters and embracing endowments? Here's one for you.
There's more than one way to build intensity over time. Both scenes work in an improv context. No doubt. But I prefer the second iteration. The second scene is more dynamic. Yes, both Bobs are altered by scene's end and both scenes progress, but in the second scene Bob's change is clearly delineated to establish […]