To be most effective our patterns must heighten, either in a concentrated progression or through pure repetition. In building a progression, we focus on the relationship of Offer, Set and Cement moves to define how we heighten as a group. The Offer is anything, an initiation. From the Offer's single point in space on a blank […]
A pattern is established. It pops. What if it then gets put away out of play for a while? Tension, that's what. The ability to Cap a pattern takes restraint and can help increase the impact of the pattern once it returns to play. A teenage boy confronts his mother with his sinful proclivities. Mom […]
If beauty is defined by symmetries and proportional asymmetries – and it is – then we can craft beautiful trajectories in our scenes through pattern mechanics, employing triggers and caps to link heightening personal and scenic games. A scene that ends where it began - with a reformed character returnng to an old habit. A […]
We play with the three core elements of improvisation - The Details, Emotional Reactions and Patterns - in balance. We don't over-rely on being clever, which works as long as we are clever and fails us the moment we aren't. We don't over-play our emotional range with erratic characters that, at best, the audience just can't follow and, at […]
We enter a scene only to serve what is already in play. We enter to heighten a Personal Game. We enter to heighten a Scenic Game. We may help our fellow players by focusing them on one aspect of the scene when they're juggling too much, but in that effort we are focusing on what […]
Subsequent beats leverage an aspect of an originating scene in setting up a new scene. But… As our goal in any scene is establishing and heightening patterns of emotional behavior, initiations of subsequent beats that clearly focus attention on emotional reaction get us to our meat faster and leverage the power of pacing and pattern […]
I like formats. Playing within The Harold's dictated structure of Opening, 1A, 1B, 1C, Group Game, 2A, 2B, 2C, Group Game and 3A/B/C an improviser can spend less time on the wings worrying about what to initiate and more time focused on how to initiate. I like rules. Rules free us to play Pavlovianly and […]
Don't let becoming a good improviser keep you from becoming a great improviser. Believing in your ability is good; being open to your weakness in committing to constant betterment is great. Finding a personal understanding of what works for you on stage is good; staying receptive to the ideas of even the greenest improviser is […]
Here are the list of Weaknesses - ordered to track with an improviser's growth from novice to artist - linking to the relevant piece of the matrix: Vulnerable Confidence - Player is afraid to share personal, emotional depth The Details - Player is too vague in defining scene elements Bold Choices - Player hesitates to endow character and environment […]
Here are the list of Strengths - ordered to track with an improviser's growth from novice to artist - linking to the relevant piece of the matrix: Vulnerable Confidence - Player is emotionally and personally accessible The Details - Player is specific with descriptions Bold Choices - Player initiates with active endowments Self Contained Initiations - Player initiations ground them while […]