My latest Patterns & Games class embraced To The Ether style group games like no other class I've had. They had three To The Ether games in their showcase! It brings a tear to this guy's eye. I'm sharing 4 of them that I (obviously) recorded. They each showcase a nice lesson. The 1 2 […]
Oh, man, this organic group game made me laugh. It's simple and fun. All Chapman has to do accept each addition with his character's garbled, "That's my thing..." The audience loves him for it! They know he's getting put upon by his fellow players (literally by the end!) and they reward his acceptance and commitment […]
Repetition of relationship mechanics (“This” then “That”) establishes expectations for the audience. These expectations can be played to and against for fun effect. Looking for a warm-up to practice playing with expectations? Try Foreign Dubbing! [wpvideo O7SmvMk9] Performers are: David Adams, Guy Chapman, Patrice Deveaux, Micah Head, Alan Hopkinson, Nick Lawton, Megan Lemay, Jillian MacDougall, […]
Here's an annoying song my baby likes: Herman The Worm Here's the thing... It makes for one fun group warm-up with echos of One Person, To The Ether, Help Desk and Hey Everybody game patterns. Give it a try!
"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 […]
It's all about the Set move. Remember: Anything's an Offer. A group of improvisers gather pre-show. They take off excess clothes. They empty their pockets. They ask about each other's day. One guy tells a story about an out-of-the-blue run-in with an old friend that happened that day. Another improviser tells her own story about […]
Learn rigidly. Play loose. The Johnsons are the most dyed-in-the-wool Improv As Improv Does Best group there is. Makes sense. I coach them. They were taught the contents of this website. They learned the mechanics of spontaneous collaboration. But the desire has never been for them to conform to one style of improv as dictated by […]
I've said it before, I'll say it again, "I love me some Johnsons." Check out this great example as Improv As Improv Does Best...in the face of "mistakes." [wpvideo VTaSJK8G]
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!