Improvisation: Making it up as you go along. A group of players gets on stage without previously rehearsed lines or blocking and acts out. The audience understands that this show is constructed from nothing before their eyes. In these aspects, improvisational performance differentiates itself from any other performance medium. Improvisation then is at its best […]
THE SELF CONTAINED EMOTIONAL STATEMENT How do you start an improv scene? My answer was forged from the perspective of giants' shoulders. Mick Napier, of The Annoyance Theater, says we start with just one thing. - Assume a posture. - Grab an object. - Start a motion. - Engage your environment. - Embody a character. […]
YES, GOOD IMPROVISATION REQUIRES A GROUP. AND, WE AGREE. A great improvisational performance requires both a group and an audience. It’s the collaborative building that makes improvisation exciting. The ability to riff is dependent on having something to riff off of. The definition of riffing demands that there be an “accompaniment” or “exchange.” Sure, a […]
TO THE ETHER Games I like Frisbee. I like hacky sack. I like hitting this one stick I wrapped in ribbons with these other two sticks I wrapped in different ribbons. I like the Grateful Dead. I like acoustic guitar around a beach bonfire. I like blowing into this diggerydoo I crafted in the company […]
HELP DESK HELP YOU Through the progression of a Help Desk game’s dialogues, we heighten the participants’ personal games. Two players swapping opinions on a piece of art can be a pretty funny scene. But, with Help Desk game mechanics, we can heighten personal games to make the characters’ emotional perspective more important than the […]
21 – The group (without teacher) huddles in a tight circle and together counts to 21 with players contributing one number at a time. If two people speak at once, the group must start over. Lessons: • Breathe; Don’t rush to speak; Share focus. • We are walking backward, making each subsequent step based on […]
I AM SUPERMAN – Everyone stands in a circle. One at a time, each player will enter the circle, say “I am [NAME] and for the next 30 seconds, I am Superman” at which point the teacher will start a timer and the player does whatever they want until the time is up at which […]
Objective: The aim of group game work is to establish a pattern as a group and heighten in a unified direction. For the group to be successful, individuals need to be focused outward on all that others are contributing and committed to serving the group’s progression with their own contributions.
Group Mind: Having Group Mind is about immediate, enthusiastic acceptance. You need to show your fellow players that you respect and love their ideas, and trust that you can make a bold move and have your group respect and love it. “I trust you – I’m going to follow your ideas whatever they are, wherever […]
Simplifying and Clarifying: The sooner everyone is on the same page, the sooner we can heighten and evolve collaboratively. Our main tool of simplification is Agreement - the more players that mirror/agree, the less different stuff there is on stage to negotiate. The more people you’re playing with the clearer you have to be. Our […]