Player One stands rigidly on stage, stroking an imagined object on his right wrist and says, "I love my shield." Player Two enters stage, stares agog at the imagined shield and says, "Wow-wie! That is one awesome shield." The question for you is: If you were told to enter the scene as the third player […]
Here's an example of a Tag-out from The Johnsons. Notice how they leverage the Help Desk dynamic, repeating/heightening the sequence of dialogue. [wpvideo B5sbwlAF] I'd've preferred they'd've never sat down, instead playing out being high on the job. It's hard to keep a scene active while sitting down. Chairs are a privilege, not a right. […]
"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!
The Johnsons have been working on building a more collective world in their long form performances. One tool they've practiced is using their scene edits to establish and heighten an organic pattern progression. And on January 16th, 2016 they did it on stage for the first time. Watch. Enjoy. [wpvideo TajAtDB3] First time is random. […]
Hey Everybody game mechanics allow a group to build a focused direction out of disparate parts. They are so named because, though they have wider applications, they are useful to a player in navigating a scene initiated with a rush of players to the stage. When Townsend Hart starts The Johnsons' group game with "Emergency […]
Be careful changing a scene's reality. In improv we're building something out of nothing. So if improvisers make a choice on stage they're moving forward and to negate that choice threatens to stall that forward motion as they scramble to justify the contradiction. Not only do contradictory choices disrupt the scene for the improvisers, it […]
Something fun happens in the Cat Pelts organic group game performed by The Coalition's Fall 2015 Patterns and Games class. Four improvisers enter stage together and navigate the chaos by Seeking Symmeteries. And the audience stays with them through the initial uncertainty because they're comfortable and committed. Watch. [wpvideo 9mROMiIK]
Just imagine. I bet this video is cleaner than your imagination. In fact, this example group game runs on so much enthusiasm and support it's (almost) downright wholesome. [wpvideo tOWnHhPa] Player are: Shahenn Ali, Teddy Armstrong, Amber Hendrix, Jesse Hill, Meredith Hughes, Laura Kelly and Christopher May
Don't solve problems in improv. If there's a fire on stage we want to throw gas on it, not water. A lot of group games start with problem statements. "We need to..." "Let's figure out..." "Brainstorm time!" The problem with problems is that when we're focused on working up a solution we too often deprioritize […]
A solid Hey Everybody example. Watch it. What do you notice? [wpvideo HrEK7Y9P] 1. Repetition is heightening. Laura didn't need to do anything more than repeat "I'm a North Carolina State Mom" to get a laugh at the start of the second pass of the game. In fact, the audience also laughs with a sense […]