I love Pattern Play. I love the way an ensemble, focused-outward on making each new move in the service of what they individually have seen come before, can make a group look like it has ESP. I love "the moment." I love the way an authentic reaction to a moment -that in no way could […]
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 […]
This was my favorite Organic game from my Spring 2018 Patterns & Games Class. There's just so much to love. This one could never be rewritten as a sketch, and that's an asset to me here. [wpvideo AGWOBpmT] It was born collaboratively in-the-moment with an ending no one set out to see but felt too entirely perfect […]
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 […]
I coach The Johnsons, so they've been steeped in a rich tea of group games. They know One Person Scenes. They know To The Ether Games. They know Help Desk Games. And they know Hey Everybody Games. And that knowledge makes them masters of the Organic Game. And that unfortunately means sometimes they perform games […]
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]
The first time it's random. The second time it's purposeful. The third time it's expected. This progression informs how we build collaboratively in improv, be it in service of a pattern of emotional behavior, a relationship dynamic, a group game, or forging an organic format. What is necessary to elevate a random occurence into a shared […]
The Johnsons hosted a BBQ and everyone came. But they spaced out their arrival to allow time to heighten the sequence between new entries. Check it out. [wpvideo jJJTjvrC] To clarify: That last line out of Jonathan is "I brought the hounds of hell." The Johnsons are: Scott Beckett, Shawn Hambright, Townsend Hart, John Hilowitz, […]
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 […]
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