Sunday November 10th filled me with pride. My 301 Patterns & Games class performed their showcase. And it was great. Their energy was high. Their support, unwavering. And their commitment to building collaborative patterns using the rubrics' guidance led to hilarious moments. Those rubrics? The One Person Scene. To The Ether games. Help Desk games. […]
I started my Twitter account to drive folks to my site. David Pijor told me what I needed to do on Twitter was get "conversation going." So #ToTheEtherTuesday and #WordAssociationWednesday were born as conversation starters. And I like them as improv pattern practice. Obviously they rely on more on text than emotion and are near-devoid […]
"Silver." "Eclipse." "Model." Not a Word Association that would pass muster. How does the second move build on the first? How does the third Cement the pattern? What's the progression?
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]
A solid show from The Johnsons. They do a To The Ether Opening followed by 4 first beat scenes (though the 4th tends to have a group game quality about it) and then a run of scenes leveraging old material and focused on patterns and games. [wpvideo 5csEl2f5]
Here's a straight forward To The Ether performed in a workshop. What do you see as the progression? What heightens? What stays the same? [wpvideo QYgrr7iF]
Here's a video example of a To The Ether around poles done in a workshop. The juxtaposed emotions are our poles and emotional intensity defines the progression. [wpvideo fQzwOVUg]
In this clip, The Johnsons of The Coalition Theater in Richmond, VA use a To The Ether game as their Opening. This one's short and sweet. Following his fellow players after the suggestion of "Giraffe," the third player references "toes" in his Cement move, following the giraffe down its body. The fourth move doesn't follow […]
OFFER, SET, CEMENT: THAT'S GAME! Some definitions: Pattern - a sequence that can be repeated / a structure that can be reused Game – a sequence of actions, related by rules of cause-and-effect, that heightens with repetition A rocketship, A thumb and An aardvark. That's a fine pattern. A rocketship, A thumb and An aardvark. […]
HEY EVERYBODY! How do you focus a Ten Person game? Step right up. Step right up. I want to ride the roller coaster. You’re too short to ride this ride. See the two-headed boy for two dollars. I’m afraid of clowns. I ate too much cotton candy. Where can I buy beer? I’m on mushrooms. […]