I'm wishy washy about improv class showcases. On the one hand, if the point of going through classes is to learn to do performance-ready-level improv, then it seems sadistic to make 101 students "put it up on its feet." But on the other, nothing informs an improviser like improvising and all it entails - collaborating […]
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 […]
A monologist shares a personal story. Ideally one recreating their emotions about a specific moment with rich details. Performers then replace the speaker on stage with a series of scenes inspired by the monologue. Ideally not just scenes reenacting the recollection but scenes that heighten the ideas of the monologue through new contexts. Maybe the monologist […]
Looking for a fun character-based Opening for your long-form improv format? Try a Duologue or, like The Johnsons do, try several. Here are two examples - [wpvideo gLsIn4rT]
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 […]
Looking for a fun improv warm-up with some character-building tools?
Want to play more than one character in a single scene? You can! It's a powerful move. But - as goes the cliche - with great power comes great responsibility. Let's explore how and when to use the move and when and why to not.
A Coalition show called Strange Bedfellows pairs an actor with one half of a script with an improviser who ad libs their half. I had the honor of performing one night in the improviser's role. And I have never been more terrified pre-show. In a typical show, I have at least one improv partner. I […]
As a warm-up exercise or a short-form performance game, Four Corners is a fun way to explore two person scenes and subsequent beats. Check out this wonderful example from The Coalition Theater's class showcase. I am particularly fond of the players' choice to enthusiastically agree and trust in the power of emotion alone when met […]
USSR 1730... Vladimir Toma invents a heating device... "Yah, so, this I call...vodka..." The difference between one actor delivering all three of those lines and three improvisers delivering one of those lines apiece is huge in terms of audience reaction. When the audience sees that a player is accepting a choice given to them - […]