When asked for a desired focus for a scheduled coaching session, a Duo sent me the following: Mainly character stuff, fleshing them out versus building out more plot. Getting better at finding and sticking to the game of the scene. What follows is some didactic and exercises that filled two hours. DIDACTIC: How do You […]
Building a game out of heightening the pattern of an interaction isn't just for improv. It's a creation tool. At least if you're looking to create something coherent. Both of these cartoons appeared in The Washington Post's Sunday Cartoon section on September 30th. Read Jef Mallett's Frazz and Tim Rickard's Brewster Rockit below - but […]
"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?
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 […]
Acting. Webster's defines it as: the art or practice of representing a character on a stage or before cameras. Fine. You're acting when you're pretending to be someone else. Then what's "good acting"? Representing that character better. What's "bad acting"? Representing that character worse. How does that relate to improv where the character only exists […]
In pursuing improv as improv does best, we seek to establish patterns of emotional behavior, leveraging them in developing sustainable scenes and subsequent beats. To aid in that pursuit, focus on following a character's "How."