supporting

Longform Improv Basics

April 12, 2011

Long form improvisation is making up scenes as you go along. Other forms of improv rely on games that are often looking for jokes. Long form improvisation requires the performers to do it all on their own. Generally a group of improvisers will take a single suggestion for their audience and create anywhere between 20 and 90 minutes of made-up scenes.

I took part in a showcase of Longform Improvisation at The Marlborough Theatre in Brighton run by Brighton improvisers, The Maydays. We produced a 50 minute show using a number of different techniques – more below.

Long-form is a fantastic tool for increasing your listening skills because you have to be present and attentive to make it work – which requires active listening. Long-form helps you create trust in yourself and everyone around you.

I began to understand that there is some formula for giving structure to the whole thing.

I’m going to detail the structure, as I see it. I may use terms unfamiliar to you, but I plan to expand on each of these in future blog posts – so make sure you subscribe to this blog if you are interested in finding out more.

BEFORE

To open/launch a scene there are several tools you can use, which include:

1. Word Association

2. Monologues

3. Rants and Raves

4. Press Conference game

5. Invocation

DURING

1. Naming – make sure you name each other, makes the characters/scene more believable

2. Paint the scene – you can add imaginary costumes, props, scenery, environment, sounds effects, anything to help build the picture

3. Attitude – choose an attitude and stick to it – you may choose to play agreeable character versus disagreeable character – but be careful not to block your scene partner

4. Game of the scene

5. Tag outs

ENDING

There are lots of ways to end a scene – known as edits.

1. Object – a player comes onto stage and takes an object from one of the characters in the current scene and turns it into something else, which in turn starts a new scene.

2. Verbal – a player comes onto stage and starts speaking to start a new scene – be clear you are not just trying to join the current scene

3. Swarm – all the offstage players go on stage with a movement and/or noise inspired by something that happens in the scene taking place – the people in the current scene join in

4. Sweep – when you feel the scene needs to end, just run across in front of them!

5.Fade in – similar to the verbal edit, when you use a fade in, you might be just miming though and quietly start speaking, gradually getting louder.

 

 

Listening and Supporting – One Word At A Time Story

December 16, 2010

I had the pleasure of running a short workshop for a well known charity today. Just 4 participants, with a brief to improve communications. I decided to focus on the skill of listening. Basically, it doesn’t matter how good you are at communicating, if your colleagues have no listening skills, they still won’t receive your message.

I used an improv game called “One Word At A Time Story”. I was delighted to discover that none of them had heard of this game, nor played it before. The game sounds pretty simple but in practice, is a bit harder than it sounds. You can get any number of people playing it, from 2 upwards. In this case, it was 4 – although I got them into pairs to have a go at it, so they felt less exposed.

Then they got up and stood in a line, to tell a story, using just one word at a time, each.

I gave them a first name and an object – Kevin and Spaceship. They ended up telling me a lovely story of Kevin and his spaceship. The spaceship had never been into space, because Kevin was too busy eating cheese and crackers. Although he soon switched to crisps and marmite and this meant the spaceship could finally go into space.

Aside from the silliness of the story, a few themes came up. Firstly, it was tricky at times to stick to one word. When they were reaching the end of a sentence, people were tempted to finish the sentence themselves with 2 or 3 words. It highlighted the fact that during this game, they were all equal and needed to trust each other.

Another point came up, which was about a concept called “group mind”, which I describe as collaborative thinking without planning or conversation. Another way of looking at it, would be intuition – a group of people using their collective intuition to sense one another’s thoughts or feelings or ideas. The group I worked with today, showed a good deal of group mind and were very supportive of each others ideas.

One of the common issues that this game throws up, is “too many cooks, spoil the broth”, in other words; during the game (the story) people introduce more and more characters, themes, props, locations – this can be very confusing for the listener/audience. This can be a problem in the workplace, when people are trying to out-do each other with their ideas – or they are so busy thinking of their own ideas, they forget to listen to other peoples ideas. They become competitive rather than collaborative.

So to develop listening skills, a sense of sharing and cooperation and to support each others ideas, try a game of One Word At A Time. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you’d like some support with it.