Links

The Four Steps of Yes And→

When teaching Yes And in Improv 101, I use a fairly technical model, showing the how-to steps of Yes And:

Step 1: Awareness. You must be present and open to be able to perceive the offers that are made. If you are in your head, in the future or the past, you might miss the most important thing: what’s right in front of you.

Step 2: Offer. Someone (and that might be you) does something or says something. Anything and everything can be an offer. Try to percieve the offers without judgement (good/bad) or categorization (intentional/mistake.)

Step 3: Acceptance. For beginner improv, we are looking for Instant Enthusiastic Agreement. Saying YES fully and quickly. For real world purposes, this might be more accepting what is (This isn’t what you expected, but it’s happening.) and building from there.

Step 4: Addition. Build on to the offer with something connected to it. Get some skin in the game and make your own offer, making sure it’s a response to the previous offer.

Varieties of Want→

The four kinds of wants in an improv scene (and one you don’t want). Brilliant.

Patrick’s Improv Reflections – 09/09/15 Show→

Straight / absurd is a lens to view a scene.  It is not the only lens, and it is not a perfect lens, but I find it a very useful lens.  You can use it or not.  You might find status, story or character to be more useful lenses.

Neil Casey 401 Notes Day Final→

  • The main difference between a 201 grad show and a seasoned improv show is that when people step out their eyes are locked on each other. People are so worried about putting out their initiations that they don’t see the choices they’ve already made.
  • I think of scenes like pyramids, on the bottom we are listening to each other and agreeing, above that we are playing realistically and intelligently, above that making them important and reacting emotionally and above that game.
  • Saying a suggestion in a Harold is usually really lame. It’s like if Darth Vader were to say “I declare Star Wars”.

Will Hines substitutes a UCB 401 class and brings a lot of wisdom. That last quote made me laugh out loud.