- In the info of a line, what’s important in that line?
- What’s conveyed?
- Character > situation
- The character is what’s important
- If your worst scene is still a realistic depiction of life, you’re golden.
- Gagging is unrealistic.
- Frequent direction: “This is really happening, <x>!”
- Don’t play the action, play the person.
- Again, character > situation.
- You can always disclose your opinions/knowledge about the other character.
- This lets you ‘check in’.
Loads of good stuff in these notes.
You’re supposed to be “in the moment,” to react with authenticity and without judgment, but you also can’t just say or do anything that comes to mind—there are rules, structures, ways of making your scene work better or worse, and you have to abide by those rules and structures while still at the same time seeming (and hopefully being) present and living fully within the moment. You’re supposed to establish who you are and where you are and why you’re there, but you’re not supposed to be clunky or overly expository about it. You’re supposed to find “the game” but still “be present” and engaged.
When you’re being led by discovery, you’re analyzing your scene partner for information. You aren’t looking internally for ideas, you’re looking externally at your scene partner to see how they’re reacting, to see what offers they’re making (both big, obvious and verbal gestures, and smaller body language offers). You’re then using those offers and making intuitive response offers. That makes connection with your scene partner much easier, as what they’re receiving from you is based on what they’re giving out. They aren’t being fed any strange curve-balls.
Say yes grudgingly to bad ideas. If it’s something the character would not do, say yes but the character doesn’t have to like it. Saying no to jumping out of an airplane seems logical. But why are we watching this scene? What is happening today? Let’s see the day where someone acts on a BAD idea. No need to be enthusiastic about dating a serial killer. But saying yes and not being too sure about it might generate a funny scene.
Stage picture is something that’s often ignored in improv, especially after the opening (if there was one). We’re usually too busy talking to think about what the audience is seeing, and what they’re seeing is probably two people standing around yakking.
The next time you find yourself rooted to the floor, change your physicality and see how it changes the scene. Not only will you feel different, but it will immediately look different than 99% of improv scenes.
Mark Sutton taught us that we can respond and be truthful and supportive through our own character. Letting go of your own deal hurts the scene more than helps it.
I boiled down all these elements into three simple steps that I could follow.
- Do something.
- Do it more.
- Do it bigger.
“Being specific doesn’t mean just saying your burger’s from Carl’s Jr. Try to give your character a philosophy and fill out the universe they live in.”
The sooner you know how to play your game, the sooner you can start tagging.
Look at your partner. Do they seem nervous, happy, tense? Take this into account. Give them something to work with, but give it to them one step at a time. Do the Cha-cha. Move back and forth between the two of you. “Hey Bobby, thanks for coming to meet me in this mediocre coffee shop.” See how they respond.
This is my challenge to you: be more aware of the interaction between you and your stage partner than of what you want to happen next. Forget what you have “planned” for the scene. Keep your ideas, but allow space for your partner’s ideas as well. If you keep moving with this dance, you’ll get to a place that you never could have achieved on your own.
