A simple but helpful variation on a short-form improv classic…
The Basics
Players form a line at the back or side of the stage – the first person (stage right typically) stands so that they are facing away from the playing space. Two improvisers begin a scene based on an audience prompt. When they have established a clear scene and find themselves in a suitably dynamic pose, a fellow observing player (or perhaps the host or instructor) calls out “Freeze,” and the players do so. The improviser who was unable to see the scene turns around and enters the playing field, tagging out one of the current characters so they can assume that exact position which they use to inspire a brand-new scene. The back line shuffles with the newly released improviser joining one end (usually stage left), and the player on the other turning around so they can’t see the new action.
Example
Player A and B volunteer to play first while Player C faces away in the back line. The first scene finds inspiration from “boating.”
Player A: (holding out their hand to assist Player B) “The river is a little choppier than I expected.”
Player B: (carefully stepping into the raft) “I’m sure it’s nothing, sweetie. I can’t wait to check ‘white water rafting’ off our bucket list! Hand me my paddle…”
Player A turns to do so as B mimes the raft slowly drifting into the rising river. They raise their hands in a panic.
Player A: “Um, honey…”
Player D: “Freeze.”
Player A and B hold their poses as C spins around and quickly tags A out so they can assume that exact position with their hands nervously raised. Player A strikes to the back line while B holds onto their own position facing towards the floor.
Player C: (after a moment of squirming) “I’ve told you I don’t know the combination to the safe.”
Player B: (their intended oar transforms into a floor panel) “I know where you keep your money – I’ve been scouting out this video game store for months…”
Player C: “Then you should know only the owner opens the safe. She doesn’t trust me with the combination.”
Player C slowly lowers their hand to trigger a panic switch as Player B fumbles uselessly with the safe dial.
Player E: “Freeze.”
The Focus
Committing to clear specifics and quickly justifying peculiar poses provide the lifeblood of all freeze tag games.
Traps and Tips
1.) Enter quickly. Players on deck should move to the stage as swiftly as they’re able when the “freeze” is announced. The game will quickly lose steam and playfulness if each transition becomes needlessly laborious. Usually, one pose will immediately feel richer or more dynamic than the other, so trust your first instinct and don’t waste time assessing your options as this will grind everything to a halt.
2.) Freeze bravely. Players who are able to see the playing field should actively look for promising new stage pictures and relationships and grab these moments for each new “freeze” call. My example errs on the side of shorter vignettes, and it’s good form to allow the first few scenes some space to develop. But as you construct your fourth, fifth, and sixth scenes, the game should become jauntier. Be wary of lethargic calls deflating the momentum.
3.) Pose resolutely. When you are caught by a “freeze,” strive to maintain all the physical, facial, and emotional details of your position. If you inadvertently relax into a more generic pose, you’re robbing the incoming player of vital and inspiring information. Similarly, as you assume a previous position, pay attention to the minutiae as much as you can during such a quick transition. Smudging gestures or ignoring notable choices, such as the line of sight or an emotional quality, will lower the stakes in an unhelpful way.
4.) Justify specifically. Similarly, the more nuanced you can make your justifications, the better. These details are often cumulative and represent the concerted efforts of both players, so don’t feel the need to just voluminously spew a disconnected diatribe. But when our robbery becomes located in a video game store, with an in-the-floor safe and an absent owner, the scene transcends the initial germ of an idea of a generic hold up. It’s good form for the new (entering) player to get the first crack at defining the altered reality, but when both players then polish that initial idea through the lens of their current physicality, the scenes quickly take on a glossier sheen.
See Conducted Freeze Tag here for additional pointers.
In Performance
As an improv mainstay, freeze games can feel trite or overdone when they become safe or a mechanism for recycling old bits and jokes. Challenge yourself to play every scene (and the game as a whole) with the joyful attack and abandon of a neophyte.
Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
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Photo Credit: James Berkley
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