This less common short-form game became a player favorite during the decade-long run of Gorilla Theatre at Sak Comedy Lab and is a user-friendly introduction to the sometimes-difficult-to-explain mapping technique.
The Basics
One player obtains two starkly different occupations from the audience. One will serve as their old job, informing how they approach the tasks of their new job. Think drill sergeant in a nursery in terms of contrast. The remaining players provide the additional characters subjected to the hijinks of the resulting persona.
Example
Player A takes on the character of a massage therapist who used to be a butcher…
Player A: (welcoming their next client into their home studio with an incredibly firm handshake) “Thanks so much for giving me a second chance…”
Player B: (anxiously) “Your methods were a little unconventional, but I can’t deny that I didn’t feel the difference afterward.”
Player A: “Would you like to get on the slab yourself this time, or should I hoist you up again?”
Player B: (starting to regret their decision) “No, I’m perfectly capable of getting myself onto the massage table, thank you…”
Player B struggles to get onto the table as A mimes putting on a big chain mail glove.
Player A: “Now, what needs tenderizing today…?”
The Focus
Enjoy the process of discovering the various contrasts and conflicts between the two professions, noting that everyone should aid in the subsequent mapping feat.
Traps and Tips
1.) Start small. I’ve leaned into the butcher overlay quite quickly above to provide clarity, but in performance, this might feel a little too aggressive. It’s helpful to begin rather squarely in the “new job” territory, allowing just a hint of the past to infuse the opening moves – the firm handshake is probably closer to the mark. You might find your mind fixating on that really funny connection but do your best to exert patience so that the scene can….
2.) Build gently. This dynamic benefits from a curve of absurdity approach whereby the story begins in the world of normal before gradually escalating to the ridiculous. Let each individual move land before scrambling onto that next “clever thing” your imagination might be conjuring, for in relishing the simplicity of the moment, you’re more likely to discover the hidden gifts that the scene needs to go the distance, especially when you’ve expended the handful of bits you envisioned upon hearing the dueling ask-fors. Focus on your unique POV and processing each new action through that lens.
3.) Embrace contradictions. In the supporting roles, avoid any reactions that are tantamount to “naming the game” for the protagonist. It’s likely that Player A will pepper the scene with some butcher-specific language (a little more so than might be judicious in a traditional mapping dynamic). Teammates should take such moments in their stride, choosing to accept each picadillo joyfully as nothing more than a delightful idiosyncratic quirk (until, perhaps the very climax of the scene). Performed with light playfulness, Player B’s “table” correction could certainly provide a fitting example of this approach. If players question every odd move, there will be little momentum or action, so…
4.) Justify generously. Perhaps Player B believes this is a new and trendy style of massage, or is incredibly conflict adverse so doesn’t want to question the therapist’s technique, or was given this session as a birthday present and had no prior experience with massages… (I’m not usually a fan of “I’ve never done this before” attitudes as they can lower the stakes and put all the work onto your scene partner, but this game might serve as an exception as it widens the playing field of acceptable choices for the “new hire.”) Generally, the more willingly the rest of the cast of characters go along with the peculiar behavior, the longer the shelf life of the scene.
In Performance
As a behavior-based dynamic, this lens can easily be applied to characters in a wide array of styles and performance vehicles. The key is that the audience is “in the know” so that they have the requisite tools to translate and enjoy the odd breaches in decorum.
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Cheers, David Charles.
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Photo Credit: James Berkley
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