Random lines of dialogue recorded on slips of Papers punctuate this twisting and turning improv scene.
The Basics
An assortment of lines is recorded on pieces of paper and appropriately distributed (as described below). During the scene, improvisers pick up or unfurl a random offering and then use the contents as their next spoken contribution. Each random line is then justified and (hopefully) woven into the greater story and scene.
Example
Audience elicited movie and song quotes (and the like) have been strewn across the stage in preparation for the scene while the players were out of earshot. They field an inspirational suggestion, “dermatologist,” and the lights transition for the scene to begin. Players A and B begin by sitting on the stage and playing with their toes in the imaginary sand.
Player A: (luxuriating) “It’s so nice to finally be out of the office. I’ve been counting down the days until this conference!”
Player B: (liberally applying suntan lotion) “Aruba is everything I imagined and more. It was nice of you to invite me, doctor.”
Player A: “You deserve it. It’s been a bumper year, and that’s thanks in no small part to you… And the organizers are paying for the both of us.”
Player B: “Are they expecting me to attend all the panels…? I’m not sure if I could look at another photo of a mole.”
Player A: “No one goes to all the panels, Morgen.”
A picks up a piece of paper before reading it aloud.
Player A: “Make my day.” (Player A takes a second to determine what that might mean.) “It would really make my day for you to just kick back and enjoy yourself. You’ve earned it.”
Player B: “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve such a kind boss!”
B grabs a stowed line and reads…
Player B: “There’s no place like home…”
The Focus
Enjoy the many random detours the papers will invariably provide while working to make some sense out of the resulting madness.
Traps and Tips
1.) Options for eliciting the papers. I’ve used three different strategies in this regard, and they all can work well depending on your greater goals and venue configuration. On campus, largely for time reasons (but also a little to safeguard content), I’ll generate suitable quotes and have them printed, cut, and ready to go. If the short-form show is themed, this might also influence the pre-planned options. Alternatively, you can have audience members create slips prior to the show or during intermission, perhaps with a simple prompt or content guidelines. (It will prove helpful to have someone quickly proof the resulting creations to avoid numerous repeats or language that doesn’t align with your venue norms.) This adds the not-to-be-minimized joy of audience members recognizing their contributions when they make it into the scene. Lastly, if time isn’t an issue, you can send the playing team out of the space and collect and record the quotes right before the action, which puts the whole audience “in the know.” You’ll want to have some helpful prompts at the ready, such as second favorite movie quotes, lyrics from popular songs, and bumper stickers you’ve seen on the road. On a purely technical level, you’ll need players other than those about to act writing down the suggestions just to keep things moving (and have pre-cut papers and good pens available, too).
2.) Options for distributing the papers. I’ve utilized two different methods in this regard. Less commonly, you can hand every player a bunch of quotes that they can store in a pocket until the right scenic moment presents itself for a reveal. If your company includes improvisers with mobility concerns or limitations, this can spare them the discomfort of bending down over and over again to secure their next random line. This also avoids the problem of not having any slips of paper within reach at that perfect scenic moment – although there can be fun mined from justifying that sudden cross to the other side of the stage when a paper opportunity beckons. More commonly, the prepared papers are scattered across the performance area. In this version, players draw slips as they’re needed, which has the added advantage of (hopefully) shifting focus to the improviser in question just as they’re about to make a verbal offer. There’s also something delightful about actually seeing the supply of papers steadily becoming depleted. While you needn’t promise the audience that every paper will be used before the scene ends, if you like the added risk of this contract, the pocketed option won’t generally sell as well.
3.) Options for setting up the papers. The papers will generally provide silly and unexpected flights of fancy. If the scene begins silly, you might find yourself sinking in troubled waters. Start grounded, with clear given circumstances, and (a personal preference) maybe even a little on the serious side so that the story has some stakes built in. Don’t expect the random papers to do this important foundational work for you. It’s okay to wait 20 or 30 seconds before introducing the core conceit. When you do start using the papers, pace them carefully, remembering that the audience’s attention will naturally flow to the improviser who has just picked one up (or retrieved one visibly from their pocket). Let each written quote land and become justified before someone reaches for the next one, or else the scene will start to feel like an odd series of punchlines without any framing setups. If focus is becoming murky or cluttered, work to set up others – consider even procuring and handing them an unread quote – so that there’s no mistaking where the next big move will be coming from. Characters who are appropriately marginal or out of focus should think twice before grabbing papers from the stage, for that very act will put them in the middle of things and might scuttle the dominant action. Lastly, be careful of building up to your next paper with such a specific incomplete sentence that the written dialogue will invariably butcher in terms of syntax: “What you really need is a cup of… [insert phrase that 100% won’t be a liquid here].”
4.) Options for delivering the papers. Jittery players can tend to defuse the risk of the randomness by pre-ambling quotes – “My mother always said… [insert unexpected line here.]” Avoid this when you can as it minimizes the likelihood that the offer will change you or your scene partners. Also, make sure what’s written on the paper is the very next thing that you say: there should be no confusion as to what was written and what is now your improvised justification. (Though I wouldn’t advise reading the line flatly and without any subtext – still commit as an actor even though you’re not sure what to make of the choice yet.) A little nervous pause between the written and improvised dialogue will go a long way in making this distinction. Or, at least, let the audience see you read the paper aloud in real time rather than glancing at the contents, memorizing them, and then weaving them into a readymade and anticlimactic solution. I’m also a fan of screwing up the spent slip of paper and either throwing it away or stowing it in your pocket. (If you do the former, be sure you help clean up the theatre space after the game!) You don’t want used slips accidentally becoming mixed back into the pool and recycled. (That can be funny once!) There is also something exciting about papers becoming central plot points and moves in the scenic game rather than unimportant sidebars, so do your best to be changed and effected by the unexpected revelations.
In Performance
This game requires many of the same skills and strategies as other verbal justification handles, such as Columns and Hesitation Speech if this is new terrain for you. At Sak, this game goes by Lines From the Audience, but I prefer Papers just as it includes all the possible variants listed above. (Lines From Your Pocket is a lesser used title as well.)
I tend to improvise without my glasses on, but if you’re of a certain age (like me) or struggle to read under stage lighting, you’ll want to plan to have your spectacles within reach!
Cheers, David Charles.
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Photo Credit: Olivia Skvarenina
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