As an amusing combination of a traditional Replay format and Actor Switch, Replay Scene offers an unpredictable and comically chaotic variation of the classic concept of repeating a scene with various styles or handles.
The Basics
Typically played in a team of four, Players C and D are sent out of the performance space while A and B improvise the template scene based on an audience suggestion. Once the base scene concludes, these original actors reset to their original starting positions, and the first absent player, C, returns and “tags out” one of their teammates. (Perhaps this selection is guided by the host to maximize the effectiveness of the resulting combination.) The replaced improviser strikes to the side of the stage, and the scene begins anew. The remaining original player (possibly B) should faithfully move through their exact staffing and dialogue as best they can remember it, leaving room for C’s responses, but not adjusting to them in any discernable way. Once this “reenactment” has played out, B and C reset to their opening poses, and D is summoned back into the theatre. They should assume the position of the last original player – in this case B – and now the scene is “replayed” again, with C doing their best to recreate all of their prior choices while D strives to make sense of it all. In this manner, the scene is played three times, with each iteration becoming more and more removed from its base.
Example
Players A and B begin a scene based on “posh restaurant,” and the action begins with A chivalrously standing behind B to pull out their chair.
Player A: “I got us the chef’s table so we can see all the action in the kitchen.”
Player B: (sitting down) “I’m really looking forward to this.”
Player A: “The reviews have been insane!” (They cross to their own chair.)
Player B: “I don’t know how you made this happen…”
Player A: “I have my ways…”
The scene continues for another minute or so before A and B return to their initial poses, and C returns from the foyer and takes A’s spot.
Player C: (standing ominously behind B) “I’m going to need you to answer a few questions…”
Player B: (sitting down as before, with excitement) “I’m really looking forward to this.”
Player C: (surprised at their suspect’s tone) “I think you might be underestimating the severity of the charges…”
Player B: (looking to where A was sitting before) “I don’t know how you made this happen…”
Player C: “We have informants everywhere. So tell me, where did you hide the diamonds…?”
The scene continues for approximately the same amount of time as before. Again, the actors reset, and D now assumes B’s role on stage.
Player D: (assuming they are on a swing) “Higher, Daddy! Higher!”
Player C: (standing ominously behind B) “I’m going to need you to answer a few questions…”
Player D: (with unfettered glee as they swing back and forth) “Mummy told me not to tell you anything about her new boyfriend.”
Player C: (surprised at their suspect’s new tone) “I think you might be underestimating the severity of the charges…”
Player D: “You need to move on, Daddy.”
Player C: “We have informants everywhere. So tell me, where did you hide the diamonds…?”
The Focus
Lock into a strong POV quickly and fight to hold onto your original text and staging. Much of the fun derides from the ridiculous contradictions in the resulting assumptions and premises.
Traps and Tips
1.) Season liberally with specifics. The comedic juxtaposition will falter if each premise fumbles along in the dreary darkness of ambiguity. Make sure you’re creating clear, concise, and dynamic CROW ingredients. The first scene has the benefit of the audience knowing the basic premise; this won’t be the case for the reenactments. So, while you can get away with a little specific ambiguity in the base scene (and this porous language can actually assist the development of the replays), generally err on the side of robustly revealing the central relationship, key objects, and foundational activities.
2.) Give the new player the first word. As this game thrives on delightful miscommunications and unexpected contradictions, it’s important to grant the incoming player the opportunity to plunge the action into new waters. Ideally, this should be based on an instinctual reaction to the opening tableau, hence the importance of starting with a bold physical choice. If the character that remained onstage begins, it’s much more likely that the scene will fall into an approximation of the first action. If the absent player begins (regardless of who uttered the opening line in the base scene) the action will probably veer into uncharted waters, and if it happens to mirror much of the first, that feels all the more remarkable.
3.) Fight for your established reality. When you are the character holding stage, be sure to doggedly push forward through the beats of the scene that you know and created. Some endowment style games seek to combine disparate worlds through justifying and compromising – this is not one of those games! Endeavor to repeat your exact staging and tone of voice in the face of your new partner’s inexplicable reactions. Similarly, as the new player in, fight to maintain the world as you first saw and perceived it. For this reason, try to get out as much of your assumed CROW and deal in those first few lines, and then hold onto them with all your might. Acknowledge, incorporate, and react to your partner’s stubborn behavior, but don’t succumb to their prior expectations or needs if that would result in you losing the integrity of your own reality.
4.) Establish the conceit. This probably falls under the “personal preference” category of tips, but I like introducing this game a little inaccurately. While it’s a given that each replay will be quite different from its predecessor(s), it can add to the fun to let the audience discover this for themselves. Consequently, it can subvert expectations if you declare that the skill of the company is so great that they can diligently recreate an improv scene based solely on the starting poses (or some similar statement of bravado suited to your venue or personality). Then, when the story careens off the rails, the comedic disaster will be suitably amplified.
In performance
Played fearlessly and with precision, Replay Scene can truly bring down the house, and so it can serve as a great closer to an act or show. This is also sometimes known simply as Replay, but I’ve used that title to gather a series of games that you can find in this prior entry.
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Cheers, David Charles.
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Photo Credit: James Berkley
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