Two characters sit across the table from each other. Their secrets are known, only not to themselves, and yet they must strive to understand their own foibles before the meal is over. This is Secret Cross Endowments.
The Basics
This format generally features two characters. Each actor takes a turn leaving the space (or covering their ears and humming) so that they cannot hear the audience ask-fors which consist of one secret or peculiar mannerism for each persona. When the scene begins, the players meet for a meal, and through careful endowments and clues, must determine what secret they are hiding from the world (perhaps with other team members assisting through strategic side support moments). Ideally, the scene climaxes with both characters revealing and reveling in their formerly unknown behavior.
Example
Player A’s secret is that they are a kleptomaniac, while Player B’s secret is that they are the victim of identity theft. (Note that each secret is privately given to the other player, so A knows B’s deal and vice versa.) The lights rise on the couple arriving at a restaurant with the assistance of C, the waiter.
Player C: (providing fresh waters before exiting) “And just let me know if I can be of any further assistance…”
Player B: (very carefully putting their purse over the back of their chair and out of reach of A) “It’s really been much too long since we’ve done this!”
Player A: (taking a seat) “I know! I was just talking to Kay about that yesterday. This used to be a weekly occurrence. But then again, you’ve had a difficult few months.”
Player B: (sitting down as well) “I’d rather not talk about all of that…”
Player B carefully positions their cutlery in front of them.
Player A: “Understood. I imagine you don’t even really know who you are anymore…”
The Focus
This is an endowment frenzy with characters needing to give and receive clues almost simultaneously.
Traps and Tips
1.) Saunter don’t race. Endowment games can tend to make players prioritize “winning” above all else, but keep in mind that this is a scene and it shouldn’t feel like every choice is a move designed to push your partner closer to success. Invest in the small details, behaviors, and acceptances, trusting that these might unlock new pathways further down the road (or just add interest to the mix in general).
2.) Show don’t tell. While you’re adopting a gentle pace, also explore subtlety in your offers. The audience will pick up and enjoy a much wider array of references – especially earlier in the scene – than your scene partner, and this is, in fact, where much of the fun lies. If B doesn’t want their purse to be stolen, this should begin with a sideways glance rather than an accusatory stare. Take the audience on the journey with you by exploring embodied behaviors rather than overt spoken clues.
3.) Invite don’t overwhelm. Remember that while you’re giving information, you are also receiving information (unless you’re in an assisting role). If you are inclined to monologuing, in addition to probably confusing your scene partner, you’re also preventing them from providing you with any meaningful information regarding your own predicament. The typically important give and take of improv is even more crucial in this simple but challenging dynamic.
4.) Apply don’t guess. And the standard endowment etiquette applies, specifically that the scene degrades if every line of dialogue starts to feel like a thinly veiled (if veiled at all) guess: “Am I a thief?” “Are you afraid of me?” “Why are you hiding your purse like that?” If you experience something suspicious, utilize this knowledge in a scenic way. Reach for the salt and pepper shakers and slide them closer to your side of the table if you believe you might be inclined to thievery and then see what your partner does in response to that choice. Yes, by the end of the scene, both characters will need to offer up rather explicit moves to confirm their ask-fors, but don’t start with that level of transparency.
5.) Support don’t smother. Finally, if you’re playing in the often-pivotal role of side support, make sure you’re closely observing and reflecting back the rhythms of the scene. It can prove quite frustrating for everyone involved if the secret holders are elegantly exploring a fruitful but opaque path only to have a teammate steamroll over that subtlety with some “fill in the blank” prompts. Yes, if the scene is stagnating, the waiter should probably notice something missing from the table in support of A’s kleptomania, but tread carefully when doing so as this could easily erase any prior grace.
In performance
I suppose there’s no reason the scene has to take place in a restaurant or similar, but this tight staging will often allow more subtle clues to flow helpfully back and forth.
Check out the growing array of endowment games in the ImprovDr Game Library by using the search tool here.
Cheers, David Charles.
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Photo Credit: James Berkley
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