I really enjoy the way this dynamic immediately sets up strong points of view that enliven the stage action and jumpstart energized relationships.
The Basics
Four improvisers are needed for this scene. As part of the performed setup, they form a semi-circle in front of the audience and close their eyes. Each actor is then instructed to randomly select a different one of their team mates to embody one of the three titular qualities. (Players should clearly point to the chosen actor in question as the facilitator scrolls through the three options.) For the purposes of this game, Smelly indicates that a character is boring, uninteresting, or mildly off-putting, Sexy suggests they are enticing, appealing, or captivating, and Funny describes those who are viewed as humorous, silly, or perhaps pleasantly peculiar. In the resulting scene, players must endow these pre-determined qualities to their teammates while simultaneously figuring out how their scene partners feel about them. The dynamic works well as an office party or similar but needn’t be limited to this type of premise.
Example
Four players (A, B, C, and D) complete the opening ritual (with their eyes closed) and assign one of each of the given qualities to a different teammate. An office retirement serves as the premise and Players A and B volunteer to begin the action as the lights rise.
Player A: (viewing B as boring) “Jordan should be getting here shortly. Are you going to help hang up the decorations?”
Player B: (springing into action as they see A as sexy) “I’m sorry. I got distracted. I love the color scheme you’ve chosen.”
Player A: (disinterested) “It was just the packet on sale. I’m going to check on the refreshments…”
Player B watches A leave with a sense of devotion while C quietly enters and smiles at B’s presence.
Player C: (viewing B as funny) “I wasn’t sure you were going to make it. I thought you might have been on one of your business trips.”
Player B: (their energy changes as they have assigned C as funny as well) “Oh no! I don’t think this party is going to be big enough for the two of us!!!”
The Focus
Commit to your chosen energy and point of view and then allow the relationship energy to define and deepen the character connections. If you think too much about the why of each endowment, you’ll run out of time to explore these justifications in real time.
Traps and Tips
1.) Don’t fudge your initial choices. When I first played this game, we didn’t typically reveal our endowment choices to the audience before the scene started, but I’ve grown to appreciate this ritual as it makes players publicly commit to a decision. There can be a (misplaced) temptation to adjust your endowments when you discover what energies others are sending towards you, but this type of hedging can syphon a lot of the attack and risk, and there generally isn’t enough time to ill-informedly consider the “best” option. Enjoy the randomness and trust that it will open sufficient doorways to joy.
2.) Don’t get stuck on stage. This is another of a long list of games that thrives on shuffling character combinations. If characters get sticky feet and don’t share the stage, it becomes difficult to see the full variety of relationship energies. I generally recommend an Entrances and Exits strategy in these situations (see the game entry here). In short, this game thrives on two-people vignettes, although there is certainly a value in letting the story climax with everyone present once the audience has had a chance to meet and decipher the pertinent energies. If you’ve had a chance to endow each of your teammates, in particular, giving the stage will allow others the same courtesy.
3.) Don’t name the game. While this is perhaps only loosely an endowment game (as players work to unlock hidden information), a lot of the fun resides in pursuing the nuance and subtlety of each relationship. Avoid saying the key words whenever possible, as this usually hamstrings anything complex. The audience generally savors the sub-game of trying to identify the energies at play for themselves as well, so if this information becomes spoon fed, the scene can feel wanting. And, as always, there should be a story threading the scene together, too.
4.) Don’t needlessly limit yourself. When I teach this game, I like to unpack the three core traits as much as I’m able, providing rich synonyms and variants (as I’ve done above). Yes, smelly can obviously mean odorous, but it opens up the dynamic if it can also mean dull, or unpleasant, or unappealing. Seek this level of inclusiveness as you play. It’s great fun when two characters coincidentally share the same approach, but it’s equally joyful when unexpected takes on the qualities hit the stage. You’ll just want to make sure your choices are clear and readable as you don’t want the audience spending the whole scene wondering which of the three energies was in play. It can help for the host or facilitator to define the three emotions in a more complex manner for the audience before the game begins to help in this regard.
In performance
Relationships tend to form quickly and vibrantly in this whirlwind of a scene. If you find yourself stuck in similar or repetitive dynamics, you will find this game encourages you to form quick and bold assessments of your fellow characters.
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Cheers, David Charles.
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Photo Credit: Leesa Brown
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