The core conceit of this game warrants some care in terms of its framing and implementation if you don’t want the silly physical hijinks to feel as if they’re at the expense of those in the hearing-impaired community. In my current venue, the new name Universal Translator was embraced to aid in this endeavor, as was greater care with the set-up. Some may view this as an imperfect or incomplete gesture. Frankly, some nights I’m still on the fence as well.
The Basics
To accommodate everyone in the audience, an interview scene is conducted in which a player uses pantomime to translate the dialogue into a make-believe (and made-up-on-the-spot) “universal” language.
Example
Player A assumes the role of the translator stage left while Players B and C sit in chairs on the opposite side of the stage where they take on the functions of the interviewer and expert. The audience provides the topic of “lawn maintenance” as the focus of the show.
Player B: “And welcome back to ‘Let it Grow,’ where we get to the bottom of all your gardening needs.”
Player A gestures throughout, waving and then pointing to their back, miming Pinocchio’s nose after a lie, turning and gesturing to their posterior, and finally digging a hole with a pretend shovel, all roughly in sync with B’s dialogue.
Player C: “It’s a real pleasure to be with you, John…”
Player A smiles broadly while shaking an imaginary hand, before creating the illusion of a man standing at a toilet or “john”…
The Focus
This game thrives when players balance embracing the simple and obvious (specifically their obvious), alongside mining less expected and more left-field uses of the speakers’ language.
Traps and Tips
1.) For the interviewer. I tend to play this role a lot and quite enjoy its essential function of enabling the fun for both the expert and the translator. It’s a small detail, but taking the chair facing away from the translating player (if your performance space doesn’t allow good views for both talking characters) generally allows the expert to watch the action and set the speed of the conversation accordingly, as they tend to contribute the bulk of the language. A lot of helpful content will still likely come from the interviewer’s chair, but ideally this role should focus on assisting the expert in the crafting of an interesting and detailed story – arguably the function of the interviewer in all expert games in general. There can be a tendency to only lean into the gag of setting up unusual or naughty words and phrases for the translator to craft. While this is certainly and delightfully part of the game, the interview can quickly stumble if no one is looking after the more mundane mechanics of also weaving a more meaningful tale or account. So, have a strong point of view, connect the dots of the narrative, and fight to get to the bottom of something in the scene, whether that is the truth or merely the most specific details about the given topic as possible.
2.) For the expert (and interviewer as well). Noting the chair placement suggestion above, and in addition to keeping an eye on the general pacing (so that the translator doesn’t become overwhelmed in a tsunami of words and images), the expert provides much of the raw material for the scene. Specifics are great in this regard, as they’ll tend to unlock novel approaches for physical storytelling, but even better than specifics are colloquialisms, poetic whimsy, and playful turns of phrase. “I haven’t seen you in a while,” will offer fewer enticing possibilities than “It’s been an eternity since our paths have crossed,” or “I feel like you’ve been hiding from me as you’re not returning my texts.” Be mindful that you don’t needlessly repeat words or key phrases over and over again, particularly those that belong to the base topic. It’s one thing to keep saying “lawn” if the translator has found a joyful mime that keeps building and evolving: it’s another thing to just accidentally or clumsily dwell on the word when nothing of interest is being discovered. Having your expert able to see the translations helps enormously in being able to determine and exploit the difference. Stock bits can easily become a curse of this game, too, so avoid just inelegantly scrolling through a list of countries or movie stars to prompt a repeat of old physical schtick. (I’ve found that these types of choices also invariably invite an ick as the translator now feels pimped into hitting blunt gags rather than working toward more complex and narrative-based humor.)
3.) For the translator. This role can be played beautifully with a real sense of physical control and restraint, but more often it closely resembles a rather intense workout. (I play in a venue that uses body mics, and it’s become common practice for the translating improviser to remove theirs during the game preamble just so that their movement is truly unimpeded.) Even when the speakers are working at a reasonable pace, there can be a lot of information flying around the stage, so it’s important to unapologetically and ruthlessly edit. You needn’t strive to mime an equivalent for every little word. Instead, look for the bigger ideas and phrases that get to the core of your teammates’ idea. Exploiting homonyms, or pop cultural references, or previously established choices or relationships between players, can provide great grist for the creative mill. (And if you’re in a venue with porous content parameters, you’re likely to use a heaping does of double entendre and strategic winking as well!) If you do find yourself being led back to similar words or thoughts, endeavor to breathe new life into them – this could be as simple as acknowledging as the translator that you’re getting bored making the same translation again and again and again. Also, look for a greater story arc – this may be strictly in line with the narrative created by your fellow players, or mischievously antithetical to their goals. There can also be a delightful value in maintaining a rigorously professional air even when your content becomes increasingly naughty or absurd! And finally, if you’re getting advanced in years (as I am) you’ll want to warm up to your most impressive feats of skill so that you don’t run out of steam before the proverbial improv train has even left the station!
In performance
We have a bench of particularly strong physical comedians at Sak Comedy Lab, and so, in the right translating hands, this game often hits the improv ball out of the park. While it can be dangerous to pander to an audience and its laughter, this game benefits from keeping the spectators in the greater creative bubble, so that choices can be emphasized, heightened, or repeated when they are clearly striking a pleasing nerve.
Cheers, David Charles.
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