Here’s a pithier entry as many of the mechanics for Backwards Scene have been elucidated in the helpful rehearsal tool for this elevated madness, Backwards Interview here (which is worth a gander at if you’re committed to trying the following…)
The Basics
The scene begins with its ending and rewinds until it finishes where the action started.
Example
Player A: (after being winched into the helicopter) “Thank you so much! I never thought we’d be rescued.”
Player A gets “back into their harness” before slowly moving backwards (and downwards) toward the mountainside.
Player B: (with great encouragement) “You’re nearly there. You can do this!”
Player C: (previously rescued, while sitting in the helicopter wrapped in a blanket) “I shouldn’t have gone first. I don’t know if Roman’s nerves can withstand this…”
Player A: (now just above the surface) “The wind is picking up!”
Player D: (as the pilot) “We can’t stay here much longer!”
The Focus
Survival! And enjoying the many stumbles you’ll likely face along the way.
Traps and Tips
As the core concepts are identical to Backwards Interview, I’m focusing on the opening moments here as so much of the game’s joy depends upon a grounded and brave start.
1.) Think big. It’s common for improv scenes to end with well adorned stages featuring the majority, if not all, of the available team members. Entrances (exits) are particularly tricky with this format as a character’s “first” line is actually their “last” line (often accompanying their exit). If your initial stage picture is too sparse, then, you might find yourself thwarted at the get-go. I’ve found it much easier to whittle down the cast as the scene winds backwards than it is to find logical ways to add bodies when they’re needed. And as the first steps of the scene are typically the most challenging, on a very simple level, it’s helpful to have as many minds working to solve the riddle as possible.
2.) Think bold. Consider adopting a physical attitude similar to that you might deploy in Statues (or, more fittingly Reverse Statues). You usually have a whole scene to figure out who everyone wants to be; here, you need to bravely hit the ground running with clear characters and relationships already in play. Assuming our example above was inspired by an “avalanche” suggestion or similar, you’ll want to begin with a strong array of poses that indicate characters related to a possible end for that scenario. While Player D has taken a few lines to speak (appropriately so), their actions should have long made clear their intended function in the action. If everyone begins in “neutral” or under-energized, there won’t be a lot of raw material to exploit as you de-construct the story.
3.) Think climactic. Similarly, if we want something significant to have happened in our inverted story arc, the scene will benefit from starting right at or after the climax. Our mountain climbers have apparently just been rescued. In some ways, the major beats now are relatively obvious. Both survivors need to get lowered to the mountain again, the helicopter and its occupants need to arrive, the climbers need to become in peril, some catastrophe needs to unfold… Now, how these steps unfold is another matter entirely and will certainly provide ample challenges for the team of improvisers. But if the final outcome remains obscure when the lights come up on the ending, the work of reverse engineering the story become nearly impossible as there’s nothing to really unpack.
The R&D Twist
We played this game (or, at least, our brave lab assistants did!) for R&D XIV which focused on love, and launched it from a big, celebratory life moment. I was reminded of the importance of taking small, logical steps and the joy of alluding to actions that haven’t yet occurred in order to guide those very moments to the stage. For local readers, the experience has tempted me to use this general frame again for our long-form first act in R&D XV. I might come back and add discoveries after that experience (or just delete this closing teaser altogether!)
Cheers, David Charles.
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Photo Credit: Tony Firriolo
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