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Game Library: “From an Object’s Point of View”

Selfless Side Support enables the unique storytelling required for From an Object’s Point of View where the ensemble elevates a prop to the role of star.

The Basics

A real or imaginary prop is provided by the audience. This item holds the place of the protagonist for the scene that follows, with the players facilitating its journey through brief vignettes and side support. If the scene were filmed, it’s helpful to think of the prop as the camera’s eye moving from moment to moment, with the resulting dramatic arc tracing its movements, struggles, and contributions.

Example

A teddy bear serves as the star. The scene begins with a young child clinging onto the prop as their family crowds into an Uber.

Player A: (to the bear) “Now I know you’re nervous taking your first big trip in an airplane, but mummy says there’s nothing to worry about.”

Player B: (as a parent) “Alright Snuggly, hold on tight to my little girl there. We’re running late!”

The driver has finished packing up the car and everyone takes their seats.

Player C: “It was gate 64, right? Let’s hope we don’t hit traffic.”

They are now all in the car. Player A sings with the teddy while B and C can be seen negotiating the directions in the background.

The car pulls into a sneaky spot in the terminal.

Player B: “We’re going to have to leap out here and carry our own bags, sweetie, as this isn’t a proper drop off spot…”

A little flustered, Player A leaves the teddy on the back seat as she and Player B grab their luggage and dart off into the terminal. Player C has already pulled away before they notice their unexpected passenger in the rear-view mirror…

Player C: “Oh, hey, little fella. I didn’t see you there. Did you get separated from your human?”

Player C suddenly slams on the brakes as a clearly distraught pedestrian has tried to flag them down. Player D has already whipped open the backseat door before C can react.

Player D: (absent-mindedly) “Move over buddy, I’ve gotta get out of this place.”

Player C: (a bit thrown) “I’m sorry, but you’ve got to officially book me. I’m on my way to another passenger. “

Player D: (to the teddy) “You don’t mind sharing, do you? You’ve got kind, sad eyes…”

The Focus

Don’t overwhelm your “star” with a crowded stage or assault of offers. Make sure they have time to “respond” and be affected as, in many ways, they should actually serve as a surrogate for the audience’s own journey. If you forget them or relegate them to the background for too long, they will cease to serve as a viable character so keep them strongly as the focus.

Traps and Tips

1.) Keep the object central. The conceit of this frame is tricky and will likely require some workshopping and tinkering to find the approach that best serves you and your venue. If the object becomes too incidental – a pen just sitting in someone’s pocket that is largely irrelevant to the action – the results will quickly resemble other character-based scene work. Part of the challenge and finesse of the piece is finding ways to make the object’s presence central, if not pivotal. Just as you would for any other predetermined protagonist, offer endowments and next steps that push the object forward and into dynamic circumstances. Yes, much like a thematic ensemble movie, in the process of following the star we’ll probably also learn of the trials and tribulations of other characters in its orbit, but this should ideally remain a secondary goal. By the end of a strong game, we should care most about the object’s fate. Will our teddy bear ever make it back to its little girl or find a new happy home?

2.) Keep the object moving. One of the major benefits of acquiring a smaller object (a costume or stage prop in traditional theatre terms) is that it can easily pass from one character or location to the next. A large piece of furniture – a refrigerator, car, or wardrobe – can work but tends to restrict the action to one location or necessitates leaping the story forward in time to justify new interactions with other scene partners. This is a fine use of the central idea, often resembling a more long-form aesthetic, but it doesn’t allow for more spontaneous discovered pass-offs which are one of my favorite features of the game. Performing the scene in true uninterrupted real time is an admirable goal but can similarly lower the stakes, so look for opportunities to edit between the most consequential story beats. Our trip to the airport, for example, was consciously condensed and edited.

3.) Keep the object evolving. This may be pushing the limits of the game a little, but just as we’d want a human character to change during and because of their journey, the same holds true for our nonhuman star. For this reason, acquiring an object that has (or could have) some emotional significance will set you up for greater adventures than an ordinary or mundane prop unless everyone commits to generous weighty endowments quickly – the disposable pen is actually the only reminder of an absent parent. As the game requires rapidly shifting scene partners, there should be numerous opportunities to change up the object’s current given circumstances and therefore, hopefully, its own perceived emotional truth. Anthropomorphic endowments – ascribing human attributes – provide a huge help to this end.

4.) Keep changing the object’s co-star. Again, it’s possible to construct a successful arc for the object while keeping the same human companion by its side, but generally assuming a La Ronde feel (see here) helps greatly and prevents you from getting stuck in one relationship or scenario. Shuffle partners regularly. As is the case with La Ronde, the default player to leave is the character that has already had the most stage time. In this particular case, the leaving player shouldn’t take the hero prop with them but rather help engineer an exchange that keeps the item encountering new scene partners and potentials. In our above example, the teddy started with the child, Player A, then passed into the possession of the Uber driver, Player C, and so is now likely to leave with the distraught rider, Player D. By all means, find opportune moments to break an established pattern, but a somewhat predictable approach, at least initially, guarantees that teammates aren’t working at cross purposes. If the prop inadvertently gets stuck with the same partner, or in the same location time and again, it drastically reduces the scope of its journey.

In Performance

To reiterate, it’s a fine alternative for the teddy to continue with Player A through check in, security, the boarding gate, and onto the plane, meeting an array of other people and perhaps objects along the way: this would serve as a strong example of the companion approach described above. This path allows the prop to almost serve as a doppelganger for a character, such as the young girl, who might not otherwise have an easy or dynamic way to reveal their subtext. When the object quickly changes hands, though, the resulting scene can have a more epic feel that requires some fast-thinking and faster-doing on the part of the team in their efforts to craft an interesting adventure for the object star.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: Tony Firriolo
© 2022 David Charles/ImprovDr

Connected Concept: Side Support

“S” is for “Side Support”

Elevating or embellishing the work of others through brief and generous additions (that are often followed by a swift exit back into the wings).

Putting Side Support Front and Center…

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Related Entries: Canadian Cross, Environment, Heighten, Scene Painting Antonyms: Shining Synonyms: Assists, Second Support

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
© 2022 David Charles/ImprovDr

Connected Game: From an Object’s Point of View

Game Library: “Bad Extra”

This tongue-in-cheek parody of a movie set quickly became a mainstay with my Gorilla Theatre company. It has a sketch energy, and I’ve seen several sitcoms deploy variants of this fish out of water dynamic since I became familiar with the formula. If you’re new to the tradition of Sidecoaching, Bad Extra offers a light-hearted point of entry.

The Basics

Players obtain an original movie title, usually something on the dramatic side. A couple of players serve as the featured stars, another as the hands-on director, and finally, a company member assumes the role of the “bad extra.” The director sets the scene and cameras roll as the starring actors dig deep into their dramatic portrayals. Before they have uttered more than a handful of lines, however, the bad extra wanders into shot and engages in some “unintentionally” distracting behavior. The director stops the action, coaches the extra with new instructions, and the scene resets. Several such interruptions occur with escalating mischief – each with accompanying directorial intervention – until filming is ultimately abandoned or another fitting conclusion emerges.

Example

The audience suggests “The Long Road” as the movie title.

Player A: (as the director) “Alright everyone, it’s the final day of shooting and we’ve left the juiciest scene for last! Samantha, you’re finally reunited in the retirement home with the love of your life, and you can’t believe fate has brought you together. Places everyone!”

Player B places themselves at a card table with C (Samantha) standing behind them.

Player A: “And… action!”

Player B gently chuckles at the card table. Player C who has been looking away, experiences a profound moment of recognition. She slowly turns…

Player C: “I’ll never forget that laugh. It couldn’t be…”

Player B freezes at the card table upon hearing Samantha’s voice.

Player B: (without turning) “That voice… that voice is the soundtrack of my dreams…”

Player C: (gently placing her trembling hand on B’s shoulder) “I’m not a dream. I’m your Samantha. Turn around my love…”

Just as Player B starts to turn, Player D (the bad extra) loudly enters pushing a trolley.

Player D: “Who wants a cuppa tea?!!”

Player A: (who has been enthralled on the edge of their seat) “Cut! Cut! I’m terribly sorry, but who are you…?”

The Focus

The demands and rewards of each role are quite distinct. Be wary of wandering out of your “lane,” or the scene can lose its effectiveness. If in doubt, defer to the director and let their sidecoaching inform or shape the next beat.

Traps and Tips

1.) For the director. This character tends to provide most of the heavy lifting in terms of pacing and momentum. Fight for the director’s want, namely a brilliant piece of cinematic art, but make sure you don’t hold the reins too tightly or there won’t be room for the mischief to take hold. For example, if you’re too controlling or too angry too quickly, you may not have much of a character arc. Starting with some good-natured sugar can make the later salt even more effective. Give the bad extra enough room to get into further trouble, but don’t shy away from providing “honest feedback” as to how they’re ruining your work. The more specific ambiguity you deploy in your sidecoaching in terms of adjustments, the more likely you are to inspire the next round of interruptions.

2.) For the bad extra. I wouldn’t be so bold to say there’s one angle for this role that guarantees success but, from experience, the more likeable you are, the more the audience roots for you and enjoys the resulting struggle. Just as the director should seek an arc, so too should the extra avoid hitting the stage with their most abhorrent behavior right out of the gate. An out-of-their-depth quality serves as a promising foundation, whether this manifests itself in blustering over-compensation, cloying niceness, or the unbridled wonderment of an enamored first-timer (amongst countless other possibilities). The curve of absurdity is the bad extra’s best friend, with initial slightly out-of-the-ordinary choices gradually building into complete ridiculousness in spite of the director’s best efforts to the contrary.

3.) For the stars. These roles assume the “straight” characters to the madness that is usually embodied by the extra and then wrangled – successfully or otherwise – by the director. In many instances, their scenic function resembles a replay format as they’ll tend to dramatically repeat the same few lines again and again each time the director restarts the action (although it’s also a fine choice for the director to skip ahead if they see fit). There is great fun to be had exploring the contrast between the performers and their film personae; although, as I’ve relearnt on several occasions, you’ll want to be careful that your whimsy doesn’t detract from or upstage the bad extra or the scene can become cluttered and unfocused. At first glance, these roles might seem less joyful but I’ll openly confess I enjoy playing in this capacity most of all as there’s a delightful challenge in trying to hold it all together in the face of the extra’s mayhem.

In Performance

There’s no magic number of bad extra interruptions, although less than three doesn’t typically give enough room for the scenic dynamic to organically grow and peak. I’ve had the good fortune to see many improvisers shine in this format although I think it would be fair to say that in my own circles few could orchestrate the fun as effortlessly and successfully as Greg Yates.

This is certainly a performative version of sidecoaching that places this figure more front and center than would prove helpful in more traditional workshop situations. And the game requires true pauses and resets as the coach reshapes expectations that, most would agree, is a more invasive sidecoaching tactic than typically warranted or helpful. But beneath the whimsy resides many core skills, such as developing a diagnostic eye, offering open possibilities rather than dictating monolithic solutions, and reading the needs and instincts of the onstage players

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
© 2022 David Charles/ImprovDr

Connected Concept: Sidecoaching

“S” is for “Sidecoaching”

Providing players helpful (and ideally, concise) feedback in real time as the scene takes place.

Coaching Considerations…

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Related Entries: Caller, Deviser, Ensemble, Hosting Antonyms: Bulldozing, Judging Synonyms: Directing, Mentoring, Teaching

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
© 2022 David Charles/ImprovDr

Connected Game: Bad Extra

Game Library: “In A, With A, While A…”

Combining three disparate elements, In A, With A, While A… has somewhat of an improvised “madlibs” feel. It requires hearty justification and a tendency towards Showing as the scene culminates with all three audience ask-fors visually in play.

The Basics

The audience fills in the required blanks, providing an in a… [location] with a… [prop or occupation] while a… [situation unfolds]. By the end of the resulting scene, all three of these unrelated ideas should playfully coexist on the stage.

Example

The audience provides “in a… submarine, with an… Elvis impersonator, while an… intervention takes place.” The scene begins with two naval officers in the command room.

Player A: “Nothing peculiar to report from the night watch, Captain. It’s been plain sailing since we entered the Arctic Circle.”

Player B: (clearly a little preoccupied) “Thank you for your excellent and thorough work, as always, Lieutenant.”

Player A: “Permission to speak freely, Captain?”

Player B: (slumping melancholically in their chair) “Of course, Lieutenant Wienstein. We’ve known each other for nearly a decade now.”

Player A: “It’s just the crew and I, well, we’ve all noticed you’ve seemed a little out of sorts…”

Player B: “Permission to speak freely, Lieutenant?”

Player A: “Of course…”

Player B: “I just didn’t expect to be spending my fiftieth birthday out here in the Arctic Circle…”

Player A: (feigning surprise) “Today is your fiftieth birthday, Captain…?”

Several other crew members, one dressed conspicuously in an Elvis costume, quietly slink into the room behind B’s back…

Player B: “I know it’s silly, and I shouldn’t be expecting a big deal or anything…”

The Focus

Earn each suggestion rather than rushing them clumsily to the stage. Developing a coherent story in spite of the randomness of your incongruous ingredients elevates the scene beyond a mere party game.

Traps and Tips

1.) Pursue the logic. In less able hands, it’s possible that the three required pieces of the puzzle will just inexplicably “show up.” On rare occasions, a charm offensive can sell such an attitude, but generally you, the scene, and the audience will be better served by a more patient and deliberate approach. If you can creatively justify or create the need for the peculiar scenic addition beforehand, this tends to enable a stronger story arc rather than just throwing in the ingredients to the scenic stew without any sense of a recipe. There’s a fine line between foreboding or gently justifying a new piece of the puzzle and robbing it of any dramatic impact: this is where the concept of showing serves better than telling or telescoping the needed item so that it has no power when it predictably arrives.

2.) Consider the order. There is no explicit rule or expectation that the three suggestions will hit the stage in the order of their elicitation. Whether by design or happenstance, however, this order usually works in your favor. If you don’t start with the location, it can be challenging to effectively move the scene there within a timely fashion, especially if such a move requires a major reset of the stage. So, while I’m generally all about not succumbing to the pressure of immediately or obviously using an audience suggestion, quickly establishing the location in this particular game strikes me as a worthwhile exception to such a stylistic rule. The object or occupation, as it’s generally portable, makes for a strong second addition as your story can be focused on why this offer is present rather than solving the less interesting mechanics of how to move it to a later locale. And the event, especially if it’s innately climactic in nature, can prove challenging to sustain for the duration of the whole scene in an interesting fashion, but will usually provide a great spike of energy to go out on.

3.) Share the work. It’s good collaborative form not to place the burden of assembling all of the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle on the shoulders of one player (either self-selected in a manner reminiscent of a bulldozer or fearfully put in the hot seat by the rest of a panicking team.) Most scenes benefit from patient entrances rather than an “everyone all at once” launch. If the first imitators establish the basic premise and probably the location, other teammates are well positioned to introduce and hopefully justify the remaining aspects. There is also a calmness and ability to assess the greater whole of the scene that accompanies a generously waiting stance in the wings. And if you find you’re not physically needed as the scene wraps up, that selflessness is an awesome gift for your fellow players, too.

4.) Enjoy the contradictions. The inspiring suggestions shouldn’t clearly connect so the scene will invariably move into unfamiliar and probably quirky territory. Commenting on the oddness of it all, or standing cynically or critically apart from the action, will do little to aid your teammates in crossing the obscure finish line. Such choices are likely to deflate any building momentum as they essentially and unkindly “name the game.” Commit. The more you emotionally invest in the bizarre scenic circumstances, the more delightful the emerging process becomes, and the more likely that finally embodying the three elements with gusto will craft an ending worth celebrating. It doesn’t take much to poke thwarting holes in the reality of the topsy-turvy world; bravely shore up any scenic inconsistencies instead.

In Performance

This format can work as an expositional exercise, starting with everything in play, only to then develop the rationale for their coexistence. However, through the lens of showing, this variation tends to minimize the potential for action in favor of a more intellectual and cerebral telling energy. For this reason alone, I strongly prefer the approach described above.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: Tony Firriolo
© 2022 David Charles/ImprovDr

Connected Concept: Showing

“S” is for “Showing”

The opposite of Telling, Showing consists of using our whole bodies to illustrate and communicate a choice. Most improv schools strongly prefer this approach to creativity.

Show Your Choice By…

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Related Entries: Acting, Ambiguity, Love, Subtext Antonyms: Cartooning, Telling, Wearing Your Character Lightly Synonyms: Emotional Truth

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
© 2022 David Charles/ImprovDr

Connected Game: In A, With A, While A…

Game Library: “Famous Last Words”

Many of the games and exercises contained in this series represent a Short-Form improv sensibility, so for this companion piece, I’ve returned to a classic format from my earliest days as a player: Famous Last Words.

The Basics

In this typically “shorter” short-form game, players obtain a random line of dialogue, slogan, or platitude. A timed scene follows – often just a minute – which must culminate with a character dying after uttering this given phrase as their famous last words (and as the closing words of the scene as a whole.)

Example

“I can’t believe it’s not butter” provides the scenic inspiration. The lights come up on Players A and B as sweethearts driving in their car.

Player A: “It’s just a little farther ahead. I know you’re going to love it…”

Player B: “To think it’s already been four years together!”

Player A: “The best four years of my life…”

Approximately 50 seconds later, Player A lies reeling on the ground after having a fatal margarine allergy attack…

Player A: “…I can’t believe it’s not butter…”

Blackout.

The Focus

This petite game offers a masterclass in reverse engineering. Make sure the death is fully supported and realized as it’s anticlimactic and unhelpful to quietly die apologetically in the background of the main action. I often teach this with the similar game, Death in a Minute (linked here), but it’s important to observe that this frame has a much less flexible outcome in that someone must die at the end of the scene just after saying the specific target line. Death in a Minute is much more porous in how it honors the contract stated in its title.

Traps and Tips

1.) Take a step back. It’s tempting to disarm or quickly bring to stage all the required elements included or inferred in the obtained phrase. Avoid this temptation! If the audience can see the ending coming a mile (or kilometer) away, the risk of the game is greatly diminished. If the phrase contains the word “oranges” and your first move is to walk onstage selling… oranges… the scene will feel remedial. Avoid accepting an extremely vague phrase as the prompt – there’s little innate challenge in “I’m sorry” or “Thank you.” In addition to deliberately starting away from the end (perhaps with a third thought approach) you can further raise the stakes by also acquiring a location or occupation that doesn’t obviously connect at first blush with the famous last words, especially if the phrase feels a little too manageable as is.

2.) Take an unexpected angle. For those of you attracted to word play and homonyms, this game blossoms when the phrase is deconstructed and reassembled in a novel way. Does “just do it” become the dying request of a high school music teacher, “just duet…” (I acknowledge that this particular kiwi homonym may not strike your ear as a close substitution!) It’s difficult to build to a more nuanced “solution” collaboratively in real time if team members are rushing to just get the obvious elements to the stage as quickly as possible. Make sure you’re giving a little room to fellow players who elect to deploy an opaquer approach. It may seem a little antithetical to the common improv adage of “embracing the obvious,” but this is a game that definitely benefits from a quirkier launch and payoff.

3.) Take your swan song. This scene necessities a dramatic final moment with a central character reaching towards the light as they utter the line that will become seared into the history books for time immemorial. If you are not this character, exert extra vigilance when the death is looming not to inadvertently create split focus or undermine the likely speaker. The death serves as the scenic climax by design. If you are the featured victim, use every second at your disposal to energetically build to your glorious last line. I strongly encourage utilizing a caller to announce strategic time updates for this reason as it further elevates this epic moment. Finally, beware of throw-away lines or “additional” buttons after this dynamic moment. The challenge is to make this elicited phrase the powerful epitaph of the character and scene; quickly making a droll statement after the fact will usually read as a bit of a cop out or gag.

In Performance

Though this format might not easily house subtler or softer hues due to its brief nature and extreme outcome, there is something enticing about watching players gladly hurtling into the unknown toward certain oblivion. Embrace the final moments, enjoy the tragic fate, and sell those famous last words as if they were the climax to end all climaxes.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: Tony Firriolo
© 2022 David Charles/ImprovDr

Connected Concept: Short-Form

“S” is for “Short-Form”

An only partially useful distinction that most improvisers use to describe performances that feature discrete or stand-alone scenes or games often – though not exclusively – housed in a greater competitive frame.

Common Short-Form Features…

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Related Entries: Game of the Scene, Improvisation, Long-Form, Shape of Show

Connected Game: Famous Last Words

Game Library: “Here They Come”

Shivving, or playful mischief, informs this lighthearted game that also demands active listening, justification, and fearless characterization skills. Not to mention it’s a great (albeit whimsical) way to set up a teammate for a truly memorable entrance!

The Basics

The game can gain suitable inspiration from a location, occupation, or perhaps a brief list of initial character quirks or qualities. One player (A) volunteers to serve as the featured character and waits backstage accordingly. Other teammates begin the scene, establishing the CROW elements. Soon, the topic of conversation moves to the absent character and onstage teammates playfully endow a variety of character qualities, usually in a “can you believe that…” gossipy fashion. After a hearty but not overwhelming list of facets has been brainstormed (featuring any offers elicited from the audience beforehand) the discussed character makes a grand entrance usually heralded by the titular phrase, “Here they come…” With assistance from the earlier characters, the new arrival strives to embody and justify all the previously named qualities.

“Hilarity ensues.”

Example

Two librarians (B and C) have escaped into their break room from the morning rush. They lock eyes in exhausted solidarity. Player A awaits offstage.

Player B: “I just need to get off my feet for a moment! Those children could take away my will to live.”

Player B slumps in a chair as Player C crosses to the break room counter.

Player C: “I hear you! And would it kill them not to leave their books thrown all over the floor?”

Player C holds up an empty coffee pot.

Player C: “Did you drink the last of the coffee?”

Player B: (slightly panicked) No… I put it on but had to get into the shelves before I got a cup… You don’t think that…”

Player C: (with equal terror) “…David?!?!”

Player B: “I didn’t think he was scheduled today. That was his belching I heard in the teen fiction section.”

Player C: “He must have drunk the whole pot. Too much caffeine always gives him uncontrollable gas…”

Player B: “And he’ll be talking a mile a minute. He’s so frenetic even without the coffee…”

Player C: “We’ll be lucky if he’s just talking…”

Player B: “Not the show tunes?!?!”

The Focus

Don’t overlook the storytelling potentials of the scene nor neglect the joy of some good old fashioned “yes, anding…” as you build the qualities of the offstage character. It’s tempting to just scattershot the most random attributes you can think of, but close listening and extending will result in a highly stylized character that also has some semblance of an inner truth (in the admittedly loosest sense of that term!) It’s common to make the character an unlaudable figure, but there’s no reason the endowing couldn’t also be highly complementary in nature – this could be a helpful take on the game if you’re concerned about mean-spiritedness sneaking in.

Traps and Tips

1.) There’s a fine, fine line… I’ve used a variation on this concept in several original long-form pieces to provide helpful and more grounded backstory for significant characters that need to go the distance. In this original iteration, however, characterization offers have a shivving quality designed to clearly challenge the target player. It’s important to note that there’s a fine, fine line between playful shivving and oppressive pimping. The entering player shouldn’t feel like their awaiting entrance is an impossibility of contradictory or humiliating traits. If the endowing players are getting into double digits in terms of their pitched ideas, you’re heading into particularly challenging waters. While the spirit of the game is to jovially mess with your teammate, ultimately, they should enjoy the process. It’s also easy to wander into icky stereotypes if you’re not mindful as well.

2.) Roll up your own sleeves… When you’re playing in the role of the endower – the workmates setting up the challenges in the illustration above – your work is by no means finished when the featured character arrives. It’s in the spirit of the game to give Player A some space to check off as many of the named attributes as they can upon entering, but the second wave of fun consists of the original teammates now setting up their guest to embody or use any forgotten or previously named qualities in joyful ways. If Player A (as the character) is known for bursting into Broadway musical numbers, for example, it could prove delightful to pepper your dialogue with lyrics to inspire them (especially if this fact also holds true for the performer!) Generally, one of the overarching goals of the scene is to successfully see all the endowments hit the stage, so if you proposed something in the preamble that’s been inadvertently neglected, it’s good form to nudge Player A in this direction in a more traditional endowing fashion.

3.) Take the leap… A lot of good faith and empathy typically walks through the door with the absent player as the audience understands the herculean task that awaits. Accept your fate with gusto and good charm as you will further win over the crowd in the process. I particularly enjoy making this character as likeable as possible as it puts any potential offense back on the endowees – “how dare they poke fun of their happy-go-lucky musical-singing coworker?” In my own company, some of us relish the thought of walking through that door into the madness that awaits, while others find much less pleasure when placed under this particular improvisational pressure. For me personally, my attitude about this role (and, frankly, the game in general) varies greatly depending on what kind of week I’m having. Know yourself and your teammates and make sure the bombardment of this shivving-fest is welcome.

4.) Putting it together… There isn’t one guaranteed stock device for wrapping up the fun. Sometimes if one element was initially forgotten and proves particularly difficult to recall, endow, and incorporate, this hard-earned moment of jubilant success can be enough to stick the landing. There can also be a charm in having the featured character leave once they’ve been adequately portrayed and then briefly returning to the status quo created at the top of the scene. Generally, however, the scene plays well when attacked like a more traditional endowment game where the audience wants every feature communicated and incorporated with some finesse. Witnessing Player A simultaneously assuming all or the majority of their quirks provides a fitting climax in this regard.

In Performance

Just as I’m a little torn about the tool of shivving, so too am I a little leery about this particular game. It takes skill to strike the necessary balance between challenge and coercion, silliness and stereotypes, tickling and torture. When I’ve played it in a well-functioning ensemble filled with trust, connection and awareness – I’m thinking of my Gorilla Theatre cast specifically – the process and results have been almost uniformly delightful. I personally wouldn’t be as keen to go on this particular improv journey with a group of players that I don’t know very well yet.

Connected Concept: Shivving

“S” is for “Shivving”

Shivving refers to a variety of meta-theatrical playfulness in which improvisers joyfully mess with each other a little to add some mischief into the mix.

Minimizing the Risk of Injury When Shivving…

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Related Entries: Commandment #4, Commenting, Endowing, Gagging, Offer, Pimping Synonyms: Heat, Mischief

Connected Game: Here They Come