ImprovDr.com

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…

This is just a taste of this entry/concept. Go here for more information.

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…

This is just a taste of this entry/concept. Go here for more information.

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

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

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.

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

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…

This is just a taste of this entry/concept. Go here for more information.

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

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

Connected Game: Here They Come

Game Library: “Emotional Door”

The inherent structure of Emotional Door provides each team member an opportunity to seize the spotlight a little, which can prove extremely useful in addressing Shining (or passenger) tendencies.

The Basics

Prior to the scene each player is publicly assigned a random emotion, and a unifying reason for a party or gathering is obtained (although there’s no reason you couldn’t use a broader array of scenarios too). The scene begins with one player onstage alone in their preassigned emotional state. When a second player enters, they bring their new emotion through the door with them, and now both players experience and justify this new feeling. The third player then enters, and everyone embodies this new state, as is the case with the fourth character and their specific mood. Once all four characters are onstage, the process inverts with the fourth character leaving first, thereby returning the players to the prior (third) emotion. The third player then finds a reason to exit and the scene returns to the second emotion, and finally the second player leaves so that we are once again left with just the original first player who is experiencing their initial emotional state. And, obviously, all of these changes are justified and take place within the greater construct of the scene. The mechanics are similar to Space Jump or Growing/Shrinking Machine, just without the leaps in time and context as this story occurs in uninterrupted real time.

Example

Players A, B, C, and D obtain the emotions of “guilt,” “excitement,” “confusion,” and “anger,” respectively, and explore the premise of a surprise birthday party. Player A volunteers to begin alone...

Player A: (pacing around the space while preparing) “I’m just not sure if I’ve done enough. Shonda is really such a good friend. She deserves better than this. Why did I think I even had the talent to make handcrafted decorations? She’ll never forgive me if this is a disaster. Who am I kidding? I’ll never forgive myself…”

There’s a knock at the door. Player A nervously approaches it.

Player A: “I should just call the whole thing off…”

Player B bursts through the door bringing “excitement” with them.

Player B: “Wow! Just wow!”

Player A: (their guilt slowly fading) “You really like it?”

Player B: “This all looks so professional! Who did you use?”

Player A: “Well actually, I sort of did this myself…”

Player B: “You are amazing!”

Player A: (now fully excited themselves) “I just can’t believe you’re here, Rina! You’re such a busy person. Shonda will be so happy to see you!”

Player B: “I can’t wait to surprise her! I’m going to hide behind the couch.”

Another knock at the door sends B darting behind the couch with anticipation. Player C enters instead of the guest of honor, bringing on confusion...

Player C: “Oh, I’m so sorry. I must have got the time wrong…”

The Focus

Enjoy the emotions and fully exploit the transitions as you move from one state of being to the next.

Traps and Tips

1.) Plot your course. While emotions will be gathered in a certain order, this needn’t default to the order of your entrances. Organize your characters and emotions to maximize the scenic arc and avoid placing similar energies or tones back-to-back. Some emotions are tricky to explore alone onstage in the first position, such as jealousy or infatuation, so look to program these later in the mix. Placing the “largest” emotion in the last position also gives the scene a nice crescendo before the characters start peeling away. A little thoughtfulness prior to hitting the stage can help your team avoid unforced errors.

2.) Infect your teammates. It’s traditional for entering players to have their emotional energy already clearly activated; therefore, much of the entertainment and challenge arises from the other characters finding a way to switch from their prior condition. Each entrance undeniably affords a moment to appropriately shine, but then make sure teammates have sufficient stage time and focus to justify their own adjustments. Each character doesn’t need to portray each new emotion in the same way – or for the same reason – but it’s important that the audience can see everyone in the current emotional climate before the next entrance or exit occurs.

3.) Honor your premise. The requisite shuffling on and off of characters can make it difficult to hold onto any nuanced story threads. It’s advisable to set up some clear and simple goals in the early (less cluttered) stages of the scene that can serve as a story north star. Will Shonda arrive and find the party joyful, or will her entrance be accompanied by inexplicable anger?! If there’s a guest of honor, as is the case above, it’s useful to have them either arrive as the final entrance in a climactic fashion (if they show up at all) or begin the process and thereby assume the role of the protagonist. Your particular assortment of emotions might suggest a different playful choice, but I’ve found these options structurally astute in the past.

4.) Hide your game. Before the action commences, I find it beneficial for the players to quickly repeat their assigned emotions so that they are front of mind for their teammates and the audience. This also affords a moment to confer as to a preferred entrance order. Once the game is up and running, however, players should avoid saying or announcing their emotions at all costs. Emotional Door becomes elevated when characters show rather than tell their feelings as the latter approach essentially names (and subsequently punctures) the game. It’s easy for Player B to enter and just say, “I’m excited to be here!” – and, sadly, it’ll probably get a polite chuckle. But the endeavor levels up when everyone commits to embodying and reflecting the emotions in nuanced and surprising ways.

In Performance

Players need to carefully share focus and lean into their own characters in this format that nicely requires balancing responsibility and generosity. Each player should embrace their entrance and emotional contribution, and although the last entrance may get a little less stage time, they are nonetheless critical and routinely provide the most dynamic fireworks.

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

Connected Concept: Shining

“S” is for “Shining”

Shining reflects an insatiable act hunger that inadvertently places the individual’s ego and desire for accolades over the greater good of the show and ensemble.

Signs You May Need to Reduce Your Luminosity…

This is just a taste of this entry/concept. Go here for more information.

Related Entries: Bulldozing, Commandment #3, Ensemble, Upstaging Antonyms: Looking Good, Sharing Focus, Teamwork Synonyms: Competitiveness, Selfishness, Winning

Connected Game: Emotional Door

Game Library: “Chapters”

The short-form game Chapters deliciously complicates the improv tradition of Shelving and reincorporation as players construct a linear storyline that has become jumbled out of sequence.

The Basics

An audience-inspired title informs the action as well as an elicited number of chapters (something in the eight to twelve range works well). At irregular intervals, an offstage caller shifts the action by nominating the next out-of-sequence chapter number. Improvisers perform the selected chunk of the story, giving heed to both past and future events that have already been established. The scene ends when the “last” chapter is performed, although, in all likelihood, this will be any chapter number other than the last!

Example

Based on the suggestion, “Beach Day,” and the number “nine,” the scene begins with a blackout and the offstage caller nominating “Chapter Eight” as the first offering.

As the lights rise, Player D has thrown themselves onto the ground, and a panicked Player B kneels over their body.

Player B: (calling into the void of the cave) “Jorge, are you out there! Hang in there, help is coming soon. I promise.”

Player D inaudibly grumbles.

Player B: “Why did we ever step foot inside this cave? What was I thinking?”

Another moan from Player D… Player B adjusts the makeshift bed. The sound of falling rocks grabs their attention.

Player B: “Jorge?”

Caller: “Chapter Two.”

The stage plunges quickly into darkness. A moment or two later, the lights rise on all four players assembled around what is soon revealed as the family car.

Player A: (unloading the trunk) “You’re right, honey, there’s barely another person in sight!”

Player B: “I thought we could use a change from the regular family beaches. What are you looking at there son?”

Player C: “Just a sign post. There’s no life guard on duty here…”

Player D: (looking at their cellphone) “I’ve not been able to get any service for the last few kilometers…”

Player B: (grabbing the phone and throwing it into the car) “Okay everyone, this is a technology free adventure!”

Player A: “I agree! It’s a beautiful day and we have the beach all to ourselves… Lead the way Jorge!”

The family locks up the car and starts down the sandy path to the beach…

Caller: “Chapter Six…”

The Focus

There’s no denying that this jumping back and forth in time requires unflinching focus alongside an ability to track shelved details and a heightened awareness of where you are in the established story arc at any given moment.

Traps and Tips

1.) Transformations. When the lights plummet between the various chapter calls, it’s crucial to leap into action. Take full advantage of these opportunities to craft novel stage pictures that are clearly different from what has just gone before. It’s exciting for the lights to rise on a dynamic tableau – perhaps even a slightly inexplicable image – that the resulting scene must quickly incorporate and justify. If each chapter starts with lethargy or under-energized characters wandering aimlessly around an unnamed location, players will have to work hard to sell each scenic unit. Later chapter numbers, in particular, probably represent story moments deep within the rising action and the climax itself. Subsequently, these vignettes need to hit the stage with some sense of stakes and urgency. Dynamic new poses also discourage going to the same story well time and time again or too quickly connecting distant choices.

2.) Combinations. Related to the above, much like a game of Entrances and Exits (see here), look for strategic ways to shake up the character combinations, especially early in the game. While a protagonist might find themselves in the majority of the chapters, even this character (when you figure out who it might be!) should rotate out as this enables other unexpected relationships some time in the sun. They can always enter the chapter later on if their absence becomes unhelpfully conspicuous. Sticky feet can quickly squelch the hopes of varied stage pictures, especially if you’re also inclined towards a “stand and deliver” style of play. Once you have a few benchmark chapters established, combinations may be largely predetermined by what bookends the current offering, so investments in this area early on really lay the groundwork for later fun.

3.) Complications. As we experience plot points out of sequence, there are delightful opportunities to forebode events, heighten emotions, and lay contextualizing groundwork for future events that have already made it to stage. When the game is played under typical short-form conditions where you might only have four or five minutes maximum to complete your haphazard journey, it’s wise not to overburden the improv shelves with an excess of details and ideas. Look to polish and add on to others’ offers rather than scattershot a disconnected pile of possibilities. The story proves most satisfying when the major shelved elements are all skillfully incorporated. Chapter eight, above, focused on the climactic event of one of the party needing medical attention, while Jorge, presumably, went for help. (Who knows what’s happened to Player A…?) Chapter two establishes the remoteness of the beach. Too many other facts or curve balls decrease the chances that many (any?) of them will reappear meaningfully.

4.) Facilitations. There are some helpful pointers to shape the impending madness from the caller bench. It’s useful to have all the chapter numbers written down so you have a visual guide and can make sure every chapter is seen once before the game ends. On rare occasions, I’ve seen the caller return to a previously embodied chapter, thereby inviting a replay. The players have a lot to juggle and remember so I’d warn against this gimmick unless the team is on fire or you’re faced with a peculiarly low chapter number and need to build energy before the “out.” I like the device of starting with a chapter somewhere near the end (or making such a call reasonably quickly) as this invites bold emotional choices and the joyful challenge of now reverse engineering the requisite story points. Where did Jorge go? What happened to Player D (and A for that matter?) Why did they go into the cave in the first place? If the team is really struggling in a way that isn’t serving anyone in attendance, the caller can also gently guide them by providing brief chapter headings that allude to previously established moments: “Chapter One: Heading to the Beach,” “Chapter Nine: Is That You, Jorge?” and the like. This, of course, requires that the caller had been paying close attention themselves and probably taking some really good notes.

In Performance

Chapters requires and reinforces a sound sense of linear story construction and action. (Utilizing a more theme-based or circular organization wouldn’t maximize the gifts of the game as such stories already frequently shuffle plot ideas around or use seemingly unconnected vignettes.) While each chapter should begin with gusto, make sure choices are deliberate and grounded or a sense of panic can take hold.

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

Connected Concept: Shelving

“S” is for “Shelving”

Shelving is the improvisational act of strategically storing the pertinent details and offers that shape spontaneous stories in meaningful and satisfying ways. This skill innately connects to that of reincorporation.

Stocking the Improv Shelves…

This is just a taste of this entry/concept. Go here for more information.

Related Entries: Callback, Connections, Curve Ball, Looking Backwards, Names, Reincorporation Antonyms: Over-Originality, Randomness Synonyms: Offer

Connected Game: Chapters