Game Library: “Old Job, New Job”

This less common short-form game became a player favorite during the decade-long run of Gorilla Theatre at Sak Comedy Lab and is a user-friendly introduction to the sometimes-difficult-to-explain mapping technique.

The Basics

One player obtains two starkly different occupations from the audience. One will serve as their old job, informing how they approach the tasks of their new job. Think drill sergeant in a nursery in terms of contrast. The remaining players provide the additional characters subjected to the hijinks of the resulting persona.

Example

Player A takes on the character of a massage therapist who used to be a butcher…

Player A: (welcoming their next client into their home studio with an incredibly firm handshake) “Thanks so much for giving me a second chance…”

Player B: (anxiously) “Your methods were a little unconventional, but I can’t deny that I didn’t feel the difference afterward.”

Player A: “Would you like to get on the slab yourself this time, or should I hoist you up again?”

Player B: (starting to regret their decision) “No, I’m perfectly capable of getting myself onto the massage table, thank you…”

Player B struggles to get onto the table as A mimes putting on a big chain mail glove.

Player A: “Now, what needs tenderizing today…?”

The Focus

Enjoy the process of discovering the various contrasts and conflicts between the two professions, noting that everyone should aid in the subsequent mapping feat.

Traps and Tips

1.) Start small. I’ve leaned into the butcher overlay quite quickly above to provide clarity, but in performance, this might feel a little too aggressive. It’s helpful to begin rather squarely in the “new job” territory, allowing just a hint of the past to infuse the opening moves – the firm handshake is probably closer to the mark. You might find your mind fixating on that really funny connection but do your best to exert patience so that the scene can….

2.) Build gently. This dynamic benefits from a curve of absurdity approach whereby the story begins in the world of normal before gradually escalating to the ridiculous. Let each individual move land before scrambling onto that next “clever thing” your imagination might be conjuring, for in relishing the simplicity of the moment, you’re more likely to discover the hidden gifts that the scene needs to go the distance, especially when you’ve expended the handful of bits you envisioned upon hearing the dueling ask-fors. Focus on your unique POV and processing each new action through that lens.

3.) Embrace contradictions. In the supporting roles, avoid any reactions that are tantamount to “naming the game” for the protagonist. It’s likely that Player A will pepper the scene with some butcher-specific language (a little more so than might be judicious in a traditional mapping dynamic). Teammates should take such moments in their stride, choosing to accept each picadillo joyfully as nothing more than a delightful idiosyncratic quirk (until, perhaps the very climax of the scene). Performed with light playfulness, Player B’s “table” correction could certainly provide a fitting example of this approach. If players question every odd move, there will be little momentum or action, so…

4.) Justify generously. Perhaps Player B believes this is a new and trendy style of massage, or is incredibly conflict adverse so doesn’t want to question the therapist’s technique, or was given this session as a birthday present and had no prior experience with massages… (I’m not usually a fan of “I’ve never done this before” attitudes as they can lower the stakes and put all the work onto your scene partner, but this game might serve as an exception as it widens the playing field of acceptable choices for the “new hire.”) Generally, the more willingly the rest of the cast of characters go along with the peculiar behavior, the longer the shelf life of the scene.

In Performance

As a behavior-based dynamic, this lens can easily be applied to characters in a wide array of styles and performance vehicles. The key is that the audience is “in the know” so that they have the requisite tools to translate and enjoy the odd breaches in decorum.

New to ImprovDr.com or the Game Library? You can find the ever-expanding collection of games, exercises, and warm-ups here.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: James Berkley
© 2024 David Charles/ImprovDr

Game Library Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Occupation Endowment”

This structure provides a performance-ready application of the skills explored in Gibberish Job Mime (which you can read about here).

The Basics

One player (A) leaves the space, and while they are unable to hear, the team acquires a specific (and perhaps fictitious) occupation. A scene is played in which the returning improviser must be endowed with this role. While Player A can speak in English (or your native tongue), their fellow performers are limited to the use of gibberish, gestures, and physicality. The scene continues until the previously absent improviser successfully assumes and names the correct occupation or a preset tone limit is reached.

Example

The team accepts “skyscraper crane operator” as the job to be endowed. Player A returns to the space while the host leads a countdown for the action to begin and notes that the players have “four minutes” to complete their task. Player B waits onstage for their teammate, holding a mixed object that the audience assumes is a clipboard. (Player A is understandably much less sure!) Players C and D wait at the ready just offstage.

Player B: (huffing with impatience) “Cashesh oam fanuppo…”

Player A: (apologetically) “Traffic was awful. Sorry I’m late.”

Player B: (assessing A’s clothing and finding it woefully lacking) “Dush? Da sheeky dush?”

Player A: (only partially understanding B’s intent) “Of course I’m going to change. I just haven’t had time yet…”

Seeing an opportunity to help, Player C enters and quickly establishes a locker room and begins to mime getting dressed in their work clothes. Player B looks nervously up into the sky before nudging A to the next element.

Player A: (accepting C’s clue and starting to change their clothing into something currently nondescript) “Watch out. Our boss is in a mood this morning…”

Player C nervously plays with a safety harness, suggesting to A the danger of what is to follow.

Player A: “When you’ve been doing this as long as I have, it gets a little easier. People have been descending into mine shafts for centuries…”

Player C laughs at the unintended “joke” before looking skyward as B had done before them. Player A grabs a hard hat and puts in on, prompting C to do the same with encouragement.

Player C: (knocking on their pretend hard hat before fastening it) “Laveen haneedy.”

Player A: “Our ancestors went into the ground; we soar above it. Is it really that different…?”

The Focus

Find the story behind the endowment game so that you’re not merely wandering from one unsuccessful clue to another.

Traps and Tips

1.) Don’t overload. While it can be tempting to initially swing for the fences and offer the endowee (A) the missing information in its entirety, it’s more fruitful to treat the scene like any other and offer one small piece of the puzzle (or brick) at a time. Player A has a lot to process and will struggle if they are met with an avalanche of competing or clumsy choices. Give them some basic ingredients clearly and calmly before expecting them to identify the entire meal. With that in mind…

2.) Don’t split focus. in addition to the traditional audience, players should endeavor to keep their energy flowing towards the endowee. The most creative endowment will do you little good if it doesn’t occur in view of Player A or gets lost in the clutter. Make sure the guessing player always has a moment to see and respond to each important move (and the steering improviser has a chance to quickly give positive or corrective feedback). The greater audience won’t appreciate inelegant focus battles either and wants to see every delightful moment of struggle and success.

3.) Don’t (overtly) show. As the scene is predominantly played in gibberish, players should lean into demonstrative gestures and subtext infused physicality. Empty gibberish, after all, won’t communicate much of value. While you privilege bolder movement, be cautious not to stray into “showing” territory where you do, or use, or introduce the needed action, prop, or element of the occupation. As with all endowment games, think complementary (rather than parallel) and strive to let the endowee offer up key ingredients. Lead the proverbial improv horse to water but let them name it as water and drink it first.

4.) Don’t wimp. While this is good advice for everyone, it’s particularly important for Player A to move through the action as if they completely know what they are doing. You’ll want to carefully pitch your specifics so as to avoid just making a list of possibilities or asking a series of fear-based questions. It’s a tall order for the endowers to guide the action (while deploying gibberish, no less) if the endowee exudes tepidness. When A offers the mining idea in the above example, C needs to provide a playful correction, but this will often allow for a helpful course adjustment as well  (There will be moments when the endowers can’t truly accept a “wrong” idea without detailing the trajectory completely which is akin to wimping in other contexts but here is a little unavoidable – you just want to make these nudges with a sense of playfulness and joy..)

In Performance

Like most endowment games, Occupation Endowment needs a little room to breathe, making it a little more challenging to slate if you’re playing under tight time restrictions. While I teach it at Rollins to reinforce the concept of complementary actions, we don’t tend to play it in our short-form shows (or any endowment game, frankly) as I try to squeeze a dozen scenes and warm-ups into a 50-minute window.

If you’re looking for some more general endowment pointers and strategies, review my earlier Game Library entry on Native Expert. You can find it here.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: Tony Firriolo
© 2024 David Charles/ImprovDr

Game Library Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Object Naming”

I encountered the general conceit of this exercise in Keith Johnstone’s Impro, although I’ve tweaked the specifics to suit my own pedagogic needs and now often use this gentle variant in my introductory “Nuts and Bolts” master classes and workshops.

The Basics

Players work individually and are instructed to walk through the space. With each new step taken, participants should pause and clearly point at a different object while exploring the following rounds of play.

Round one

Players name each selected object by its correct name in their given language. This iteration is largely about setting the rhythm and pattern of the exercise and, consequently, serves as the bedrock for the more challenging dynamics below: step, point clearly, name the given object, and repeat

Player A takes a step as their classmates do the same. They point at a window and say “window,” before taking another step – possibly in a new direction – and gesturing towards a chair…

Round two

Players continue the physical pattern above but are now required to name each object aa something that it is not. These new names shouldn’t be synonyms of the selected item, nor merely the correct name in a second or third known language if players are multilingual. Improvisers should endeavor to retain the same jaunty pace of the first round.

Player A takes a step and points at a window and says “portrait,” before taking another step – possibly in a new direction – and gesturing towards a chair which they rename as a “blanket…”

Round three

The logistics of this round remain largely the same as its predecessor; however, players are coached to avoid certain spontaneity “cheats” that might have inadvertently infused their prior process. Participants are encouraged not to repeat words they’ve heard others utter in the space or use others’ ideas (or their own, for that matter) as prompts with which to word associate – someone else said “dog,” so now I point at a random object and announce that it is a “cat” or similar. Players should also avoid merely listing a series of items in a category – “shoe,” “baseball cap,” “cardigan…” Or utilizing other methods for defusing the innate challenge of being truly spontaneous, such as using words that all begin with the same letter or sound, or scrolling through the alphabet in order – “alligator,” “beach ball,” “charisma…”

Player A repeats the exercise while now taking care not to use shortcuts or “solutions…”

The Focus

Being in the moment, reacting instinctually and without judgment or overthinking, and rediscovering the potential boundlessness of creativity all serve as powerful takeaways.

Traps and Tips

The mechanics of this game are quite straightforward; the lessons it affords, on the other hand, are more nuanced and complex, so here are a few of my common questions that I use to debrief the experience after the completion of all three rounds…

1.) Which of the rounds did you find most difficult? There will always be outliers or participants prone to contrary stances, but generally, students experience unexpected difficulties in the second and then third versions. Unless your space is woefully limited in terms of objects (this can be somewhat the case in my current acting classroom, which primarily houses chairs, blocks, white boards, schoolbags, and little else), round one doesn’t usually pose significant problems. The later rounds, which theoretically offer a great deal more freedom, often stump players. I’ll note that young children will typically find endless imaginative possibilities in a relatively empty sandbox (sandpit) and that adults can lose this effortless ability to create if they don’t continue to exercise that muscle – which this game modestly strives to do.

2.) How many words are there in our language? In English, there are over 150,000 words (many more when you include archaic and scientific terms, notably less in terms of how many words must people commonly use). Regardless of the precise number, it’s telling that when you take one word out of the mix (in round two), the newfound freedom of choice can become debilitating. And yet, to truly revel in the world of spontaneity, we need to joyfully embrace this potential for discovery. It’s also notable that players will often create limiting rules for themselves – there is no explicit expectation that original names should be exclusively nouns, for example, and yet this will often become a presumptive limitation. When we’re seeking a culture of play, we need to be wary of imposing unhelpful boundaries beyond those needed for a game or scene to find its course.

3.) How did the instructions prior to round three affect your play? This is one of those delightful accidents that I stumbled into when I added the above well-intended parameters to the routine. Yes, it’s important to earnestly face each new object and not rely on other external impetuses to solve the riddle. (I use the image of “empty slating” as you approach each item; that is, doing your best to have a visceral reaction to that source of inspiration as if you were facing a new, blank piece of paper without any other influences on it.) However, noting “traps” invariably puts judges on the improvisers’ shoulders which only further hampers their efforts. While I believe it’s important not to actively seek “cheats,” it’s noteworthy that this awareness comes at a cost as well.

4.) And a word of caution. As you move into the “name things as they aren’t” territory, some cheeky players will usually discover the potentially divisive side game of pointing to fellow students and offering whimsical critique – “talented,” “smart,” “handsome…” It doesn’t take much for this misplaced joviality to eclipse the stated intent, in part because it’s another way to avoid the innate discomfort of the exercise. It can prove helpful to forewarn players of this “gag” just to reduce the likelihood of its unwanted appearance.

In Performance

I’ll end the exercise with some observation to the effect of how it’s an improviser’s job to reconnect with effortless creativity, freed from self-imposed strictures, and the shadow of internal and external judges. That’s not a small feat, as I’m reminded every time I engage in this exercise alongside my students after more than thirty years of playing it!

You can also revisit these rounds as a launching pad into adjacent skills. For example, if I’m looking at rhyme, I might add a replacement or fourth round so that participants now name an object (as it is or isn’t) and then must immediately offer up three unique rhyming words. So, if they were to point at a wall, they might then say, “Wall, ball, cattle call, enthrall…” before moving into the next random object in the room.

I’m continuing to edit the Game Library as i move into the Os. Keep up with my progress here.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
© 2024 David Charles/ImprovDr

Game Library Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Numbers”

I know this game primarily as a warm-up, but the malleable central dynamic could easily be expanded into a larger offering as well.

The Basics

Players form a line at the back of the performance space and are each assigned a number from stage left to right. (Player A becomes 1, B is 2, and so on.) A prompt – such as a theme, weird, or location – is obtained, and the host or emcee orchestrates a series of brief vignettes by providing various number combinations that bring the corresponding players to the foreground to play out an improvised scene. On a suitable button, the host signals each edit (perhaps with a whistle, musical sting, or quick blackout), the current players return to the backline, and a new random combination of numbers is provided.

Example

The actors stand in place and announce their assigned numbers. The host fields “anxiety” as the initial theme, and after explaining the basic premise, calls Players 1 and 2 to the forestage. Player 1 (A) quickly assumes a seated position on the ground, while player 2 (B) watches over them with concern.

Player 2: “I’m truly sorry. I didn’t realize you’d arranged your books in such a specific order.”

Player 1: (gently rocking) “It’s nothing. I know you were only trying to help…”

Player 2: “It clearly isn’t nothing. You’ve just been so generous, Ghina, letting me stay with you while I get back on my feet. I just wanted to do something to show my appreciation…”

Player 1: “So you decided to reorganize my entire library by book cover color?!”

Player 2: (looking at the shelves and reconsidering their gesture) “I just thought it would look nice this way…”

Player 1 rocks a little quicker and buries their head as the host signals the end of the vignette.

Host: “And scene. Players 3 and 6.”

The first two performers scurry back into the line while 3 and 6 spring into action.

Player 3: (holding an imaginary clipboard) “And all that’s left to do is give you a tour of the construction site.”

Player 6: (looking high into the sky with excitement and nervousness) “And I’d be working… up there?”

Player 3: “That’s right! Up on the 38th floor; that is, until we start building the 39th floor…”

The Focus

Bold, clear choices and getting to the point swiftly but without needlessly hurrying the improv will serve you. Much like a Freeze Tag game, the scenes will likely err on the shorter side, especially when you use the frame as a warm-up, but they should still feel like scenes (rather than gimmicks or punchlines).

Traps and Tips

1.) Consider transitions. Don’t meander between the various called scenes. When your number is called, leap into action. If players defer too politely to each other before making any substantive choice, the vignettes won’t amount to much of anything. Similarly, push to the button or out so that the caller can easily move on. You might find that quick blackouts between each scene can help but be wary that these don’t bog down the momentum. And when the caller offers an edit, make sure you leave the stage as spryly as you entered it so that the next scene can exit the gates without impediment.

2.) Consider combinations. As the caller, look for new and helpful player combinations. Pairs provide a nice default, at least initially, as the more characters in a scene, the more likely it is for the action to begin a little clumsily. Once you’re up and running, however, look for new dynamics and discovered games. A few solo scenes can raise the stakes and delight, especially when pitched to a player (number) that has successfully built rapport with the audience. Well-placed group scenes will add further spice, and repeating memorable actor combinations can invite joyful scenes and characters to reappear.

3.) Consider connections. You can handle the initial ask-for in numerous ways. It can serve as no more than the impetus for the original action with subsequent scenes having no obligation to explore that same conceit (other than, perhaps, tangentially using the prior vignettes to inspire the current offering). Or every new combination of players can strive to investigate the same core idea but from a new or unexpected angle. Often, the game exists organically somewhere between these two poles. Regardless of your stated intent, look for pleasing ways to weave prior details into the mix, especially if you’re looking to present a more robust experience.

4.) Consider the audience. In lieu of using a host to randomize the players, you can also hand this playful power over to the crowd (noting thar you may lose the ability to artistically manipulate and pace the resulting scenes a little). If you use judges and scorecards in your venue (and you’re playing with an appropriate number of improvisers), these spectators can be instructed to hold up one or more (or possibly none) of their cards on the host’s signal. The accumulated list of numbers is then announced, and the assigned players improvise accordingly. (If judges happen to hold up duplicate numbers, then they just count as “one” vote.) Alternatively, a few random spectators could just display a handful of fingers from one (or none) to the total number of players available. Appropriate sided dice can also serve this function. You’ll probably still want a host or designated player to help facilitate these “votes” so that they are crisp and elegant.

In Performance

Perhaps every warm-up exercise holds the risk of struggling if players lethargically hit the stage, but that’s particularly the case with Numbers due to the quick turnaround between scenes. On a related note, also make sure that the scenes themselves don’t become frantic, rushed, or approximated, or you’ll struggle to build the overall experience in an aesthetic fashion.

If you’re looking for a longer improv serving, it’s a simple matter to increase the length of the scenes, and if company members are instructed to take on the same persona as their first appearance, the format quickly takes on a “village full of characters” vibe as numerous different relationships define the action.

Looking for more games, exercises, and warm-ups? Go here.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: James Berkley
© 2024 David Charles/ImprovDr

Game Library Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Noise and Action Circle”

Played energetically, this warm-up will have everyone exercising their bodies and voices in a matter of minutes.

The Basics

Players form a circle. The first participant, A, introduces a unique noise and accompanying action. Starting with the player to their immediate right, this offer quickly ricochets around the circle in a counterclockwise direction (with each subsequent player not waiting for the prior player to fully complete the action before mirroring it and passing it along). When the choice makes it back to its creator – Player A initially – they repeat their own contribution. The next improviser, Player B, now introduces a brand-new motion and sound that passes around the circle with similar rapidity. The pattern continues until C, then D, and so on, add their own playful creations. When the last player’s noise and action make it back to them, the exercise is complete.

Example

Player A introduces the gesture of clasping they hands above their head while making a little jump, which moves swiftly around the circle.

After A repeats their movement, B now lunges into the circle with a whooshing sound. C mirrors this idea, as do the remaining players in sequence.

When it’s C’s turn to initiate, they perform a little “cha cha” step while whistling. D approximates this as best they can, and the noises and accompanying actions continue apace.

The Focus

It’s a simple little physical warm-up, so that’s the primary focus. However, it can also be used to build your movement vocabulary and develop bravery and reactivity.

Traps and Tips

1.) Move boldly. Avoid making wimpy choices in the initiating position. When introduced to new exercises, performers can become surprisingly reluctant to make a large or revealing offer, but the game will fall flat if every movement and sound utilizes the bare minimum of energy and attack. A particular pet peeve – that often occurs when the game has developed some momentum – is when a player unhelpfully and anticlimactically introduces an unenergized gesture (often some iteration of a “boop” with a small finger point) thus bringing the joyful wave of attack to an abrupt halt. Don’t be that person!

2.) React swiftly. I’ve used the term ricochet above as the game benefits from this approach rather than a more stop and start dynamic of each player waiting for their predecessor to finish each action in its entirety before adding their own voice and body. You want to make sure you’re honoring all the details of each new element, and so the first few participants are likely going to need a second to process the specifics, but as you get a few places around the circle, players should start to anticipate the wave of energy and diminish any pause between echoes until, ideally, the motions actually start to overlap.

3.) Build gradually. While I caution against fear-based little offers, there is a value in letting the overall size and volume of the initiations increase slowly with each new addition. To this end, perhaps don’t start the game with the biggest or most extreme move in your repertoire so that there is somewhere to go. In a related sense, it can also be fun to let each new movement build just a little with each echo around the circle so that the owner of any given noise and action finds that it returns to them in a slightly elevated or exaggerated state. In this way, each suggestion grows a little while it moves around the circle, and then each new suggestion continues to build a little from where the prior idea left off (remembering that choices ate not literally cumulative so much as responding to the earlier dynamics).

4.) Participate graciously. And just as an annoyingly under energized “boop” can put a damper on the fun, so too can players who provide impossible physical feats of strength that will only thwart their fellow ensemble members. Unless you’re workshopping in a group of trained (and well stretched) dancers, challenging the group to mirror your gymnastic splits or high kick will likely cause consternation and possibly injury.  Keep in mind what will give your teammates joy rather than strive to show off a unique and perhaps unrepeatable skill.

In Performance

There’s also a version of this game called Noise and Action Backs, which exploits the same basic premise. Here, players form a line all facing forward. The player at the back of the line, A, taps the improviser standing directly in front of them, B, causing them to quickly turn around. A then introduces the inspirational first sound and action before running to join the front of the line and turning their back away from the activity. B now taps C on the back or shoulder and models the provided combination before joining the front of the line. C then does the same for D, and so on, with the movement and sound being passed through the line at an ever-increasing speed. In this warm-up, the same choice now slowly grows and morphs and heightens (in a “telephone game” style) as waiting players can’t see the exact movements of those who came before them. If you like the original and have a reasonably robust space to play in, this provides a useful variation on the central theme.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: Olivia Skavarenina
© 2024 David Charles/ImprovDr

Game Library Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Ninety-Nine Jokes”

I’ve encountered this line game by various names (and featuring different numbers), yet the mechanics remain consistent regardless. It requires quick wit and charm and more than a little inclination toward gagging (or, perhaps more kindly, joke telling).

The Basics

Improvisers wait on the back line, often with a microphone placed center stage before them.  (I like the touch of placing a stool with a water bottle on it in frame as well, as these props strike me as particularly emblematic of a stand-up venue, but I don’t think that’s standard practice!) The emcee or facilitator obtains a prompt, such as an occupation or object, from the audience. When inspiration strikes, players take turns stepping into the “spotlight” and delivering a formulaic joke (as outlined below). After several efforts, new offers can be elicited to refresh the well of creativity. If the game is being used as a decider or toe-breaker, the host can award points for particularly well received or ingenious jokes (or even punny groaners) until a winner (or winning team) is announced.

Example

The host elicits “mushrooms” and Player A volunteers to go first.

Player A: “Ninety-nine mushrooms walk into a bar. The bartender says, ‘I can’t serve ninety-nine mushrooms,’ and the mushrooms say, ‘Why not? We’re fungi [pronounced fun guys].'”

Other players soon follow with new variations on the same model…

Next Player: “Ninety-nine [blanks] walk into a bar. The bartender says, ‘I can’t serve ninety-nine [blanks],’ and the [blanks] say… [original punchline].”

The Focus

Like most line games, you need to attack and balance quality with quantity. If there’s too much time between the jokes or a pervasive tentativeness, you’ll likely lose the audience (if you ever found them to begin with).

Traps and Tips

1.) Prime the audience. If you set up the expectation that every punchline will be a zinger, you might be raising the comedic bar unhelpfully high. I like it when the host encourages the audience to make a variety of enthusiastic responses – obviously laughter for a successful finesse, perhaps a joyfully loud collective groan for a less impressive showing and chirping crickets for the poorest constructions. It can be a lot of fun to pre-rehearse these options, and it adds a safety net of sorts to the game for the players as it’s quite disconcerting to have your joke greeted with stunned ambivalence. Loud judgment at least keeps the space infused with playful energy. And it can set a struggling player up for glorious redemption of they managed to finally make the comedic grade.

2.) Sell the lemonade. Obviously, it’s easier to perform a punchline when you feel confident that it’s likely to land well. However, even (especially) when you’re peddling something of more dubious merit, you’ll want to do your very best to sell it. Don’t rush through the stock components of the set-up but rather infuse them with personality, charm, and specificity. In adept hands, the audience will find great joy in otherwise mundane material.  (Similarly, even great and clever wordsmithing can become undermined by a blasé delivery.) There’s a reason pleasant and amiable kids sell more lemonade at street stands than sour-faced and bitter adults.

3.) Support your teammates. This is stock advice for line games, but make sure your energy is flowing towards the current improviser in focus. The audience frequently takes its cues from the ensemble, so if you look like you’re in agony trying to concoct a passable joke or are harshly judging the efforts of others (or your own shortcomings) the crowd will reflect those less-than-helpful energies back to the stage. Play with joy, applaud other’s successes (and valiant struggles), and keep the energy building. To this end, sometimes it’s critical to step forward and take your turn even when you know you have nothing, just so the proverbial spotlight doesn’t go cold. A moment of well-timed self-sacrifice also buys your teammates a little space to hopefully compose something more nuanced to wash away your cruder contribution as well.

4.) Pursue the novel. In past venues, we’ve used the term “Rolodex” to refer to tried and tested punchlines for oft-pitched ask-fors. (My fungi example above serves as an homage to perhaps the most seasoned of such perennial “favorites.”) If you play these types of games often, it’s unavoidable that you’ll develop some running lists of past successes. However, be careful of making the exercise nothing more than trotting out old material. Firstly, that’s not really the spirit of improv! Secondly, it tends to create an inorganic and rushed experience with players scrambling to repeat that idea that was really funny twelve years ago. If you’re hosting, look to challenge the company with original prompts whenever possible. (Then, if the game isn’t landing, you can always resort to more familiar terrain to find firmer footing.)

In Performance

While this frame can certainly invite ribald material, it can be more family-friendly than Pick-Up Lines and other similarly saucy line games. I personally like playing it in larger ensembles just as that depth of a bench increases the likelihood that someone will be able to come up with something to fill the potentially oppressive silence!

New to ImprovDr.com or the Game Library? You can find the ever-expanding collection of games, exercises, and warm-ups here.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: Jame Berkley
© 2024 David Charles/ImprovDr

Game Library Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Narrated Pairs”

This used to be a regular feature of my college Improv I course until a teaching time crunch forced an edit. It’s a lesser played (known) narrative game that creatively explores how we may not all remember a common experience in quite the same way. The basic staging practices resemble other mainstays like Subtitles and Conscience, but the central conceit will enable very different results.

The Basics

An event or occasion involving two central characters serves as the inspiring impetus for a team of generally four players. Two improvisers (A and B) become the provided characters in the present day and sit on chairs on either side of the playing space where they alternate narrating their recollections of the scene. The remaining players (C and D) provide the physical embodiment of the provided characters, providing a real-time reenactment of the story, warts and all. Play alternates between the narrators and their (usually silent) doppelgangers.

Example

Players A and B, an elderly married couple, recollect the fortuitous day they met for the first time at the local public library and occupy chairs on each side of the stage.

Player A: (with charm and confidence) “I remember it like it was yesterday, the moment that would forever change my life. I was a graduate student in Louisiana, working on my dissertation. I just had a few citations to track down before my submission deadline, and that’s what brought me into the library that day…

As Player A narrates, Player C (their double) enters the playing space. While A has exuded suave surety, C honors the named facts but creates an extremely anxious and overwhelmed portrayal of a student rustling through their notes in a panic.

Player B: (narrating as their double – D – establishes themselves in the space) “It had been just another typical sleepy day in late April staffing the circulation desk on the ground floor. My supervisor didn’t like us eating around the books, so I was keen to get to my lunch break…”

Player D pantomimes eating an incredibly messy sandwich at their desk and getting dropping mayonnaise all over their hands and, subsequently, everything they touched including a large stack of books waiting to be re-shelved.

Player A: (continuing their narrative) “I just had one source left to track down as my boss were unclear on its origin. There was a particularly helpful-looking librarian on duty who I’d seen around campus a few times below and had been checking me out…”

Player D has fallen asleep on their desk in the meantime with complete disinterest, causing the extremely anxious C to very awkwardly tap them on the shoulder.

Player B: “I prided myself for knowing the shelves and our regular patrons like the back of my hand…”

Player D absently swats away C with the back of their hand, sending them reeling and scattering the grasped notes all over the library foyer…

The Focus

You can certainly just focus on crafting a well-made story (a good focus for essentially every improv game), but there’s particularly rich material to be mined from considering the nuances of relationships and the tension between how we see (or remember) ourselves as opposed to how others experience our actions.

Traps and Tips

1.) Explore rhythms. One of the advantages of leaning into a mimed reenactment (hopefully with a lush soundtrack) is that it reduces the likelihood of overtalking. The narrators will still want to allow sufficient time for the scene to play out, but as the scene finds its footing, look for opportunities for reducing the time between narrative contributions. Ideally, the spoken and embodied elements should become largely simultaneous, with improvisers effortlessly justifying and incorporating each other’s ideas in fluid real time.

2.) Explore contradictions. I find it helpful to view the two narrative elements as artfully spliced pre-recordings that a gifted editor or producer has curated. So, while the two actors (A and B) should certainly hear each other and adjust their trajectory accordingly (in addition to incorporating physical and emotional offers from C and D), the narrating characters should avoid directly addressing each other. In this way, if A remembers themselves as being charming and well put together, and that isn’t B’s recollection, the resulting scene can explore that fruitful tension. Overtly correcting a misperception in this context is tantamount to naming – and therefore exploding – the game. After all, of the two narrators recall the event in exactly the same way (and the actors perform it with similar unified fidelity), then the scene will just feel like any other.

3.) Explore heightening. I’ve provided an example where the characters have pursued rather oppositional energies from those stated by their narrating comrades, and this dynamic will likely serve as a rich source of whimsy and entertainment, but don’t overlook the inherent potentials of exaggeration as well. Player A’s stated confidence could be heightened into the domain of arrogance: Player B’s studious work ethic could become manifest as complete indifference towards the human occupants of the library. Memories can tend to block out inconsistencies or moments where we may not have presented ourselves at our finest. This format thrives when we lean into these ruptures.

4.) Explore inverting. And it’s okay to play with stark opposites as well, especially as you’re taking your first steps with the format, as there’s undeniably a need for some of this tension. Perhaps, as illustrated, A is charming while their double C is bumbling, or B is professional, while D is the epitome of adolescent infatuation. And don’t overlook the gift of some contrasts between both narrators (and characters for that matter) as well. I’d warn against only exploring negative or cynical energies, as some love goes a long way and helps to balance the grander affair. But perhaps A is still completely enamored with B, and this infuses their narrative, while B’s present-day feelings are positive but more measured. If C note plays a muted attraction while D is head over heels, this delightfully deepens and complicates the core relationship even further!

In Performance

And now I want to bring this game back to my campus!

If you’d like to learn a little more about me and my path as an improviser, check out this lovely article from a Winter Park Margarine here, and you can order my new book, The Improv Dictionary here.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: James Berkley
© 2024 David Charles/ImprovDr

Game Library Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Musical Word”

I formulated this warm-up for my university musical improv class (although I imagine others have created a similar device before me). Musical Word serves as a joyful and quick all-play that gets everyone into the collective groove.

The Basics

Players begin in a circle. (Surprise!) One participant offers up a favorite (ideally multisyllabic) word. Players deconstruct the word in the following rounds taught by the group facilitator or coach.

Round one

The player who offered the word, perhaps “syncopation,” begins by naturally repeating the word in a set cadence that their teammates echo and emulate. While everyone should strive to establish a clear and predictable rhythm, when the word is first spoken, it’s important that improvisers just allow the intrinsic musicality of the word to emerge without imposing creative embellishments.

Led by the initial volunteer, the ensemble intones “syncopation” together until they have found a common sound and rhythm.

Round two

On the leader’s signal, players now begin to slowly break the word into its constituent sounds and elements (while maintaining the original cadence and tempo as the unifying force). Although sounds should be drawn from the given word, players can play with unique rhythms, combinations, and melodies. Throughout, participants should keep an eye (or ear) on the whole and seek to work with (rather than despite) the choices of their fellow jammers.

Player A explores sustaining a snake-like “ssss” hiss underneath the chanting group. Player B offers an almost beat box series of percussive “p” hits, while C starts to sing the word in its entirety but with a soaring melody in half-time, all while others in the circle begin to add their own unique finesses.

Round three

Players are now encouraged to wander through the space at will, jamming with classmates as they come into contact. Improvisers needn’t settle into one choice and should continue to explore the different potentials of the word. However, it’s still important for each singer to maintain an awareness of the greater soundscape and their individual place within it.

Players break the circle and continue to challenge themselves as they connect with different singers and fragments of the chosen word.

Round four

Once again, the leader provides a signal – this time for participants to re-form the original circle and return to their starting positions. As the circle coalesces, so too does the word until everyone is speaking in unison again. When the ensemble feels done, everyone stops speaking, and the warm-up is over.

The circle is re-established, and the players recite “syncopation” several more times until the group falls silent.

The Focus

Pushing the boundaries of your individual and collective musicality.

Traps and Tips

1.) Play with the sounds. Look for hidden possibilities in the inspiring word and its constituent elements (in addition to using the more obvious syllables, consonants, and vowels). Elongate short vowels, contract long ones; explore how the different consonants feel when you separate them from the base word.

2.) Play with the rhythms. Set the different elements of the word to varied tempos and rhythms. It’s helpful to make sure the initial cadence serves as a unifying foundation so that the exploration doesn’t devolve into true chaos; however, don’t shy away from bravely introducing novel patterns. If your choice proves wildly incompatible, you can always return to the original word to reset your bearings.

3.) Play with your voice. Similarly, sing out fully. Try contrasting melodies and harmonies that use different parts of your voice – your chest voice, head voice, falsetto, mix… As no one is really listening exclusively to one specific singer, it’s a great chance to just try things that you might be reluctant to try as a soloist in front of an audience. Expect that there will be a little joyful failure and cacophony and embrace that reality.

4.) Play with your teammates. Finally, don’t be afraid to be a musical thief. Boldly mirror and morph the sounds and melodies and dynamics that are being offered by your teammates. The spirit of improv, after all, constantly reminds us that the most creative choice comes from the intersection of our own instincts with those of our collaborators. Just make sure that you’re offering up as much as you’re borrowing so that others can also steal from you!

In Performance

Once your group understands the various rounds, this is a great and efficient way to get folks vocally warmed up (while also offering a chance to gradually learn everyone’s favorite words)!

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: Olivia Skvarenina
© 2024 David Charles/ImprovDr

Game Library Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Musical Eye Contact”

There are few guaranteed hits in improv, but this rather intoxicatingly silly game might come awfully close to claiming that title!

The Basics

Players explore a typical scenic premise utilizing traditional dialogue and staging, with the one notable exception that characters cannot make even brief eye contact with each other. Upon the technical improviser’s whim (or perhaps in response to a pre-established signal, such as a bell, from a caller or director), a music track plays during which players must now unflinchingly hold eye contact with each other until the soundtrack ends with similar abruptness. Typically, dialogue halts during these interludes and is replaced instead with intense stares and rich subtext.

Example

Two nervous-looking characters on a first date awkwardly shuffle the food around their respective plates, unable to look at each other all the while.

Player A: (apologetically) “I’m sorry. I know I haven’t been very good company.”

Player B: (agreeing, though kindly) “You seemed so… excited… when you asked me out at the photocopier. I’ve been waiting a long time for you to do that.”

Player A pauses playing with their cooling food, but still can’t find the courage to look up.

Player A: “You have?”

Player B: “I’m surprised you’re so surprised. Have I done something – said something – wrong?”

Player A: “No, on the contrary…”

The technical improviser introduces a lush soundtrack, cuing the two characters to lock eyes. The energy flows and builds between them as the music swells only to equally as swiftly stop which has the couple nervously returning to their meals.

Player B: (shaken, but pleasantly so) “Then I’m not imagining things…”

Player A: (anxiously clinking their fork on their plate) “I’ve thought about this moment for so long, and all the things I wanted to share and say…”

Player C, an inattentive waiter, enters without looking at either customer.

Player C: “Would either of you like to hear our dessert specials…?”

The technical improviser prepares to reintroduce the music…

The Focus

Play each moment, earn the musical connections, and mine the harsh transitions for subtextual and story discoveries.

Traps and Tips

1.) Seek contrast. I’ve erred on the side of an initial relationship with deep unspoken subtext for my example, and this tends to help the launch. That being said, the music typically pushes players towards romance (at least in my experience), so it can be nice to start a little further away from that energy, at least initially. Subsequently, there’s some wisdom in starting away from deep passions (while retaining strong foundational specifics) just to maximize the shifts in tone when the music starts and stops. Furthermore, the more grounded and real you are to start, the more fun it is for the audience when the silliness takes hold.

2.) Seek sharpness. There can be a tendency to ease into the transitions so that they feel a little more organic. While I’d usually consider such an instinct toward subtlety admirable, this game benefits from sharper shifts. Snap into holding eye contact when the music plays and then justify the rationale for the choice, allowing the music to inform this discovery as well. Similarly, be sure to break the connection the second the music stops. These crisp transitions provide much of the joy (and humor) of the scene.

3.) Seek pacing. It’s good form to start the scene with just a pair of characters as this allows you to model the central conceit while also establishing the initial relationship. While adding characters – such as the waiter above – certainly offers up fun new potentials, new entrances invariably add to the delightful chaos too when characters try to maintain strong eye contact with more than one scene partner. Don’t rush to a full stage of players as once that madness takes hold, there’s no easy going back!

4.) Seek a library. This is one of those frames that even if you have a gifted musician in your company, you’ll probably be better served by music coming from the booth as there’s something bracing about that wall of highly produced sound suddenly filling the performance space. In Gorilla Theatre, it became a norm for us to use the same song for the duration of the scene (“Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls here was a favorite). With my campus troupe, we have a collection of different songs and moods on hand and will usually switch between different choices. Both approaches work well – you’ll just want to make sure you’ve given some thought to how you can easily access your soundtracks in the heat of the improvisatory moment.

In Performance

My professional improv home is fortunate enough to have a robust stable of musicians, and so most shows include a sampling of musical improv games. If we’re down our musical director for the night (or if you play in a venue without such a collaborator), Musical Eye Contact is a great option for adding in a little music-adjacent scene work (assuming you have an adept sound technician and system at your disposal)!

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: James Berkley
© 2024 David Charles/ImprovDr

Game Library Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Move Like Me Tag”

This is a simple but fun variation on the classic tag game probably best suited to groups without mobility concerns.

The Basics

One player is “in” and must tag any other player in the space to become freed of their charge. Whatever movement quality this player assumes (tempo, height, energy…), all the escaping players must mirror and adopt. When the hunting player proves successful, the newly tagged classmate introduces a new movement that now becomes the norm.

Example

Player A moves through the space on super slow motion, prompting everyone else to do the same until they finally tag Player B.

Player B introduces a new quality of moving on bulletin tippy-toes and eventually captures the similarly moving Player C.

Player C lunges deeply and rhythmically with each new step while shaking their hands above their head…

The Focus

Exploring a wide range of different movement qualities to the best of your ability.

Traps and Tips

1.) Play to include. Most groups will include members who hold an expertise in some particular movement tradition (break dancing, martial arts, gymnastics…); it’s a bit of a spoiler to introduce a new way of moving (head spinning, barrel kicking, side splitting…) that no one other than the initiator can safely accomplish. (The prime rule of performance that everyone must remain physically safe needs to remain front of mind). The name of the game is Move Like Me Tag; implicit in this title is the invitation for others to join you joyfully in reach new piece of choreography. So, with that in mind…

2.) Play to (gently) challenge. Part of the greater goal of the game is to expand everybody’s movement vocabulary. Therefore, if every new choice is tepid or pedestrian, participants will leave the exercise no better than they found it. While balancing the above guideline, by all means, utilize training that is unique to you – just do so knowingly and proportionally. Offer up that more rudimentary dance step, martial arts quality, or gymnastic attitude. And if you’ve shot too high, feel free to simplify the idea until you feel your classmates are enjoying themselves. It can be helpful to…

3.) Play with essences… rather than attempt specific, complex maneuvers. If you’re familiar with the Laban lexicon, these types of qualities can provide promising starting points – dab, flick, glide… With younger groups, the facilitator could even announce each new inspiration and have the chaser model precisely how the group will apply it. (This type of sidecoaching could also assist more experienced groups if they’re falling into a rut of predictable patterns and styles.) Finally….

4.) Play to lose. When the desire to win supersedes the desire to explore, the game will suffer. If every chaser introduces an energy solely designed to improve their chances of “success,” or everybody avoids being tagged at all costs (thereby leaving the same one movement in play for an inordinate amount of time), or each new choice is needlessly perfunctory and anemic, then you won’t unlock much of lasting value. Instead, foster a delight in losing and assuming the lead. In fact, I’d say the game isn’t really complete until everyone has had an opportunity to introduce their movement into the mix so everyone really should lose at one point or another!

In Performance

Be wary of truly running speeds (even if you’re in a field or similarly expansive environment) as this might lead to a more aggressive style of tags that could increase the likelihood of rough play. It’s also generally helpful to have a “butcher” (is that a kiwi phrase?) or “no tag backs” rule just to keep the full ensemble involved.

Keep apprised of my ever-expanding collection of games, exercises, and warm-ups here.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: Andrew Sickles
© 2024 David Charles/ImprovDr

Game Library Expansion Pack I