Game Library: “Most Uses of an Object”

I’ve been using this improv standard as a warm-up for as long as I can remember. If you plan to play this often, you’ll want to amass a nice supply of suitably random objects (or perhaps not – see my note below).

The Basics

Players form a semicircle at the back of the stage or performance area. After a brief explanation of the game for the audience, the host or facilitator presents a suitable object, often with an introductory phrase along the lines of, “This is not a [insert object name here],” that the ensemble repeats before the emcee announces, “Show me what it is!” Random players then step forward and endow the proffered object in new and creative ways through brief vignettes, stepping back into the semicircle after each endowment. The facilitator might rotate through several objects in such a fashion.

Example

The host holds up a hula hoop and places it in the center of the stage so that it is easily accessed by the waiting improvisers.

Host: “This is not a hula hoop!”

Ensemble: “That is not a hula hoop!”

Host: (stepping out of the playing field) “Show me what it is…”

Player A steps forward, holding the hoop as if it was a detective’s magnifying glass.

Player A: “It would seem the thief’s muddy footprints lead toward the bookcase…”

The host blows their whistle (or similar) to punctuate the successful (or otherwise) communication of the idea, and Player A returns the object to the ground, which is quickly procured by another company member, B, who takes a knee and holds it up to an imaginary scene partner…

Player B: “You’ll marry me?! I never dreamed of finding love with a giant…”

The host blows their whistle again, and a new player steps forward…

The Focus

Bravery, clarity, and creativity, in equal measure.

Traps and Tips

1.) Attack. The game loses most of its entertainment value if players meander on and off the stage. As much as your mobility will allow, race into the arena with your idea, no matter how unformed it might currently be. Even a rather innocuous choice can become riveting when delivered with confidence and charm. If the ensemble as a whole is becoming sluggish, that’s a good moment to change up the object or push towards a button.

2.) Support. Don’t retreat so far into your head that you’re not giving your energy and love to others in the space. Savor your teammates’ struggles and successes. If you happen to reach for the object at the same time as a fellow improviser, figure out how to use it together. If someone needs a second body to complete their idea and signals you to enter, rush in joyfully. If the game or tempo starts to lag, bravely offer up that less-than-stellar idea so that the ensemble maintains momentum and has an extra few seconds to construct the next “better” idea.

3.) Plant. Each endowment will generally be a quick hit but give choices sufficient space to land and build. While I advocate speedy transitions so that the warmup doesn’t plod, don’t become overly rushed with the endowments themselves. Think of each creative use of the object as a scene in its own right, albeit a rather brief and pithy one. It’s much less fun to see a player half-heartedly hold the hula hoop above their head and blandly announce, “It’s a hat,” than watch a playfully constructed character find a reason for wearing such an oddity.

4.) Connect. When each justification becomes a mini scene, the likelihood for joyous connections and callbacks increases exponentially. Does one player find increasingly elaborate excuses for using every object as some kind of hat or accessory? Do we see the proposing player’s relationship with their fiancé giant evolve (or devolve?) with each subsequent round? Be careful of over-relying on this device, as it can decrease the delightful randomness at the heart of the game, but well-timed echoes can provide nice energy bumps and often serve as a helpful out for the exercise as a whole.

In Performance

I use this game often with my campus troupe, Rollins Improv Players, as our short-form shows need to fit into a 50-minute class period, and this warmup provides a fast and generally energy-boosting all-play. During the challenging years of COVID, we played the game with imaginary props to reduce unnecessary contact. I found that adjustment surprisingly effective. It also reduced the chances of objects being damaged or rolling into the audience, which was an added bonus!

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

Game Library Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Madrigal”

This is a rare musical game that doesn’t require a musician (although it does require good musicianship on the part of the improvising singers).

The Basics

Players (usually a team of four) form a very proper cluster, often facing a conducting fellow player or host. To a steady rhythm, each player takes turns singing (and repeating) a brief lyrical line. After a new offering has been established, the contributing player pulls back vocally so that each new addition has some space to be heard. After several “rounds,” the conductor (or the players) elect a particularly memorable line to serve as the climax, and their voices join to repeat it with added flare and gusto (and likely a full voiced fermata)!

Version one

Each singer obtains their own disparate phrase from the audience, such as a tabloid headline, song title, actor and their most famous movie, and a bumper sticker or product slogan. Round one consists of each player establishing (and repeating) their given line in a consistent but musically and rhythmically dynamic way. Once each offer has been heard, future rounds consist of players gently mixing and matching their base line with those of their teammates with increasingly absurd and humorous results. To facilitate fun wordsmithing, it’s helpful to make sure you have some good nouns and verbs in your initial pool of offers.

Example

Player A: (singing legato and over two full measures) “Big Foot attacks family of four…”

Player B: (after A is established and has set a steady rhythm, and in a quicker, deeper voice) “Don’t stop believing…”

Player C: (as the first two singers softly continue, and in a note staccato and rhythmically complex manner) “Tom Hanks in Castaway…”

Player D: (singing over the first three with sustained, soaring notes in half time) “You deserve a break today…”

The conductor continues to help keep the rhythm and now designates Player A again, who offers the first mashup while retaining the essence of their original melody…

Player A: “Big Foot attacks Tom Hanks’ family…”

Player B: (when signaled by the conductor) “Don’t stop believing in Big Foot…”

Player C: (on cue) “Stop Tom Hanks…”

Player D: “You deserve a family of four…”

The madrigal continues…

Version two

A platitude or similar serves as the madrigal’s launching point. Player A establishes the musicality and tempo with the line as given. Each subsequent player moves the story along “one small step” while their teammates continue to sing their prior offerings. When the story reaches a satisfying conclusion (often, but not always, an inversion of the original idea), players all sing this lyric in unison as aided by a conductor.

Example

Player A: (singing legato and over two full measures) “The grass is always greener…”

Player B: (after A is established and has set a steady rhythm, and in a quicker, deeper voice) “So much wasted water…”

Player C: (as the first two singers softly continue, and in a note staccato and rhythmically complex manner) “My neighbor is watering on non-watering days…”

Player D: (singing over the first three with sustained, soaring notes in half time) “Time to end this madness…”

The conductor continues to help keep the rhythm and now designates Player A again, who continues the story while retaining the essence of their original melody…

Player A: “Sneaking into their yard at night…”

Player B: (when signaled by the conductor) “Taking out my hammer…”

Player C: (on cue) “Smashing all their sprinkler heads…”

Player D: “Is that the neighbors’ security light…?”

The madrigal continues…

The Focus

Both versions offer some potential for storytelling, though the second iteration clearly provides a more linear approach. Lean into the formality of the event and style as it creates a great comedic juxtaposition with the generally banal content. Listening for both story and musicality cues is paramount.

Traps and Tips

1.) Pointers for both versions. Lean into the “seriousness” of the musical event, assuming a formal stance and cluster – a slightly curbed semicircle tends to help so singers can see each other and the conductor of you elect to use one (which I’d recommend unless everyone has a strong sense of musicality and can therefore essentially conduct themselves). The more you can retain a formal composite, the more delightfully ridiculous the irreverent content becomes. Regardless of whether or not you decide to utilize a conductor, it’s shrewd to place a strong singer in the first position as Player A as they’re responsible for setting the tone, style, and steady rhythm. Subsequent players should aim to lock into this first musical phrase predictably, perhaps singing in double or half time comparatively (so if Player A takes two measures to complete their lyrical line, Player B might take four or one measure instead). It also helps if at least initially singers fill the same number of measures when it’s their turn regardless of how many repeated refrains that might take. Finding how the voices can “dance” in and around each other is a major stylistic feature of the game.

2.) Pointers for version one. Once each improviser has established their lyrical and musical line, strive to maintain these essences throughout (unless a prior clunky choice demands a little creative adjusting in real time). As you enter the second round where the game becomes stealing words from each other, endeavor to keep your melody similar to your first attempt so that the greater collaborative sound remains vibrant. It’s good form not to rush into combining all four suggestions as something of this ilk tends to serve as the song’s climax. In early rounds, consider keeping the bulk of your sentence (and/or syntax). This has the added value of keeping most of your original words in the mix that your fellow players will be simultaneously looking to steal and sing. To this end, it can also be kind to return to your base lyric when you’ve had your moment in the spotlight. While it’s okay to incorporate a few insignificant words (articles and conjunctions, for example), the stated contract is that the four random lines will provide the lyrics so it’s a bit of a jarring cheat to suddenly add a string of completely unrelated words.

3.) Pointers for version two. You’ll want to follow the conventional wisdoms above in terms of tempos and musicality, maximizing how each voice embellished the greater sound of the madrigal. Content, however, is now considerably looser, and players aren’t limited to a small lexicon of words. Instead, singers should offer up small and interconnected steps for a larger story. Assuming one character or clear point of view can help a lot – in the example above, the singers are aligned with the irritated neighbor who has lawn envy. While it’s certainly possible to have everyone adopt a different character (in a Perspectives manner), this approach can unhelpfully encourage disconnected thoughts and moves and so much of the fun (and challenge) comes from gently unpacking the inherent potential of the inspiring truism.

In Performance

Even in adroit hands (and voices), this tends to be a quicker offering in a performance lineup. While your musician can take this game off (if you’re fortunate enough to play with one), they can add to the final climactic ending. With more novice singers, they could also offer the sparsest of accompaniments in order to establish and maintain a workable rhythmic template. Again, neither of these embellishments is necessary; but it is a shame to let a good musician go to waste if they’re available!

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.
© 2024 David Charles/ImprovDr

Game Library Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Machines”

This is a rather silly and fast warm-up that gets players all working together to create the inner workings of a Machine with their bodies and voices.

The Basics

The boat elicits an appropriate machine. Players step forward one at a time and enter the playing field, providing various “cogs” in the machine by providing repetitive motions and sounds. The process continues until everyone has joined the process and the machine can be viewed (and heard) in all its unlikely glory.

Example

Players explore crafting a “car.” As the lights rise, Player A steps into the middle of the playing field and moves each arm up and down in a piston-like motion while emitting a steaming sound. Once this has been established for a few seconds, Player B joins the image by making a spitting motion with their hands while providing a similar sound as if they were some form of a fuel injection system. Player C enters…

The Focus

I tend to think of this as a complementary action offensive where players each quickly add some “missing ingredient” into the picture. (Parallels can certainly have a place too – if one player provides the left front wheel of the car, it’s a nice finesse for another to provide the right front wheel…) The joy of the game directly corresponds with the level of player attack and commitment.

Traps and Tips

1.) Pace your entrances. It’s easy for the game to drag if entrances feel sluggish or reluctant. While it’s helpful to give the first player or two an opportunity to establish some basic geography and staging, each subsequent entrance should generally come a little quicker than its predecessor. Avoid multiple additions occurring all at the same time, as the audience (and fellow players) will want to see and appreciate each component, but you also don’t want glacial pauses that give the audience little to watch other than a line of anxious improvisers in their heads. Well-paced entrances will also hopefully facilitate more balanced staging and levels.

2.) Establish then retreat. Especially if you’re playing this with a more sizeable group, you’ll want to hit the stage with a strong action and accompanying noise so that the audience knows where to look next. Once you’re in the mix, however, it’s considerate to pull back your sound a little (in particular) so that later additions have some physical and acoustic room of their own to shine. It’s a shame for the arc of the warm-up for the last players to immediately get lost in the shuffle, or for more self-conscious participants to wimp and offer the most meager of sounds in the hopes of not being noticed.

3.) Find the music. Rhythm is your friend, and when players start to view the machine as a musical opportunity, the warm-up tends to blossom. Consider which metaphoric instrument in the orchestra you might provide as the contraption takes shape. When the final machine includes pounding percussion, screeching strings, soaring winds, and resonate brass instruments, the final result can be rather impressive in spite of the seemingly simple conceit. If you’re personally a little rhythmically challenged, it can be an act of ensemble love to defer to others to at least get the machine cranking before making your entrance.

4.) Take it home. If the ensemble is attentive and aggressive, the machine can assemble quite quickly. A playfully attacked construction can be quite successful in its own right, but there are also some inherited conventions that can help secure a strong button. While I’m not a big fan of using language in the machine in general (as players can tend to cop out and just passively say a word rather than really commit to a sound) a final entrance as the character “using” the machine often plays well and, in this situation, they might utter a brief phrase (and repeat it in the established cadence). If you are playing with an emcee or caller at your disposal, they can also offer an adjustment to help facilitate the climax such as “the car is running out of petrol,” or “the car is falling in love…”

In Performance

Machines offers a nice quick warm-up that can easily accommodate a larger cast. In addition to using mechanical objects as your inspiration (it’s difficult to see the inner workings of a stationary prop like a pencil or brick!) I’ve also had some success creating machines that explore an emotion or state of being. In this situation, each addition embodies a more metaphoric idea, so if you’re making a scene that explores “love,” perhaps a player might enter and sigh as they hug and release the air.

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

Connected Concept: Story Series for Improv I

Game Library: “Lounge Lizards”

Lounge Lizards offers a challenging musical decider for all your short-form needs.

The Basics

Players sing excerpts of well-known songs that feature the specific word on which their opponent ended the prior song lyric. If the new singer is unable to provide a sung solution to the riddle in a set time (usually a five-second countdown facilitated by the host or emcee), or the crowd judged that they have “cheated” by inventing a song or smudging the pertinent lyric, they are disqualified by an audience-provided buzzer sound or similar. Each start (or re-start) is usually initiated from a new song suggestion from the audience. The elimination continues until only one player (or team) remains.

Version one

Players perform in two opposing teams, often behind two mic stands on either side of the stage. Each new lyric challenge can be met by any player in the opposite camp who quickly steps up to their microphone to sing their lyrical offering before the countdown expires.  This format tends to last longer – possibly problematically so – as there are more players actively in play at any given moment.

Version two

Here, players form one straight line on the lip of the stage. If opposing teams are in the mix, members should elect to stand beside their competition (rather than teammates) whenever possible. Play passes sequentially down the line (stage right to stage left and then back around) with only the next player facing the challenge of conjuring an appropriate song.

Example

Player A gets “Love Me Do” to start the game as their fellow improvisers form a line beside them (as in version two above).

Player A: “Love, love me do. You know I love you.” (They repeat “you,” so the next player knows the relevant offer.)

Caller: “You. Five, four, three, two…”

Player B: (interrupting the countdown to start singing) “You are so beautiful to me, can’t you see.” (They repeat “see” for the audience and next singer.)

Caller: “See. Five, four, three…”

Player C: (interrupting the countdown to start singing) “Oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early light.” (They repeat “light” for clarity.)

Caller: “Light. Five, four, three, two, one…”

Player D: (hurriedly, unconvincingly, out of tune and off tempo) “And you, you light up my life…”

The audience makes a buzzer sound, and D is eliminated... The next player gets a new suggestion, and the game restarts.

The Focus

As a decider, the game is largely about attack, playfulness, and building rapport with your audience.

Traps and Tips

1.) Play generously. Especially as the game begins, offer your teammates workable words to riff on. Player C, for example, could have pitched “dawn’s” as a guaranteed stumper but give the audience a taste of success before raising the heat. Deciders can tend to fall flat if there’s no momentum or initial display of finesse. Sure, if you’re four minutes into the game, stumpers are likely needed, but don’t let the desire to “win” to undermine the display of improvisational play and fun.

2.) Play by the rules. You’ll want to set clear expectations and infractions up front, such as that players don’t need to start each subsequent lyric with the proffered word. Some rules will undoubtedly be discovered in the flow of performance: one audience might enjoy Player C using a homonym of “sea” when they start singing the alphabet song, while another will buzz it out immediately. Either is fine, particularly when led by the audience (perhaps with a little cajoling from the caller). Generally, avoid using the same song twice or passing on the same word just for the sake of variety.

3.) Play around the rules. This exercise falls under the “parlor game” category of show elements. As such, it can grow stale quickly if players are bland, inept, or only playing the dynamic on a surface level – dare I say, just trying to win but little else. Few of us would want to watch others play a Monopoly game for any length of time, and so we shouldn’t inflict that on an audience either! A little mischievousness, charm, and personality will go a long way to adding to the event and introducing the players’ quirks to the crowd. Perhaps all of A’s songs are Beetles hits, or B always includes crisp choreography, or C is the least able singer of the cast but always sings out the loudest… Don’t let the decider be just a parlor game. With that in mind…

4.) Play to lose. I prefer the second version as it tends to force outs when only one player is in the hotseat at a time, but in either iteration, it’s a rare feat for the crowd to be enjoying the game as much in minute eight as they were in minute two. Sneaking the occasional made-up song past the audience is delightful, but there may come a time when players (or the caller) need to give permission or encourage eliminations just to keep things moving. As always, modeling happy losing is a great way of demonstrating the spirit of improv, too.

In Performance

This can be a little rough to sit through if you’re playing in an ensemble without any able singers – even if the players themselves like the challenge – so schedule this warmup in your lineups accordingly. And if you’re the host or caller, keep it moving!

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

Game Library Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Lost Musical”

This form can inspire a short-form scene, a longer vignette (I’m not a fan of mid-form as a designation!), or a full-fledged long-form one act. You’ll need an able musician or band for the fun, and possibly a willing and responsive audience member too.

The Basics

A historian figure (or figures) recalls the basic premise and story elements of a Lost Musical that is then reenacted by awaiting singers who perform the cued musical numbers.

Variation One

In the short-form version, a fellow player offers two of three musical moments from the concocted musical that is generally inspired by an audience title or topic. This narrator may edit each number boldly so as to keep the scene moving forward at a jaunty pace. “And in this next number, we see the stirring ballad of our protagonist as they finally come to terms with their mortality…”

Variation Two

For the longer iteration, an audience member volunteers who is either a fellow historian or expert on the chosen topic/musical, or their life becomes the inspiration for the action, with a guiding improviser asking leading questions to move them from one important moment of their life to another. These (generally “true”) story snippets inspire brief songs that portray and embellish upon the provided biographical information or field of expertise. “That’s a really moving story about your first love on the baseball mound in grade school. It’s not surprising that it became such a rousing opening song entitled ‘Out of My League.’ Let’s watch that now.”

Variation Three

In a more leisurely long-form setting, much of the Lost Musical may now be performed, with the narrator(s) or historians(s) providing contextualizing information that moves the action from one song to the next. Here, variety becomes key, as does an eye to crafting a more robust story arc or homage to musical traditions. You may have a team of four or five singing improvisers at your disposal, or an entire cast of a dozen or more (in which case, improvisers might need to work in smaller sub-groups to help manage the fun). “After that memorable opening number, the musical radically shifts gears. We see a distraught mother and her child, huddled on a street corner as the Christmas shoppers disappear back to their warm and decorated homes. This is perhaps the most touching number of the piece, ‘A Cold Holiday…'”

The Focus

Tell the story. Sing the song. Follow the fun.

Traps and Tips

1.) Narration pointers. If you’re narrating without an audience volunteer, strive for rich conciseness and clear gifts. Ideally, your narrative will set the singing improvisers up for a clear starting point that is energized and ripe with musical potential. When you have a lot of players on your bench, you might want to go so far as to name different improviser combinations to move the work and fun around (a lot of the singing can fall on the shoulders of a singular protagonist, for example, if you’re not mindful). Don’t overlook or under-estimate the performance value of this role, but keep in mind you’re primarily serving your teammates by helping them leap over the often-chunky transitions. If you’re ambiguous or unclear, you might add to rather than reduce hesitance and confusion. If you’re narrating with an audience member, know that non-improvisers, in particular, benefit from explicit and loaded prompts and expectations. It’s easy to have the energy dissipate if your “chat times” become meandering or effusive. (This is why I’d tend to say that including a non-player in the mix will automatically increase the length of your scene to the 8–10-minute range at least, whether that’s your intention or not.) If your audience partner is struggling, get simple elements from them – “Remind me where you first met your spouse” – and then springboard that quickly into a song premise.

2.) Scenic pointers. Although most of the scenic work will usually occur in song, and each transition might be accompanied by your improvising musician right off the bat, don’t forget the value of the spoken and acted transitions. If your narrator and/or audience volunteer are pitching unfinished starting points, there’s a lot you can do with two or three well-chosen and confidently delivered lines of dialogue as the musical play-in begins. Whether this is quickly getting that CROW out in a helpful way, establishing a song-worthy point of view, crafting a new and interesting stage picture or activity, or clearly identifying the first singer and giving them strong focus, these albeit brief scenic vignettes can work wonders for setting everyone up for success. Even if you’re playing in a really long-form setting, you should probably avoid making these truly fleshed out scenes as the premise is that the narrator or historian is “skipping over the boring parts” so you can get to the songs.

3.) Song pointers. It’s definitely an art crafting a tight and building song, and this game demands that you have some improvisers (if not many) with this skill set securely in their pocket. Make sure you’re positioning your players for success. If you have non-singers with great narrative skills, make sure you’re exploiting them in the historian position while those with powerhouse voices should probably be featured in your solos and showstoppers. Play to strength. The narrator offers a helpful mechanism to rescue or edit songs that might be careening off the tracks or starting to outlive their entertainment value. If you’re striving for a longer performance event, it’s worth your time to workshop some various structures (solos, duets, group numbers…), genres (blues, Broadway, soul…), and functions (“I want song,” up-tempo or patter pieces, finale…) just so that every number doesn’t start to feel the same.

In Performance

I’ve played Lost Musical in short-form shows, as the culmination of a one-day workshop, for the final of a semester-long musical improvisation class, and as the inspiration of a professional festival offering (as pictured above). In each case, the results have been joyful and bracing. I wish you similar success with your rediscovered musical masterpieces!

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

Game Library Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Liquid Change”

Alternatively known as Liquid Freeze, I picked up this game at the Comedy Warehouse where it was some castmates’ favorite. It works best as a two-hander with limited set pieces in my experience (perhaps with some limited side support), but its conceit also strikes me as a cool dynamic to inspire or feature in a longer piece.

The Basics

Player may start from a suggestion or merely from “nothing” or a silent movement exploration (think mirroring or similar). When inspiration strikes, either player may initiate the first step of a premise or relationship. This scene continues until either player feels the need to cue a Liquid Change when the current poses or dynamic morphs and serves as the starting point for a new, typically unrelated scenario. (Some players prefer returning to the slow-motion dance-like exploration between each vignette and allow this to deepen and then launch the action.) Players explore multiple new relationships and premises in this fashion, perhaps electing to return to the initial dynamic to serve as the culmination of the greater scene.

Example

Players A and B explore the space in silent motion, allowing their physicality to shape and enrich each other’s energy and presence. When a suitably interesting pose emerges, with both players lying on the stage floor looking upwards, Player A initiates a scene.

Player A: “I’m just saying that I can’t ever seem to find the big dipper, no matter how many directions you give me, honey.”

Player B: (gently and lovingly laughing) “I appreciate that you keep trying regardless.”

Player A: “I’m sorry that you married a peasant who doesn’t share your nuanced understand of the heavens.”

Player B: “I married a wonderful person who tries to share my passion and interests. I am not complaining.”

They take each other’s hands.

Player B: “Can you believe that this time next year, we’ll be parents?”

Player A: “If everything goes to plan…”

Player B: (encouragingly) “Which it will…”

A few scenic beats later, when the couple have stood and are dancing to the music playing on A’s cell phone, both players let that energy naturally develop until they have struck a new pose with B’s hands flat against the “fourth wall” and B sitting huddled in a corner.

Player B: “They’ve definitely forgotten us. There’s no one out there…”

Player A: (rocking and nervously) “Anita said she would go and get help. She wouldn’t lie to us…”

Player B: (profoundly) “Unless they got to her.”

The scene continues through multiple iterations…

The Focus

Be open to exploring and moving through the space without trying to lead you and your partner to a pre-loaded idea. These interstitial moments of play should become generative and may be as interesting and entertaining as the scenes they jumpstart.

Traps and Tips

1.) Inspiration can come from anywhere. Don’t limit yourself or your instincts when it comes to finding each new scene. Yes, those movement sequences should likely inform your first moment (alongside, perhaps, an audience suggestion). Yes, your prior scenes will likely inform those that follow. Yes, the audience’s reactions will likely shape the borders of the map as well. And yes, your partner’s choices and initiations will certainly open up new vistas too. Enjoy that all of this is true and that there isn’t one solution.

2.) Enjoy and break emerging patterns. This game can prove to be a little diagnostic in that you might soon realize your own trends as a player. If you always feel the need to say the first contextualizing line, or you always assume parallel movement qualities to your partner, or you always rush to connect your current scene to those that came before in terms of content and theme, or your scenes always limp along slowly without any clear CROW ingredients, then you might want to at least occasionally explore the other side of the coin. I like using this exercise as an unobserved warm-up with pairs for this reason, as you get a lot of improvisation into one exercise and can learn a great deal about how you play with your partner.

3.) Unleash your inner sense of play. As the form is so loose and self-guided, there aren’t a lot of ways to be “wrong” – whatever that might mean to you. Scenes might last for a few minutes each – especially if you’re performing under parameters that can accommodate this level of patience. Or, you might have one or more quick hits or “blackouts.” Be wary of viewing the non-scenic moments as just “something to get through.” Firstly, this will all-but guarantee that the audience will feel the same. Secondly, these movement-based “dances” can and perhaps should be as much creative fun as the scenes themselves.

In Performance

As I revisit this dynamic, I can recall shows that use some iteration of this dynamic to frame a longer piece, especially when working with a smaller cast. Liquid Change won’t feel as fast or gimmicky as a lot of similar games in the short-form canon, especially as the transitions aren’t being marked or prompted by a sharp “Freeze” call (hence my preference for this name). Therein lies the power and potential of the format!

New to ImprovDr.com or the Game Library? Over 200 detailed and curated games, exercises, and warm-ups await you here.

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

Game Library Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Lines From Texts”

This is a “nice” twist on a classic improv short-form game. I’ve put nice in quotation marks as the results can often tend more towards the “naughty” depending on your source material!

The Basics

One brave audience member volunteers their cell phone, unlocks it, and opens up a text thread before giving it to a predetermined improviser (“A”). For the resulting scene, this player may only use lines pulled from that text thread as their dialogue, which their teammates must work to incorporate and justify.

Example

Player A waits offstage with their volunteered phone (likely looking for a promising first line) while two teammates (B and C) begin a scene based on the suggestion of “messy roommate.”

Player B: (vacuuming the floor) “It’s a clear violation of our roommate agreement. You can’t persuade me otherwise…”

Player C: (picking up some carelessly discarded trash) “I’m just saying that if this feels like a trap… we should give him a chance to explain his behavior.”

Player B: (with a loaded look) “He’s never going to date you, you know that, don’t you?”

Player C: “You can be an awful friend, you know that? This has nothing to do with my feelings for…”

The door rattles heralding A’s entrance.

Player B: “I’m not living like this anymore.”

Player A: (reading from the chat thread verbatim) “The next round is on me!”

Player B: (under their breath) “it’s not even lunchtime…”

Player C: “You seem to be in a good mood this morning.”

Player A: (reading) “You’re only young and beautiful once, am I right…?”

The Focus

Guide and savor the madness while trying to add the reader’s peanut butter to the other players’ jelly.

Traps and Tips

1.) For the setup. Make sure the audience member fully understands the ask before giving up their phone. The scene will feel icky if the volunteer isn’t in on the joke. Depending on your venue and content guidelines, you might need to work to get a “suitable for work” text thread. If in doubt, be explicit with the audience in terms of the game and its needs. I’ve seen players find it useful to ask for a specific group message thread or similar (rather than freely moving between any and all conversations) as this gives the volunteer a little say in what they are willing to divulge. Group threads can also have the benefit of offering multiple voices to choose from, which often proves advantageous.

2.) For the scene start. The current wisdom in my improv circles is to have (generally) two players begin the scene without their phone-bound teammate. By doing so, you can provide some unobstructed CROW and given circumstances, setting the “norm” or platform before Player A enters with likely mayhem. In addition to getting the scene rolling and building the world, you can also establish the missing player’s general deal or energy as they’ll have a difficult time concisely doing this while only using text dialogue. As noted above, giving the reader 10 or 20 seconds to scan the potentials of their borrowed phone can also set them up for greater playfulness and success.

3.) For the non-readers. The heavy lifting of this scene really rests on these improvisers’ shoulders (even though it might look otherwise to the audience). Share focus with great deliberateness. This game is a relative of Columns, Hesitation Speech, and Papers where random offers are strategically woven into the action (usually with the express intention of disrupting it or adding surprise). While the phone reader might thrive and easily add their voice at will, they’ll usually benefit from some good old-fashioned focus gives and lead ins. Narrow questions can become needlessly cumbersome if overused: “What should we have for dinner?” Consider more open-ended handoffs instead: “What do you have to say for yourself?” The game loses steam if you repeatedly make Player A scroll endlessly for a phrase that is vaguely appropriate. And avoid the cop out of coding the trader as “crazy.”

4.) For the reader. You’ll want to be generous with your fellow players as well. Bombarding them with a string of non sequiturs without leaving sufficient room for nuanced justifications will likely suffocate the story (and tempt your teammates to just dismiss you as “crazy”). You’ll rarely find the perfect response so happily settle for the first thing you find that’s vaguely in the ballpark. As you don’t have much flexibility with your language, make sure you are also making strong staging, emotional, and subtextual offers. I’ve standardized my spelling in the above example, but fewer and fewer of us text with the same attention to detail that we’d give a more formal piece of writing. Shorthand and misspellings can add another level of fun.

In Performance

Actor’s Nightmare provides an old-world iteration of this dynamic with one significant distinction (other than the level of technology). In the current updated version under consideration, the reading player will generally scroll around and randomly choose helpful (or not so helpful) dialogue as it presents itself. In Nightmare, the conceit is that the reading player is providing the “correct” dialogue; for this reason, they should stick to providing one character’s dialogue in its original written sequence.

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

Game Library Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Last Word, First Word”

This short-form game tills similar terrain as Reiterate/Repeat in that players cannot make their own offers without first utilizing the choices of their stage partners.

The Basics

Every line of dialogue in a scene must begin with the last word of the prior line of dialogue.

Example

Two circus clowns have just returned to their trailer after a grueling performance.

Player A: (as they remove their nose) “That was a difficult show.”

Player B: (as they slip off their oversized hoop pants) “Show me one good reason to come back tomorrow.”

Player A: (taking off their curly wig) “Tomorrow is another day, with a different audience.”

Player B: (hanging up their pants) “Audiences, Twinkles, just aren’t the same anymore.”

Player A: (sitting at the makeup table and reaching for a wipe) “More and more kids would rather just be sitting in front of their screens…”

The Focus

While this game looks very similar on paper to Last Letter, First Letter, it can exercise surprisingly different improv muscles. Unlike its variant which requires some spelling and language finessing, Last Word, First Word invites players to more closely scrutinize how they use their dialogue.

Traps and Tips

1.) Think essence. Don’t get too caught up in the absolute minutiae of the prior, inspiring word. (I think it’s a mistake to set the game up with this expectation for the audience, too.) In my example above, I’ve deliberately used homonyms (“show”), pluralized a word (“audiences”), and taken the second half of a compound word (“more”) to demonstrate that these all feel like appropriate repetitions to our ear. Honor the spirit of the launch word, rather than get bogged down in wrestling your sentences to obey precise grammar rules and idiosyncrasies. You’ll want to be careful of sloppily including preambles or utterances before you use the word in question, but taking artistic liberties to keep the story and action engaging and interesting are more than okay in my book.

2.) Think variety. I’d advise generally allowing sentences to form as they will, and end on the word that just happens to come out. That being said, there is some value in being a little strategic. If you always end your dialogue with your scene partner’s name, for example (or any other word, for that matter), that can become a little unhelpful once the initial joy of the challenge wears off. Having a philosophy of striving to offer up different final words (a least more times than not) expands the content of the game in fun and interesting ways, especially if you allow yourself to apply the above tip and use those words freely as jumping off points. If you’re heading accidentally to that same word again and it’s already been amply used, that would be a good moment to add a little postscript to your line, “you know,” “isn’t it,” “I’ve been told…” just to keep things interesting.

3.) Think subtext. Avoid the temptation to just parrot back the last word of your scene partner’s sentence to them. In my experience, this default approach often introduces a needlessly confrontational, questioning, or sarcastic tone that can loop content in less-than compelling ways: “Show? What do you mean show?” A little of that interplay can certainly add some fun and energy, but the scene will deepen if you really act your lines rather than just repeat words without clear intention. There’s no prize for speaking immediately, and a little earned silence will build suspense and interest. When you filter the required word through your established and evolving character’s point of view, you’re likely to create a more enticing and engaging relationship and story arc.

4.) Think brevity. And speaking of subtext, if you embrace shorter lines (so as to keep the improv ping pong game flowing), that will also encourage using your words in richer and more loaded ways. There are always exceptions to the “rules,” but as is the case with other iterations, there’s an expectation that no one player will hold onto the focus for too long. Long, winding passages decrease the challenge and effectiveness of the central device, especially when they are used as a way of evading the expected give and take. Concise dialogue, on the other hand, keeps the collaborative high wire act exciting as any final word might tilt the power balance or send the scene lurching in a completely unanticipated direction.

In Performance

This game seems much easier than its closely related kin Last Letter, First Letter. While their names and rules are similar, I find this variant surprisingly more difficult, especially if you’re committed to crafting a patient and nuanced scene.

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: “Last Letter, First Letter”

In addition to serving as a worthy language challenge, Last Letter, First Letter can also open up your dialogue in new and creative ways.

The Basics

All scenic dialogue must obey one simple (but demanding) rule: the current line must begin with the last letter of its predecessor.

Example

Two highschoolers sit on the edge of a community swimming pool, dangling their legs into the water.

Player A: “So, the prom is in two weeks.”

Player B: (obliviously) “Sure is.”

Player A: “Seems like everyone already has a date.”

Player B: “Everyone I know.”

Player A: “Well, not everyone…”

The Focus

Good give and take, active listening, and bold accepting will help fuel the engine of the game.

Traps and Tips

The techniques involved in this scenic dynamic have a lot in common with Alphabet Game, which you can review here. Most of these pointers are explicated further there.

1.) Stick your landing. Meandering sentences with unclear endings won’t help your teammates, so get out of your sentences cleanly and without unnecessary (and unspellable) utterances. Remember that your partner needs to know what letter they’re obliged to use, and they can’t do that if you don’t offer them a clear and definitive choice.

2.) Pass the ball. Especially when your scene involves more than two characters, endeavor to resolutely give focus so that the likely next speaker is clear to everyone. This prevents overtalking and the potential of multiple justifications of the same letter. The general contact of the game is that players won’t typically speak twice in a row either. (Long, multi-sentence speech acts can be confusing in this regard, too, as it will become confusing where one “sentence” ends and another begins, or if the monologuing player should essentially play the game with themselves.)

3.) Get off the bench. Here’s my perennial advice for language games: don’t make it only about the words. Our two highschoolers will likely be served by embracing some activity and action. It’s fine to start simply, and improvisers might need a few beats to settle into the rhythm and peculiarities of the language device. However, if you’re only thinking about your words, it’ll be difficult to build energy, so commit physically to the world of the play.

4.) Don’t be a jerk. A little playful shivving will likely occur, but this is markedly different that doggedly trying to end all your sentences with “box” and “fez.” I find it exponentially more delightful when players stumble accidentally into challenging letters than when you feel an improviser desperately forcing a doozy into the mix. While it’s helpful to be mindful that you’re not ending on the same word (or letter) time and again, let the scrabble tiles fall where they will and just craft your dialogue from there. Then if an “x” appears organically, the audience will love the resulting struggle.

In Performance

Language handles are popular mainstays in short-form shows. This game provides a nice (and potentially subtle) alternative to more common offerings while also allowing you to enjoy something resembling an open scene. Check out my previous Game Library entry, Last Letter Circle (here) if you’re looking for a good skills warm-up before leaping into the deep end.

Remember, you can expand your improv vocabulary with The Improv Dictionary now on sale 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: “Last Letter Circle”

Get ready to restart this one a few times!

The Basics

Played in a circle (surprise!), players establish a steady rhythm – I use two thigh slaps, followed by two finger snaps. The first player offers a word to their right (on the third beat or first finger snap). The tagged player then offers a new word that begins with the last letter of the prior word to the next improviser in the circle. Words continue to move around in this manner with two notable exceptions. If a new word ends in a vowel, then the direction changes so that now the prior player goes next (see below). Secondly, (and perhaps optionally), if a word ends in “y,” the speaking player can throw the focus to someone across the circle, who then passes the next inspired word in the direction of their choosing.

Example

The beat begins with each new word being provided on the “three.”

Player A: (to their right) “Profit”

Player B: (to their right) “Teacher”

Player C: (to their right) “Recoil”

Player D: (to their left due to the vowel ending) “Love”

Player C: (to their left) “Ecstatic”

Player B: (to their left) “Colorful”

Player A: (across the circle to “H” due to the “y” ending) “Lazy”

Player H: (to their right) “Yum…”

The Focus

This exercise has a word association on steroids vibe to it, although the spelling element adds a level of challenge and self-awareness that some may find joyful while others initially will not. If you’re looking to expand your vocabulary, warm-up for games like Alphabet Game, Alliteration, and Last Letter, First Letter, or develop a sense of poetic or genre-specific style, this frame will serve well as a brainstorming device.

Traps and Tips

1.) Start slowly. I’ve found most students (understandably) struggle with the competing mechanics at play, so give everyone a fighting chance by setting (and maintaining) a modest tempo, at least when the game is new. When words appear anywhere in the rhythmic accompaniment, it’s easy to throw each other off. In the example above, it appears as if players know which direction they will send the focus before they say their word, but in reality, this is rarely the case, so you’ll want to give each player the full four beats to get their word out and then direct the flow. It’s also important for players to get in the habit of saying something on the appropriate bat so the association chain remains unbroken, even if their word in no way honors the other rules of the game.

2.) Think small. I model most new games in one all-inclusive circle, but if you’re playing in a larger ensemble (more than eight or so players), you might want to break into smaller groups for the actual explorations. With newer players – and more experienced improvisers too, for that matter – the direction of the word passes is generally rather random and left up to chance. Subsequently, it’s easy for a section of the circle to become over- or under-featured. The “y” rule can also help in this regard, but such deliberate throws are few and far between when players are still just struggling to say any word on the beat. “Think small” is also helpful advice in terms of your initial word choices too, especially when you’re learning the game fundamentals. It’s more helpful to confidently over a two- or three-letter word on time than flub over something polysyllabic a moment or two too late. Gibberish or invented utterances are also problematic as they’ll invariably cause stalling spelling questions.

3.) Avoid homonyms. This is probably another “higher level” piece of advice, but the game can quickly grind to a halt if players aren’t sure which there/their/they’re is being used. When they do pop up – or when a player isn’t 100% sure of a word’s spelling, make your educated best guess – and just move on with a clear focus give. (The original speaker can help, too, by making a bold direction choice – “there” and “they’re” end in a vowel so will reverse the flow; “their” ends in a consonant, and so would keep the flow going.) It’s tempting to allow “dictionary police” to enter the game, and critique spelling errors, but don’t get distracted by the minutiae. If every offer is put under the microscope, you’ll quickly create the conditions where players will be afraid to say anything, and the game is challenging enough without the pressure of always being right. To that end…

4.) Embrace slips. Say the next word that appears to meet the current needs of the game, and then continue with playfulness and confidence; applaud wildly when breakdowns occur that require a deep breath and fresh start.

In Performance

Once the basics of the game are known and don’t feel too overwhelming, you can also add an overlay of a category (“words fit for a poem”), time period (“words fit for the ancient Greeks”), or show-specific style (“words you might use in a crime procedural”). In this way, the game can be used as a way of deepening your vocabulary bank or exploring less mundane word choices.

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

Game Library Expansion Pack I