What is Improvisation?!

Improvisation, or ‘Improv’ is a term for ‘making things up. Theatrical improvisation is a specific art form of entertainment, where scenes are made up on the spot in front of an audience.

Below, we’ve got some basic improv tips and suggestions, for learning on your own, or hosting your own improv party!

Don’t forget, you can hire us to come and teach your group or company how to do improv, or to hire us to do a show for you people. Why? Because you love them!

If you want to take classes, you can take them through our upcoming courses with ImprovWizards!

Improvisation Comedy was made popular on TV by the show “Whose Line is it Anyway” starting in the 90’s.

Improv Games

Instructions for some of our favorite games.

Party Games/Exercises

Freeze Tag
This game can go on for hours. Two players begin a scene. Try to get out the ‘who, what, and where’ right off the bat. At any point during the scene, another player can yell “FREEZE.” The players will then freeze their body position. The new player will replace and assume the position of either one of the frozen improvisers from the scene. Then a new scene begins based on the new physical positions from the freeze.
Dont’ let individual scenes go on too long.

Cocktail Party
Everyone creates a character for this exercise. Everyone in the group simply moves about talking to each other, as if they were at a party, in their character. As each player talks to other players, they will discover things about their character. This is a game in which questions are encouraged.

Musical Jam
Everyone stands in a circle. One at a time, the players will introduce a vocal musical element, layering so that they all fit together. The first few can be rhythm and bass line, and melodies and back-up harmonies come later. This is very free form. Each player should listen and try to make their part fit with the others. If you want, you can take turns singing solos and verses.

Machine
Players create a machine using their bodies in repetitive movements and sounds. Start with one player and add one player at a time. This is a great warm-up and warm-down game.

Performance Games

Replay Scene
Two-three actors perform a short neutral scene. Then they ‘replay’ the scene imposing different genre on the scene like horror, or science fiction. Emotions and musical styles are also fun to play with here. Repeat the scene with 3 different genres, emotions, or styles.

Returns
One player attempts to return an item to the store with no knowledge of what the item actually is. The shop keeper give hints and leads the guesser eventually and hopefully to making the correct guess. Avoid making guess after guess. Try to figure out before making blatant guesses.

Half-Life
The players do a scene in one minute. Then they must repeat the same scene in 30 seconds. Then they do the same scene in 15 seconds. Then 7 seconds. Then 3 seconds.

New Choice
The actors do a scene. When the faciliator hears something they’d like to change they say ‘new choice.’ Then the player who just spoke must make a new choice.

Three-Headed Expert
Three players answer questions from the audience, but they can only answer one word at a time. Start with the same person each time, it makes it a lot easier.

Forward/Reverse
Three players do a scene while a facilitator ‘remote controls’ the scene. When he says “reverse,” the players then do the scene in reverse from that point. When he says “forward” again, they go back to forward motion of the scene. All dialogue and actions should be done in reverse. The sentence structure of each sentence stays normal, but the order of the sentences is in reverse.

Expert Interview
One actor interviews another about something they know nothing about. The actor being interviewed must play an expert on the subject and make up details to questions from the interviewer. This is a good game to practice confidence.

Learn Improv Basics

Yes. We ARE making it up as we go! A good improv scene can leave the audience in disbelief – in disbelief that it was really made up on the spot.

The trick is, that just like any other craft or skill, there are fundamental principles that govern a good improv scene or good improv work by any player. These skills can be learned and practiced, just like practicing kicking a soccer ball or swinging a baseball bat. Remember to keep your eye on the ball!

Basic Scene Improv Guidlines

1) Make an Offer
Here is where every scene starts: with an Offer. An offer is anything that adds any kind of information to a scene. It can be the simple, or complex.

A Simple Offer:
“Good morning, Jake.”
This quick offer adds 2 simple bits of information. It establishes the fact that it is morning, and that the other character’s name is Jake.

A More Complex Offer:
“Doctor Lazarus, thank goodness you’ve scrubbed in. The patient is open on the table and his new liver has just arrived.”
It may not be brilliant, but it’s specific. The information paints an instant picture of a hospital O.R. with smocks and scrubs, it implies a relationship between the speaker and the newly labeled doctor, and adds some drama to the scene. It also gives the scene a place to go, although the options are still endless.

Scenes progress as we Add Information. The quality and specificity of the information can determine the richness of the scene.

But how does a player deal with information that is offered by another player? This leads us to…

2) Accept the Offer/Acceptance/Agreement
Comedy Improv is a collaborative art; “acceptance” is the priceless priciple that allows scenes to flow. The concept is very simple: when an Offer is made, the other players must accept the offer that has been given.

Yes, and…
Essential, an improv scene is made up of playing the game ‘yes and.’ This simply means that whatever offer is made to you, it is your responsability to accept that offer (yes), and then add a new piece of specific information (and).

That’s it! Accept each offer, and add specific information.

3) Listen
Listen! Listen! Listen!
It sounds so simple, but when people get nervous, they don’t listen. They plan their own agenda and force it on the other player.

Relax! Take a breath! Listen to the offers from the other player!

If you don’t listen to the offer, there is no way you can accept it. If you’re not listening, you may as well be doing improv by yourself.

If you listen, then accept, and make your reaction based upon the offer just given, your scene will flow and people will enjoy doing improvisation with you.

4) Avoid Questions
Questions are to be avoided because they don’t add information to a scene. They shift responsibility for adding the information to the other players. Of course some questions are ok, but in general they are to be avoided.

PLAYER 1: “What’s that over there?”
This question forces the other player to answer, and essentially controls their choices for the next move in the scene.

Here is the same offer, but rephrased as a statement that adds information:

PLAYER1: “Look at that over there! I haven’t seen a time machine since 205 A.D.”

If you find yourself asking questions, just begin rephrasing it as a statement.

“He who asks questions is a theif.”

5) Play
Have fun! Don’t overanalyze everything. Say the first the first thing that comes into your head. It can be easier than you think.

We improvise every day in every conversation we ever have. The only difference is that in an improv scene, you’re playing a game and people may be watching you to be entertained.

Improv Tips

Scene Building Tips

1) You are Tellling a Story
Good scenework is good storytelling. Many of the same storytelling principles apply. The biggest difference is that your working as a team to make a story and you’re acting it out and writing it all at the same time as you go!

2) Establish the Who, What and Where
All stories have a who, what, and where.

WHO
The “Who” is both your character and the relationship to the other characters in the scene.

WHAT
The “What” is both what activity is going on in the scene and, what is REALLY GOING ON in the scene. Two characters may have the activity of knitting and chatting, but what’s really going on is that one is trying to steal the secret recipe from the other.

WHERE
The “Where” is where the scene takes place. Is it in a Hotel Lobby? In your living room? At the Taj Majal? In your living room at the Taj Majal?

You can always get more specific with the location. Yes, we may know you’re in the living room, but where is the couch? Show us the shag carpet, or the torches on the wall. These details paint the picture for us to really enter the scene with you.

3) Advance and Expand
Scene Improv can go in two directions: You can ADVANCE the story, or move the plot forward, or you can EXPAND and get more specific with one element of the story.

Advancing:
Joe put his hand on the doorknob. He turned it and pulled the door open. He walked in, slamming the door behind him and stomped to the dresser. He opened the top drawer, rifled through the underwear and pulled out….

Expanding:
Joe turned the doorknob and pulled the door open. There was a horrific creaking noise as the door moved along it’s old rust hinges. Surely his parents would awaken…no-one could sleep through that kind of noise. He stopped the door to stop the creaking, but there was not enough room for him to fit through without opening the door further. Joe looked at the hinges; if he could only open the door a few more inches he could slip through.

The advancing expample moves the action forward with event followed by event. The expanding example basically takes one event, the opening of the door, and adds drama by giving us more information and danger.

A mixture of both techniques are very usefull in an improv scene or a story.

4) Relationship: Make the Scene about the Characters Onstage
We want to see what is going down between the characters onstage. It can be really boring for the characters onstage to talk about how they are really upset with someone who isn’t even there. We want to see the sparks fly between the characters onstage

5) Play Characters that can Add Information
Information and offers advance a scene. If you play a character who can’t add information or make offers, you can’t advance the scene.
For this reason, avoid playing:

• young children & babies
• mentally deranged people
• animals
• people who can’t talk for whatever reason
• strangers (they have no relationship history to draw on)

While these types of characters can be fun now and then to add to a scene, keep in mind their limitations because they can’t add information.

Host an Improv Party

Improv is a fantastic party activity. You can either do an improv game or two at another function, or host an entire party dedicated to improv.

This is how I got started in improv. Someone invited me to an improv party in 1993 and I’ve never gotten enough since. (Lincoln)

Improv parties are great for increasing teamwork and gettings groups to work better together. They are also fun and make great ‘get to know you’ games.

You Will Need:

• Someone to Host the Improv Party (probably you)
• A space big enough for your group, plus movement/performance space (living rooms work great, you can push some furniture out of the way. Outdoors at a park can also be fun, if you don’t mind strange looks from passers-by)
• A few friends, family or random people off the street
• A list of improv games
• Willingness to have fun
• Water for the Players

The Party Structure

1) Create a Safe Space
This is very important. If anyone feels that they will be mocked or judged, they will be much less willing to participate. It is very easy to hurt someone’s feelings when they are taking a risk. You can do this simply by talking everyone through the ground rules.

2) Start Off with a Warm-Up or two
These will get everyone relaxed, laughing, and in the mood to have fun and work together as a team.

3) Explain the Concept of Improvisation
This of course depends on the level of the group. The most essential aspect is to respect each other’s ideas, and ACCEPT all information given. (see improv basics)

4) Play Some Easier Games
Easy is a relative term, so pick what you think your group might have an easy time with. Group games are great to start off with.

5) Play Any Games You Want
Now let loose and have fun! Throw in a game no-one’s ever played before, make up a game, let people request games, go crazy!

6) Close with a Warm-Down
These are often the same as a warm-up…but done with the intent to gather in closing, instead of in opening. It’s a good chance to bring everyone together and get ready to make the move back to ‘real’ life.

Party Tips

• Move on to a new Game BEFORE anyone gets bored of the current game
• Have water readily available (have treats handy if you like!)
• Make a rule that no-one makes fun of anyone else
• Make the setting very relaxed and informal

Ground Rules Suggestions

• Support each other
• Only make positive comments
  (this is different from a workshop situation under the guidance of an experienced teacher)
• This is a safe place for people to take creative risks and make fools of themselves.
• Have fun!
• Keep it clean! It’s easy to get a shock laugh with a dirty word or situation. Keeping it clean will create good habits and you’ll get better faster.
• Don’t overthink! Just say whatever comes to your head.
• If you have any rules relevant to your home or location, make them known.

If you have any questions, or feel that I’ve missed an important issue, please email me at info@societycomedy.com