Starting Scenes

If you are dying to preconceive something in an improv scene, pre­conceive the following. (With each example, know that, as always. you'll want to have a strong choice or a how behind it). Practicestarting scenes one of the following ways.

You

Begin a scene with the word you. "You got the map? Good!" or "You feelin' all right?" You instantly puts you in the same space as your partner. Using you, not only affirms your partner with your strong choice, but also immediately makes your partner a part of it. This tool is also helpful if your improvisation seems a little disconnected lately.

And

Start a scene using the word and. The reason is probably obvious: "... and now let's crack that safe," or " and that's why I wanted to meet you here." Yes, and starts you in the middle of the scene. It cuts through boring and unnecessary exposition. After a while, you'll want your scene to always have the cadence of and, but eliminate actually saying the word all the time. In my examples, it would be, "Now let's crack that safe," and "That's why I wanted to meet you here." All of this gets you into the scene more quickly.

Something You Believe In

Have the first line of your scene be something that you actually believe in or believe to be true. For me, it might be, "I don't trust the government," or "The government is corrupt," or "The government often lies to us." For you, it might be something different. It is, how­ever, something you actually personally believe in, whether it is your stand on free speech, or capital punishment, or your favorite hair­style, or your opinion of the Cincinnati Reds. Improvisation invites us to say anything we want at all, and to bring our own voice to the stage. It invites us to do and say anything. Anything. What do we come up with? "Great party, huh?" or "What's up?"

The Opposite of What You Believe In

Begin a scene by saying the opposite of something you believe in. I might say, "The government is always honest," or "Astrology is an amazing science." This might even be better than saying something you do believe in, because representing the opposite point of view often has more impact. It is also usually funnier; ninety percent of the time, the audience is aware that you don't really believe what you are saying.

Non Sequiturs

I love Dada and non sequiturs. Perhaps a bit too much. Try starting a scene with one, and then try like hell to catch up with your initia­tion. "Watch that toothbrush Samsonite, the penguins grow weary over car." This usually requires a willing partner to respond to such an initiation, and I wouldn't suggest doing this in front of audiences often. It's a great way to stretch your brain and free up the words, though. It also allows great practice in fielding difficult initiations and makes it a bit easier in the future when all kinds of initiations come your way.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-08