Improv Basics
There are a lot of resources online to learn Improv. However, I had to go to several resources to actually see a 101 class. When I first started improv over 20 years ago, I didn’t know the rules, all I knew it was fun and I love to role play. I hope as you read through this information you’ll find it helpful. I hope it inspires you to try something you’ve never done before and want to get involved or create your group.
This resource is not a replacement for actually practicing your craft with other people in a live environment.
Why Improv?
Improv helps in every area of your life. It helps to promote self-confidence, gets you in front of people, helps you to be in the moment and lets you have fun with yourself.
What is Improv?
Wiki can explain it much better than I can, but here’s what I say improve is. Improv is an intelligible art and there are no two ways of doing it. Improv is role play, meaning there is no script, things are made up as you go. You create the character and write everything on the fly with your partner(s). Improv is about giving to your partner and having fun!
How it works
There are several ways people do/perform improv. You can interact with one other player, or several. Some players are part of troupe or improve group. But basically improv means improvising, so make a stage area, get on it. The first person in the scene makes first an offer and then you ping-pong back and forth with your fellow Improvers to tell a story.
Offer: Any action or dialog that may advance a scene. Usually a good thing. Offers are supposed to be accepted, they are building blocks to create the story.
Improv Basic Rules
I will reiterate this: THERE ARE NO RULES IN IMPROV, but there are common practices and you really should follow them if not, you aren’t giving to your partner. This is not a me-me show.
- Listening is vital to improv. You cannot have your own agenda in improv. Actively listen even if you aren’t in the scene. Listening and being aware of your partner(s), what they are doing, what they are saying and what’s going on. Listen, watch and concentrate.
- Be in the moment! Do not concentrate on what you want to do. This is not acting. This is being in the moment. You have to be alert, because there is no road map.
- Working together. It’s important to support your partners. GIVE, GIVE. GIVE. Give your partner strong offers. Make your partner shine. This means to always check your impulses. Do not:
- Block your partner. This means there is give and take to build your story. Think increments or building blocks. If you block someone’s offer, maybe sure you have something else to offer to keep the scene going.
- Whimp out. This means you do not say yes and you do not say no. You half-heartedly accepted the offer, this does not help advance scene. Accepting the offer someone gives you by reacting is the best way to work together. For example asking open questions and leaving the action to be decided by the other player. Waffling , babbling without accomplishing any action.
- Gag. Improv should mimic life to some degree. You do not always have to go for the gag or try to be funny. It’s that like annoying friend that always tries to be funny and the center of attention, it gets old really fast. Play the scene for what it naturally is. Joking, doing funny things, using Verbal wit without advancing the scene may make you popular with the audience but not with your fellow players. Not a good thing.
- Steamroll. When you talk to much and do not give your partner(s) a chance to respond to your offers. Remember to take your time and see where the scene goes. If someone is steamrolling you verbally, keep it going with actions. You can shut them out of a scene, or even kill them.
- YES AND ….. never say NO. Don’t negate someone else’s reality by not accepting what they are offering to you. This is the concept of communication, so you say yes and accept their offer AND offer your own. Denial is the number one reason most scenes go bad. Any time you refuse an offer made by your partner your scene will almost instantly come to a grinding halt.
- Never enter a scene unless you are NEEDED.
- Save your fellow actor, don’t worry about the piece. GIVE, GIVE. GIVE. Your prime responsibility is to support.
- Intelligence. Work at the top of your brains!
- Trust. Trust your fellow actors to support you; trust them to come through if you lay something heavy on them; trust yourself.
- Don’t judge. Avoid judging what is going down except in terms of whether it needs help (either by entering or cutting), what can best follow, or how you can support it imaginatively if your support is called for.
- Be Present. Think of things in the present tense. Act in the now.
- It’s not about the I. Do not start stories with I. Keep the story moving forward without I.
- Questions. Do not ask open ended questions if you are a beginner. It puts a lot of pressure on your partner. Open ended questions (like “Who are you?”) are scene killers because they force your partner to stop whatever they are doing and come up with an answer. Make a bold offer by saying let’s do this or that.
- Tell a story. Every story has a beginning, middle, end, characters, a who, a where, a what, conflict and resolution. Thing about:
- What’s happening?
- Where is the scene going?
- Who are you?
- What is the conflict?
- How will it be resolved?
- Failure. It will happen in improv and you may suck, that’s okay. Own it! Have fun! Whatever it is, it is. Do not worry about failure. Let go of your fear of failure. It’s improv!
- Keep your commitment. What you start in the scene, stick with it. For example if you have a corny accent, keep with it and own it. Do not let go of your choices.
- Never underestimate or condescend to your audience.
**PLEASE NOTE THIS PAGE IS UNDER HEAVY CONSTRUCTION. I AM CREATING AN INTERACTIVE CLASS OUT OF IMPROV BASICS. IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS THERE WILL BE MORE ADDED. IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE, PLEASE CONTACT ME. IF YOU THINK THERE ARE RULES I DIDN’T ADD OR SHOULD BE REMOVED, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.”