Intro to Improv 6 Improv Shows - Reflex Improv: Make a Scene

Intro to Improv Week 6 - Improv Shows

Stagecraft

There are a few things to keep in mind when you are on an improv stage to make sure you are seen and heard, and to make sure that others are seen and heard, especially when you have a full audience watching.

Share the Energy

If there are more than two people on stage, you will need to share the energy, otherwise the audience will hear static if improvisers are talking over each other. Talk popcorn style. Remember the Energy disc/object from the Share the Energy exercise. You can give the energy to someone else or you can take it through body language and eye contact.

Project Your Voice

Talk louder than you think you may need to. We are generally not mic’d up, so you want to make sure that the person on the back row of seats can hear you clearly. If you are naturally soft-spoken, push your volume up.

If whispering in a scene, do a ‘stage whisper’ and change the tone of your voice to that of a whisper, but try to keep your volume up. The audience will understand that it’s a whisper.

Cheat Out Towards the Audience

When you are on a stage, be aware of how you are facing the audience. You always want to have your face towards the audience and never have your back to them. Sometimes this will feel awkward to you on stage, but it looks correct to the crowd. We call this Cheating Out. If you’re in a scene where you might normally be facing the other person directly, instead face them at an angle so most of the audience can see both of your faces. This also will enable them to hear you.

Backline Etiquette

When you are on the backline or sidelines, you should be standing up, leaning in, and intently watching the scene, ready to provide support like sound effects or pop-ins at any moment. Don’t slouch against the wall, look disinterested, or be chatting to each other behind the scene going on. It’s okay to have a quick whisper to someone if you have an idea for the next scene, but it should not be distracting from what’s going on in front of you.

Improv Video of the Week

Keegan-Michael Key on How Improv Works

Keegan-Michael Key explains the concept of discovering scenes by ‘building things backwards’ incredibly well. He also gives a solid example of how the concept of Game in improv works, which we will be diving into in Section 5.

Improv Exercises

Here are descriptions of some of the improv games that were played this week if you want to share them with friends and family!

Bunny Bunny

Teach this one piece at a time, then combine it all together.

First part: Make a bunny motion with two fingers (both hands) towards yourself and say BUNNY BUNNY. Then make the same motion towards someone else and say BUNNY BUNNY again. Some people will get the motion backwards, but it’s not a huge deal. Let that go for a bit to solidify.

Second part: The two people to the sides of BUNNY BUNNY face that person, throw their arms out, and rock side to side saying TOKI TOKI in the same rhythm as BUNNY BUNNY. Let these play for awhile until it solidifies.

Third part: Everyone who isn’t BUNNY BUNNY or TOKI TOKI will keep the rhythm by saying OOM-CHA OOM-CHA and slapping their own thighs gently to make a clap sound. Start everyone doing this, then once the rhythm has been established, start the BUNNY BUNNY-TOKI TOKI up.

After they get good at it, you can speed it up slowly. Keep going faster until it falls apart.