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fandomtownies2012-11-20 05:15 pm
ihaveavideoblog.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomtownies2012-11-20 05:15 pm
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Basement, The Boards, Tuesday Night - Improv Workshop
All around town, Lizzie Bennet had oh-so-handwavily posted signs.
IMPROV WORKSHOP
Tuesday Night
Basement Stage, The Boards
All Experience Levels Welcome!
And now, to hope people saw the signs, were interested, and showed up.
That night, standing in the basement and watching as complete strangers filed in, Lizzie was nervous. She figured it would be okay to show it. Most of the soon-to-be-participants were probably nervous, too. Right?
Finally, she cleared her throat and stood up in front of the assembled crowd.
"Hi, my name is Lizzie Bennet," she began. "I'm ... new here, so I don't know any of you, but I'm going to be helping Jono run the theater. Today, we're doing a quick work shop on improvisational theater, also known as Improv.
"As some of you may know, the idea behind improv is that all the material is invented on the spot, by the players themselves. Sometimes you get suggestions from audience members for input -- like you can ask for occupations or a setting, or for a random sentence to serve as an opening line. Most improv theater is comedy-based. Improv teaches you to think on your feet, and to be a respectful scene partner.
"There are all kinds of basic rules to making Improv work, but a lot of it boils down to the principle of 'yes, and.' Never deny your partner's reality. If your scene partner walks on stage, takes a seat, and says, 'Get me a beer,' that's your starting point. Saying 'no' -- something like, 'Are you crazy? This is a hospital' -- destroys the scene. Saying 'yes' -- 'Sure, what kind of beer?' -- doesn't go anywhere. Say 'yes, and.' Of course, doesn't have to be the same thing as agreeing. Announce that it's five minutes past closing. Or say that you got rid of all the beer last week because you're on a health kick. Your character can disagree. But never break the structure of what is presumed to be going on.
"I could keep going on about technical details, but it might be more fun for us to get our feet wet. So we're going to play a game called 'Fortune Cookies.' All of you get to draw a fortune cookie -- and yes, you can eat the cookie. Just not when you're on stage. Read the fortune and then pair off. Start acting out a scene based on what you've just read.
"For example, we have Guy A and Girl B, doing a scene together. Guy A breaks open his fortune and sees:
"So Guy A begins pining for dear, departed mother, who passed just this morning. Or who passed eight years ago, but he wails like this every day nonetheless. His partner, Girl B, can decide to be a put-upon spouse. Or a sibling who feels unappreciated. Or Mummy Dearest herself, in ghost form.
"Meanwhile, Girl B opens her fortune cookie and sees:
"Using that for inspiration, she starts confessing. Make it something interesting. It could just be that you didn't make the bed this morning, but why not confess to killing off Dear Departed Mum? Or, if you're Mum, now's a good time to tell Guy A who his real father is."
She held out a bowl that had many, many cookies inside. "Here," she offered. "Draw a fortune cookie and pair off. If you get a fortune and you're having trouble thinking up a good scene inspiration from it, let me know and I'll help you brainstorm. If you get stuck mid-scene, feel free to draw another fortune cookie and use it to help you keep going."
(So! Lizzie's running an improv workshop. Possibly a series of them. This is open to EVERYONE, ADULTS AND STUDENTS ALIKE. Show up, hang out, have fun. OCD incoming!)
Tuesday Night
Basement Stage, The Boards
All Experience Levels Welcome!
And now, to hope people saw the signs, were interested, and showed up.
That night, standing in the basement and watching as complete strangers filed in, Lizzie was nervous. She figured it would be okay to show it. Most of the soon-to-be-participants were probably nervous, too. Right?
Finally, she cleared her throat and stood up in front of the assembled crowd.
"Hi, my name is Lizzie Bennet," she began. "I'm ... new here, so I don't know any of you, but I'm going to be helping Jono run the theater. Today, we're doing a quick work shop on improvisational theater, also known as Improv.
"As some of you may know, the idea behind improv is that all the material is invented on the spot, by the players themselves. Sometimes you get suggestions from audience members for input -- like you can ask for occupations or a setting, or for a random sentence to serve as an opening line. Most improv theater is comedy-based. Improv teaches you to think on your feet, and to be a respectful scene partner.
"There are all kinds of basic rules to making Improv work, but a lot of it boils down to the principle of 'yes, and.' Never deny your partner's reality. If your scene partner walks on stage, takes a seat, and says, 'Get me a beer,' that's your starting point. Saying 'no' -- something like, 'Are you crazy? This is a hospital' -- destroys the scene. Saying 'yes' -- 'Sure, what kind of beer?' -- doesn't go anywhere. Say 'yes, and.' Of course, doesn't have to be the same thing as agreeing. Announce that it's five minutes past closing. Or say that you got rid of all the beer last week because you're on a health kick. Your character can disagree. But never break the structure of what is presumed to be going on.
"I could keep going on about technical details, but it might be more fun for us to get our feet wet. So we're going to play a game called 'Fortune Cookies.' All of you get to draw a fortune cookie -- and yes, you can eat the cookie. Just not when you're on stage. Read the fortune and then pair off. Start acting out a scene based on what you've just read.
"For example, we have Guy A and Girl B, doing a scene together. Guy A breaks open his fortune and sees:
A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest." - Irish Proverb
"So Guy A begins pining for dear, departed mother, who passed just this morning. Or who passed eight years ago, but he wails like this every day nonetheless. His partner, Girl B, can decide to be a put-upon spouse. Or a sibling who feels unappreciated. Or Mummy Dearest herself, in ghost form.
"Meanwhile, Girl B opens her fortune cookie and sees:
A clean conscience is a soft pillow.
"Using that for inspiration, she starts confessing. Make it something interesting. It could just be that you didn't make the bed this morning, but why not confess to killing off Dear Departed Mum? Or, if you're Mum, now's a good time to tell Guy A who his real father is."
She held out a bowl that had many, many cookies inside. "Here," she offered. "Draw a fortune cookie and pair off. If you get a fortune and you're having trouble thinking up a good scene inspiration from it, let me know and I'll help you brainstorm. If you get stuck mid-scene, feel free to draw another fortune cookie and use it to help you keep going."
(So! Lizzie's running an improv workshop. Possibly a series of them. This is open to EVERYONE, ADULTS AND STUDENTS ALIKE. Show up, hang out, have fun. OCD incoming!)