Basement, The Boards, Tuesday Night - Improv Workshop

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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:

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!)

Comments

Re: ACTIVITY: Pair Up and Get a Fortune Cookie

[not_mandonna]

"Awesome, awesome." Max held up a hand for a high-five. "Think we've got ourselves a deal, bro."

It was a highly sociopathic deal.

Re: ACTIVITY: Pair Up and Get a Fortune Cookie

[furnaceface]

Which worked just fine for Jonothon, who was apparently highly sociopathic.

Either way, he totally went for that high-five.

"Deal."

Apologies, Max. Jono had one hell of a swing with that arm of his. Something to do with his biceps being thicker than his head, and all.

Re: ACTIVITY: Pair Up and Get a Fortune Cookie

[not_mandonna]

"Whoa." Yeah, that high-five necessitated a step or two backward. "So... that it for the improv? Good job, man, that was, like, A-level acting."

Re: ACTIVITY: Pair Up and Get a Fortune Cookie

[furnaceface]

"Was it really?" Jono couldn't help but grin a bit as he tucked his hands back into his coat pockets. "I suppose I do have a touch of experience..."

Though most of the acting that he'd done in his own reality over the years had been the 'pretending to be mute' act.

"Ronald's slightly taller sister, hm?"

Re: ACTIVITY: Pair Up and Get a Fortune Cookie

[not_mandonna]

"Well, I couldn't be his brother, then there'd be, like, a whole conflict over who would inherit the fortune," Max explained. "And I have drag experience."

A ton of it, even.

"Sorry I can't actually get you a boat. I want a boat."

Re: ACTIVITY: Pair Up and Get a Fortune Cookie

[furnaceface]

"I don't actually have the most pleasant of memories on boats," Jono admitted, smirking a little. "So, if I ever happen across one, I'll keep you in mind, mate."

There was just something about being kidnapped from one by a flying flaming skeleton, and then being dragged away to the lair of the Dark Beast for heinous experimentation that had a funny way of leaving a person with a bit of distaste for them.

Re: ACTIVITY: Pair Up and Get a Fortune Cookie

[not_mandonna]

"Much appreciated," said Max, who... would one day attempt to con his best friend into a country club membership by pretending to be a sailing junkie. Totally the same thing as Jono's thing. "I'm Max, b-t-dub. New-ish to this town."

Re: ACTIVITY: Pair Up and Get a Fortune Cookie

[furnaceface]

"Jonothon," Jono replied as he offered Max a nod and a handshake. "Manager and owner of the Boards, here. Most people just call me Jono, though. People around the island seem to know more or less who that's referring to, these days."

Which might also have had something to do with his weekly radio broadcasts, and the fact that he was a teacher at the school?

Re: ACTIVITY: Pair Up and Get a Fortune Cookie

[not_mandonna]

"Not such a common name," Max agreed. "Except maybe among the hipster community, but I'm noticing a lack of owl-emblazoned suspenders on you, so I'm ruling you out of that category." BECAUSE THAT KIND OF MODDING WAS JUST REASONABLE.

Re: ACTIVITY: Pair Up and Get a Fortune Cookie

[furnaceface]

VERY DAMN REASONABLE.

"... You know, you're the second person to liken me to a hipster in as many weeks?" Jono's eyebrows twitched upwards a little at that. "At this rate, I think I ought to start being concerned."

Re: ACTIVITY: Pair Up and Get a Fortune Cookie

[not_mandonna]

"I said you weren't one," Max reminded him. "But you are blue. Which is not yet cool."

Re: ACTIVITY: Pair Up and Get a Fortune Cookie

[furnaceface]

"The blue wasn't actually a lifestyle choice," Jonothon countered, frowning a little. "You're pink. Fairly certain that isn't an in-colour this year, either."

Re: ACTIVITY: Pair Up and Get a Fortune Cookie

[not_mandonna]

"You've never been to a gay bar, have you?" Tsk, Jono. "I'm just saying, hipsters would totally dye themselves for nonconformity. That's their thing."

Re: ACTIVITY: Pair Up and Get a Fortune Cookie

[furnaceface]

"Hipsters embrace nonconformity the same way punks and goths did before them," Jono replied. "By all dressing exactly the same, affecting an attitude that's indistinguishable from others of their kind. I have yet to meet anyone who's decided to dye themselves blue just to make a statement about how... how ironic they are."

Yes, he was actually kind of getting offended with all this talk about how his skin was possibly a cry for attention. He didn't even want this skin, damn it.