Do Not Go For The Laugh

The first mistake I see many improv actors making is trying to be funny. It's not funny. It's too broad. It's not real.

What is funny? Characters who are making the best of bad situations, and still failing. Characters who think they are making things better but are really making things more complicated. Sincere, realistic, true-to-life characters. Not too big. Not with funny voices. And, absolutely, no sound effects!

It's much funnier if you don't go for the laugh.

-- doug smith

Comments

Smile

A smile can stop ten sad thoughts from filling your mind. -- doug smith 1. I started to type "smile" in the title and my fingers somehow typed "Smith" instead. That makes me smile... 2. Yes, this is related to improv. When we help other people smile we're building some part of a better world. What fun! 3. See how powerful improv can be? What if, in creating something new, we used that same quote but featured this picture: That changes things, right? Or we could get even darker: Because improv is not all comedy, or does not NEED to be all comedy or sunny and light. Although, sunny and light is nice so here's another nice smile for you. Now, go make someone (and yourself) happy: smile!

Quote Prompt: What You See

Topic: Improv Goal: Create a new and amusing scene. Prompt: Use this quote to prompt your improvisation: What you see in the mirror is not what the world sees. Coaching: What do you hope to see? Why would anyone see anything else? What are you afraid others might see? How do people decide what they see about you? What does one character in the scene want that they cannot have?

Scene Prompt: Status

Status is in every scene. People jockey for the top spot. Conflict spins out of the struggle to be recognized, to be in control, to win. Improvise a scene using this prompt: The struggle for status inevitably disappoints. Have fun!

improvarama

Search This Blog