improvarama

Topic: Improv  Goal: Create a new and amusing scene using a quote. Prompt: Use this quote to prompt your improvisation:  Life is opportunity. What we believe can uncover -- or cover over that opportunity. What you believe is up to you. Coaching: Create distinctions in the characters. Who sees opportunity in the darkest situations? What kind of situation are you creating? In the improv, find problems that you can solve together. Try turning conflict into collaboration.  

Opening Options:   Introduce the prompt by announcing it (with one person or several in unison), OR by walking across the space carrying a sign that says "If perfection was easy..." OR by writing it on a white board or chalk board. Build the scene based on the concept:   If perfection was easy we'd be bored out of our minds. Develop the scene by preventing boredom by making sure that nothing any of the characters do is easy. -- doug smith  

What to do: Form two evenly distributed lines of people facing each other. In silence, practice smiling. Small smiles, big smiles, devious smiles, friendly smiles...say nothing, simply smile. Enhancements: If you have a musician, encourage them to improvise quiet music as you all smile. Variation: Practice with hand-mirrors. Hold the mirrors up to your line partner to show them their smile. End scene when: If laughter ensues, let it trickle until everyone is laughing. If laughter does not ensue, someone must initiate it until it does spread. Allow everyone to savor the laughter until it slowly (or suddenly) trickles out. -- doug smith Some thoughts on smiles: The best use of a mirror is to practice your smile. A smile can help your attitude get over itself. Practicing your smile is not only good for you, it's good for everyone around you, too. It's harder to be mad at someone who likes you enough to smile for you. Even a curious smile is better than no smile at all. It's ea...

View the collage below, Interior Design for Big Big Meals, and then improvise a scene that occurs within this picture. Stuck? Consider the following: What if the food is much larger than usual? Who would be the most unexpected guest? Is BBQ an option? Notes: collage: Interior Design for Big Big Meals by douglas brent smith

  Improv Activity: Draw a map. Pay no attention to accuracy, simply represent some area with your own original map. Write three lines describing your map. Next Level: Improvise a scene based on your map, or, write a short piece (poem, story, description) based on your map. Materials Needed: Paper and pen or something else to construct your map.

Improv Prompt Four characters take the stage. The first three have the task of creating a new line of poetry to add to the accumulating lines of poetry until a logical or satisfying conclusion is reached. Make no attempt to make this funny. The fourth person, having heard the first three lines, creates a two line chorus. They will then repeat this chorus each round. "Why not make it funny?" "It might BE funny. The guideline though is to make no ATTEMPT to make it funny. The harder you try NOT to make it funny, the greater potential it has." -- doug smith

Search for any TV listings -- I like to work from an image of a page from TV Guide, but any TV listings will work. Randomly pick the description of one show -- don't cherry pick or look for sensible listings -- the improv challenge is to work with whatever you choose. For added fun, ask someone in the audience to pick and read the description to you, without telling what show it describes. Work with that description AND...GO.

Here's your shortcut to instant drama: Always say exactly the wrong thing and be easily offended. Yeah, that should work every time. And even when it doesn't: drama. -- doug smith  

The prompt: Four women are stuck on an elevator. They are all moms but from four different generations. image: pixabay.com

Improv Scene Prompt: Read the quote Reflect for one-minute Start your scene Here's the quote (but you can use the same prompt with other quotes, too): Do not admire famous people too much -- they could carry a sadness that would crush you. -- doug smith