tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67609790046102075132024-03-01T05:39:17.856+00:00More about ImprovRandom thoughts on the noble art of making stuff up on stage.Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-57967692426090772352023-04-10T16:00:00.000+01:002023-04-10T16:00:02.505+01:00A Sort of Apology<p>This blog has been dormant for a while. It’s not because I
have not been thinking about improv; I have. A lot. I just have had very little
time to write those thoughts down and edit them into something coherent. I also
had an intention to do some of them as video or audio, but this takes even more
preparation and editing. I think in here is the essence of why I have done improv
for so long, the fact that you just have to turn up. There is no script to learn,
no props to bring, no specific outfit to have prepared.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Obviously, I have prepared. I have rehearsed a lot with the
group ideally but even this is often just turning up and playing. And I have
taken courses, etc to which I had to turn up and absorb. And play.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am clearly ignoring a big part of the preparation for a
show – someone has to find and book the venue, plan who is in it, promote it, organise
guests, musicians or other external performers. And for rehearsals, someone has
to find and book the venue, organise a coach, make sure enough people can come.
But for people who are just players, a lot of improv is just turning up and
being there. But it spoils you for when you have do something preparation-heavy
such as acting or stand-up, or something post-performance heavy such as video
making.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, this is turning into post rather than a brief note
to say there will be more posts coming soon. (Cynical editor: Cue another long
hiatus.)<o:p></o:p></p>Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-71491057891261871412021-04-09T20:34:00.001+01:002021-04-09T20:34:33.277+01:00Improv with Me is Like… (Sex vs Improv)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;">
There is a fun improv game called “Sex with Me” which explores the extended connections between the act of procreation with a subject the audience deems worthy of comparison. Who am I kidding? It’s a set of sex jokes, puns and innuendo. As I said, it’s great fun. </span></div><p></p><blockquote>“Sex with me is like a writing a blog post: You think about it a lot more than you spend actually doing it.”<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuCMaByLKbcwzsJ-xKSBDbwEcFAAxWZ5HGPdt_wT3pW7PDfwDMmHU1gFO65mAz90xntSElrG0uGBorawYjzm7-b5N9xFaPfvML6M7vNa2_bUpOXmmZmWfaUvHtkssmmWoO7K80EAv44I/s2048/esaylaughs-20181026-25.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mordsaga show 26/10/2018" border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuCMaByLKbcwzsJ-xKSBDbwEcFAAxWZ5HGPdt_wT3pW7PDfwDMmHU1gFO65mAz90xntSElrG0uGBorawYjzm7-b5N9xFaPfvML6M7vNa2_bUpOXmmZmWfaUvHtkssmmWoO7K80EAv44I/w320-h213/esaylaughs-20181026-25.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Robin Straaijer</td></tr></tbody></table></blockquote><p>The game allows me a great introduction to a topic I have thought about since I first started improvising: the connections between sex and improv. (Actually, improv has many of the same similarities with any team sport, but sex is funnier than every sport except curling.)</p><blockquote>“Sex with me is like an analogy: two things that seem different come together and are revealed to be more similar than at first thought.”</blockquote>
<p>Apart from the obvious starting with “yes” and the fact they have a similarly addictive quality, there are many ways improv is like sex.</p><p>Take the whole shortform / longform argument. Some improvisers prefer the quick payoff of shortform, where it is concluded within a few minutes and there’s hopefully a great payoff at the end, lights out. But others prefer longform. This allows for a longer build-up and a much deeper connection with what’s going on. There is still a payoff, but it’s much more about getting there rather than the moment itself. With shortform, once it’s over, there is sometimes a short rest and then you’re off again, but with longform, once it’s done, that might be it for a week. (Note: performing schedules vary person to person.)</p><p>The most common configuration of performers is two people, but scenes of more than two also happen. It becomes trickier when there are more people. Giving focus becomes more important as is gauging when to enter and when to withdraw.</p><p>There are also plenty of tools and methods we can use to make our scenes better, if we want. Status – one player taking a more dominant or subservient role; the choices of being more physical or more emotional. Many people embrace playing a character other than yourself. And sometimes it is acceptable to use a gag.</p><p>Of course, it’s all about heightening. Start small and build. Build to a peak and end here or soon after.</p><p>Something we should consider is the audience. Because improv is something people watch too. So now, I guess the analogy has temporarily moved into comparing improv to porn. In general audiences prefer shortform improv. That’s not to say there is not an audience for longform, but it’s largely other performers.</p><p>Joking aside, I think the biggest way improv and sex are very similar are in attitudes to how we play. Sure, if you go into the scene intending that you yourself have fun, it can be a good scene. But when it really works best when you go in with the intention of pleasing your scene partner and they go into it with the intention of pleasing you. That’s when you can make truly amazing scenes.</p><blockquote>“Sex with me is like an improv blog: it’s an oddly proud feeling when it’s out there for everyone to see.”</blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisALitjqsmpcT2un_swBkW7kXlaHKDZz2mO6CDZ9EMJSFupSUq7g68sHRKeXx4-DhUppG3GaUV-_BoX3L8XFrxcBnweFFsqb3jqTrg0kjYEvV7wpSb4EML54bwDY7hsC0Q2t200OCZmM4/s3216/20210327_125932.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1808" data-original-width="3216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisALitjqsmpcT2un_swBkW7kXlaHKDZz2mO6CDZ9EMJSFupSUq7g68sHRKeXx4-DhUppG3GaUV-_BoX3L8XFrxcBnweFFsqb3jqTrg0kjYEvV7wpSb4EML54bwDY7hsC0Q2t200OCZmM4/s320/20210327_125932.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />P.S. I realise that all this analogising, I am left with one further inescapable conclusion, that solo improv, something I love doing and like to think I’m pretty good at, is basically wanking.<p></p><div>---</div><div>What similarities have I missed?</div><br />Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-51368718782101510922021-04-05T15:38:00.004+01:002021-04-05T15:49:10.504+01:00Genres: Dystopian Bureaucracy Example<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXRHaIjCRL1EgmGsawQI3RZ1XM_EFdW7zjy_SnN6qSN93pyyShZILcftYe-NgLkbucDsUrPbFynu6pkZDbFsuU54FhZm-jChNSrV-A39-IUFmo-HcpKPLPjGVvK_ekbV1SBiiJJzN3lc/s2048/Brazil+poster.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Poster for the movie Brazil (1985)" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXRHaIjCRL1EgmGsawQI3RZ1XM_EFdW7zjy_SnN6qSN93pyyShZILcftYe-NgLkbucDsUrPbFynu6pkZDbFsuU54FhZm-jChNSrV-A39-IUFmo-HcpKPLPjGVvK_ekbV1SBiiJJzN3lc/w240-h320/Brazil+poster.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brazil poster</td></tr></tbody></table><p>For a recent workshop, I did a lot of research into dystopian fiction. Part of which meant rewatching Terry Gilliam’s 1985 classic Brazil. The film has nothing to do with the country, it's just a song that plays a lot in the background. It’s a film where you have to explain the title, but titles have never been Gilliam’s strong point. </p><p>Brazil is a one man against the system comedy / tragedy set in a terrifying vision of the future. It is both a dystopian movie in it’s own right, but also a satire of dystopian movies. I’m a huge fan, but understand that some people dislike that it is trying to be too many things at once. </p><p>But, anyway, there is one scene that I love as a satire on bureaucracy gone wild and the reluctance in such societies to take responsibility. Plus, there’s a slapstick take on surveillance culture. All in one short scene.</p><p>As a bonus, enjoy the nod to 1984’s oxymoronic slogans that opens the next scene.</p><p>Enjoy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TWalu0jk2QA" width="320" youtube-src-id="TWalu0jk2QA"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div>Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-86625353445969431692020-08-07T11:56:00.000+01:002020-08-07T11:56:00.871+01:00Online Improv: Zoomed Out<p>Very few people would have predicted that we would all be doing our shows online so soon into the future. But that’s what has been happening. And as many of us discovered or are discovering, it’s not the same as doing it on stage. Whilst a lot of the core skills are transferrable, there are some things that are very different.</p><p>One huge difference is the lack of an audience and the direct feedback of an audience responding and thus shaping what we are doing. The shows lose a lot of that “live factor” which is a big part of the appeal of an improv show for an audience and is the reason that even the best improvised TV shows have none of the excitement of seeing it live.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="750" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77IHh9xBV7QBc1IiLyfOwBK68t6KjCSO9AA2UqoUbYXXffLfHHOAbPhR60yX1INrZYhwV3BBQ1VW2Twh-ubmgh-gcA7kbid9qFr24E8ZH_hqEx8bp3OVmVNdJL8BuYkenDPx2_wMwvko/w400-h209/peter+gates+of+heaven.jpeg" width="400" /></p><p>Probably the biggest hindrance for performers is not being in the same place as our fellow players. We can’t truly look them in the eyes and get that deep connection. There is a lag in the conversation so our reactions don’t feel in the moment as much as in several moments ago. We can’t often be as big physically as we once were as we’re either performing within a narrow rectangle or we’re sitting down. This leads to a lot of ‘talking heads’ scenes where two actors just stand (or sit) there and talk with little movement or emotion.</p><p>Part of what makes it difficult is that we are trying to apply our skills to a new medium. We all learnt the core skills of paying attention and reacting constructively, and at the same time we learnt how to express them on stage, in a theatre setting. We call ourselves improvisers, but we could more accurately call ourselves “stage improvisers,” the same way you talk about “stage actors” and “screen actors.” The main reason we don’t is that screen improvising didn’t happen all that often, and when it did, it was usually done by stage improvisers and the setting was usually stage-like. Or it was done by screen actors and it was only part of a thing that was mostly scripted.</p><p>But now screen improvising is happening all the time and we realise they are different beasts.</p><p>As an actor, the transfer from stage to screen is often a difficult one. If you are used to performing on stage, you are used to projecting so the whole room can enjoy you. Bellowing like that into a mic will not win you many friends. You are also used to injecting your emotions into your whole body, often exaggeratedly so. In acting on camera, less is more.</p><p>The style of improvisation that many of us learnt (cheeky, exaggerated, stage comedy a la music hall/vaudeville) doesn’t really work. We have to take our inspiration from TV acting. It can still be exaggerated and comic, but within different parameters. Acting for screen is smaller, but still there is energy and intensity, it’s just very often internalised.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7yDuRsEEbtZX3MZRvAiw9tq_f7luI6yCZT1R1s0aJTUbAmJNoacDlbgKxpSJ7B_WkX3tDf0d2O-A4CJ4_RHVMmlQLa9DB0JL1oL0KNNrE9y0KUrGCC0sO7P3CeDmXJzvcRXwJ0Tdl1k/s2048/improv+rehearsal.png" style="display: inline; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="2048" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7yDuRsEEbtZX3MZRvAiw9tq_f7luI6yCZT1R1s0aJTUbAmJNoacDlbgKxpSJ7B_WkX3tDf0d2O-A4CJ4_RHVMmlQLa9DB0JL1oL0KNNrE9y0KUrGCC0sO7P3CeDmXJzvcRXwJ0Tdl1k/w400-h209/improv+rehearsal.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: right;"></p><p>Sets are another limiting factor. In improv, because the action can be set literally anywhere, a group will either perform in front of a neutral curtain with some plain chairs for everything else or have a million pieces of furniture all lying back stage and a set of stage-hands ready to deploy. At home, the default choice would be to find a blank wall or hand a neutral curtain. As any visible furniture kind of gives a location. If you have the time and your device is portable, you can quickly create a location in another part of your house to best represent the next scene, but again, this is can be a distraction or possible delay although can be impressive if pulled off well.</p><p>Now there are virtual backgrounds, but not everyone can use them and quite often they are more of a distraction than something that genuinely sets the location. So be careful. Practice using them with your group but see how you (all) feel about the results. Unless everyone has devices that can handle it well (and not all can) and you know how to set them up quickly, they might just get in the way and take you away from being in a few moments ago.</p><p>The place where there is a real win is props. On stage, miming objects makes so much sense. In improv, most of the time we don’t use them, because you either have a large enough collection of them that you can find something usable or you have nothing and mime everything. (The middle ground is where you have a limited set of props because you know the setting / genre beforehand.)</p><p>Miming, however does really work on screen. Fortunately, we are mostly performing at home now, so we have within a short sprint, practically a full set of everyday household objects. (Maybe the history of improv ask-fors hqas been leading us to this moment. “Can I have a house-hold object and a room in a house?”) If you know there are things you are likely to want in a scene, it just takes a little thought to have them available within arm’s reach.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQM6a_7PewHVEyvTvRcTttw67p2P80GmZ5PxLBKiopmX_tm-mrR-bsgSk82Y-DHyhNiURCt_RYc5NLJsdD3BLGLVhgz9RuyJS5HxLu5-fOHfFQiLy70hmvk8DMLNt9nJQrM6yU9yFWvs/s1920/sprout+workshop+backs.jpg" style="display: inline; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="915" data-original-width="1920" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQM6a_7PewHVEyvTvRcTttw67p2P80GmZ5PxLBKiopmX_tm-mrR-bsgSk82Y-DHyhNiURCt_RYc5NLJsdD3BLGLVhgz9RuyJS5HxLu5-fOHfFQiLy70hmvk8DMLNt9nJQrM6yU9yFWvs/w400-h191/sprout+workshop+backs.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p>One other area, we have to adjust is in our director’s heads. As improvisers, we have different heads: we are actors, co-writers and co-directors all at the same time. But there are big differences between directing for stage and for screen. So instead of thinking about where we are on the stage, we can think about how far we are from the camera and where we stand in the frame. We even have extra choices we don’t often have on stage, such as extreme close-up. We can even play with angles in a way the stage doesn’t lend itself to.</p><p>All these are things an audience understands and to a degree expect having been watching TV for much of their lives. We also, really, should be thinking about what’s on screen: i.e. the shot the audience is seeing. A dialogue on TV will usually cut between the two speakers, but the convention for an improv show is that the two people keep their video on. The main problem being that as it usually has to be controlled by the actor and switching your own video on and off is clunky, but some conferencing software allows a host to control what is seen and I’ve seen some shows using live-TV software. Both of these mean that actually means the role of a director (or live editor) makes sense. Very much the way it makes sense to have a lighting improviser in many venues.</p><p>A director can swap between views and “pin” specific videos to simulate cuts between actors, they can share pictures or video to set up locations, they can share music for emotional or dramatic moments, especially when there is no dialogue.</p><p>Actually, music can be a place online shows struggle. With the lag and the fact speaking often cuts out other sounds in Zoom, for example, it’s impossible to improvise songs, except when the music comes from the same place as the singer. Indeed, speaking over music can be problematic on things zoom unless the speaker is the one sharing the music, which makes it yet another thing that most actors never have to think about.</p><p>I’ve very much taken the stance that our inspiration on how to produce content should come from TV. This is my opinion. </p><p>Perhaps we should look at the other online phenomena such as podcasts and vlogs and make things that are less visual and more like stuff to have in the background whilst cooking. This is presumably why many improv groups have gone the way of live discussions about improv as part or all of their online output.</p><p>Or we maybe we should look at youtubers and go for lots of short content with running themes, with the emphasis perhaps on editing.</p><p>Or we could take our cues from TikTok and simply lip sync to sound clips from Whose Line Is It Anyway.</p><p><br /></p><p>When I started writing this it was very early in the whole lockdown thing, other things kept usurping it. It seems less good timing with many places going out of lockdown. But with a potential second wave may be it’s pertinent still. Plus, I don’t think the concept of online shows will completely go away just because virus does.</p><p><br /></p><p>END CREDITS</p><div><br /></div><p></p>Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-47441062648454055972020-07-06T12:35:00.005+01:002020-08-07T11:40:15.166+01:00Improvisation and introversion<p class="MsoNormal">It had been a good, fun show in a cheap room above a popular
bar. Chatting with an audience member after, they suddenly said, “You must be
an extrovert!” I was surprised at the time, but I’ve heard it enough since that
I can now be all cool about it. It is a common assumption that performers are
all extroverts. It makes sense. But as you probably know, many, many performers
are the opposite. We’re introverts.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The stereotypes are that extroverts are all
attention-seekers and introverts are all recluses. These are definitely extreme
and narrow views. However, even the standard dictionary definitions of the
words don’t do either side justice:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Extrovert</b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">: </span>noun:
an outgoing, socially confident person.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Introvert</b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">: </span>noun:
a shy, reticent person.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">It gets worse when you look at the synonyms:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><b>Extrovert</b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">:</span>
outgoing person, sociable person, life and soul of the party, socializer,
mixer, mingler, social butterfly, socialite, party animal<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><b>Introvert</b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">: </span>recluse,
lone wolf, hermit, solitary, misanthrope, outsider<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You’re either a mingler or a misanthrope!<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6uKP_Bg_PdWJu_R52YYCoN_E4lHwpGes-sstTB6j6YvmDAO6Ju0-zd9iqvqgN8Kvq1ecF6cwwAGvCN9z6APc0G7z5xrcx8Y5_9cl8TTUtcDyLqgRp8YwwVQBCRWrvw4HtdXiYnrnX5c/s601/IntrovertExtrovert2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="601" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6uKP_Bg_PdWJu_R52YYCoN_E4lHwpGes-sstTB6j6YvmDAO6Ju0-zd9iqvqgN8Kvq1ecF6cwwAGvCN9z6APc0G7z5xrcx8Y5_9cl8TTUtcDyLqgRp8YwwVQBCRWrvw4HtdXiYnrnX5c/w320-h179/IntrovertExtrovert2.jpg" title="Graphic by Allison Plume." width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graphic by Allison Plume.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The common psychological definitions are somehow better and
much less concrete:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><b>Extrovert</b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">: </span>A
person predominantly concerned with external things or objective
considerations.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><b>Introvert</b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">:</span> A
person predominantly concerned with their own thoughts and feelings rather than
with external things.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The original definitions, popularised by psychiatrist Carl
Jung, were about where we focus our mental energy, and again a bit fuzzy: <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><b>Introverts</b> direct their psychic energy inwards and <b>extroverts</b>, outwards.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Really, introvert and extrovert are best defined, as I see
it, by answering this: where do you get your energy?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><b>Extrovert</b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">: </span>A
person who gets energy from being with other people.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><b>Introvert</b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">:</span> A
person who gets energy from being on their own.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">-<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">So an introvert can be happy in crowds, be the life and soul
of the party, but they will go home for alone time to recharge, whereas an
extrovert will get energy from being at the party and will get more quickly
bored of being alone.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">That is not to say people and parties can’t energise an
introvert or that extroverts don’t like alone time. As we see with many human
classifications, things are not defined as being completely one thing or
another. We all have introvert and extrovert sides to us, but very often there
is one end of the spectrum we tend to be. People you meet will never be entirely
at the end of the in/extrovert spectrum as the extremes are actually disorders.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">In a very unscientific poll of improvisers I made, the
numbers of introverts and extroverts were pretty close, but over half the
people identified as in the middle or ambiverts, having both sides in more or
less equal amounts.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">We’re currently experiencing a huge test of ex/introversion:
the lockdown challenge. Those people coping very well, and even secretly
enjoying lockdown more than they feel they should, are almost certainly
introverts. If you were tearing your hair out after 2 hours, you are probably
an extrovert.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">-<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">it’s very difficult to tell who is an introvert or an
extrovert on stage. Especially with seasoned performers. But you might get an
idea at an after party, but even then, not for sure. Plenty of introverts love
being at parties; some will be the so-called life and soul of said same party.
And it’s possible to be an extrovert AND shy and retiring.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">-<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">In the so-called “West,” we seem to favour extroverts. You
are expected to be fun at parties, overjoyed to be part of a large crowd, and sparkling
at interviews. And whilst you don’t have to be the life and soul of the office,
it is frowned upon if you miss too many of the unnecessary meetings, social
events, and teambuilding ordeals.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Improv, despite the fact a large number of performers are
introverts, is really no different.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">In fact improvisational theatre is often described in very
extrovert terms. I was always told my energy should be outwards when
improvising. It is definitely about focussing on other people. And of course we
all know being in your head (a classic introvert move) is bad for improvising.
All of which implies improv is for extroverts, even though a lot of us
introverts are pretty good at it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">And offstage, there is a very social aspect to improv. It sometimes
feels as though it is frowned upon if you go to very few social events and
don’t hang out too much after shows. Of course, you should do some of that
social stuff and many of us introverts enjoy it. Up to a point.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Nowhere is this more apparent than at improv festivals. I
love festivals, but they are often framed as very social endeavours where there
is an expectation that you will be there for every social activity, after party
and meal. I do pretty well at festivals because socialising that much is a
novelty and actually fun for a few days. Fun, but totally exhausting.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Now, it’s a fact of life that going to social events
improves your integration into a community. There is probably no way to avoid
this without devaluing human contact which is not my intention. I am all for
human contact. But at some point, as an introvert, you’ve had too much of it,
and you need crawl off back to your cave.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">It does seem that extroverts rule the world, but that’s not
surprising cos we’re pack animals and consequently social creatures and have
built a society where social confidence is highly rated. Plus as an introvert
I’d hate to rule the world. Far too many meetings.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">My purpose here is not to vent; my only purpose with this
post is awareness. (All right, maybe a little venting, but mostly awareness.)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">It’s often hard for us to understand what goes on in other
people’s heads as we tend to assume the other’s brain works the exact same way
as our own, just with a different set of experiences. But given we had to
program our own brain from scratch since the day enough cells fused together to
make half a dozen synapses, it would be weird if two people did think alike.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">What I would like ultimately is awareness that if someone
leaves an after-party early whilst not being tired to the point of near death
or so drunk they need to immediately check into a rehab clinic… or if they stay
but are quiet or hard to talk to… they should not be considered anti-social,
boring, reclusive, a bad member of the community or snooty.*<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">They might need to recharge their batteries.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xQtHVXOcBPq5gEOKxLfTAovOHpPPFyDxRRuvb7pR3MPjMygeeDLVWi2gR2JNODdB18hID2CluXk0-HmYg2MwQsqqatN8513tLDJ_oGs_uj87HhPDVINj3uUkjmTTq-xwYj85oMHhqIU/s2738/ciel-blog-introvert-or-extrovert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2425" data-original-width="2738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xQtHVXOcBPq5gEOKxLfTAovOHpPPFyDxRRuvb7pR3MPjMygeeDLVWi2gR2JNODdB18hID2CluXk0-HmYg2MwQsqqatN8513tLDJ_oGs_uj87HhPDVINj3uUkjmTTq-xwYj85oMHhqIU/s320/ciel-blog-introvert-or-extrovert.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Note: * Of course they might be one of these things as well
or instead, but never assume. Be kind.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Sources<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;">
</p><ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">If you want to read more
about what makes an introvert an introvert, there is an excellent book on
the subject called “Introvert: The friendly takeover” (“Introvert: Den
tysta revolutionen”) by Swedish author Linus Jonkman.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">I found several useful
articles on psychologytoday.com and psychcentral.com and the dictionary
definitions are on <a href="https://www.lexico.com/">lexico.com</a>.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white;">And naturally, we leave the last word to Audrey Hepburn: “I have to
be alone very often. I’d be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night
until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That’s how I refuel.”<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul><p></p>Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-52266564559268242902019-10-16T23:17:00.000+01:002019-10-16T23:17:22.224+01:00Genre Guru: Tips for Playing HorrorIt’s the season when many a good improv group says to itself, “Let’s do a horror show!” To help you scare responsibly, here are a few tips.<br />
<br />
<b>Take your time at the beginning. </b>Most horror movies have a slow build. There is also a bit of time before the scary things start happening. Use this time to set up your characters and relationships and only hint at the horror. After all, the more we care about your characters the more we will want them to succeed and the more we will feel the wrench if they get sliced.<br />
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Start small and build. </b>In most horror, there is a real build in not only the level of things happening, but the tension. The first scary things that happen (such as books falling off shelves, a dead bird being found, etc) are barely noticed by the protagonists. Practice building tension. Tension is hard to maintain in a comedy show as laughter is a big releaser of tension.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
The same is true of the protagonists fear. Obviously they must be afraid otherwise the horror has no impact, but it can start small and build. Your character will be terrified, but you don’t have to be so from the start. It’s tiring for the actor and it’s tiring for the audience. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In movies, there is often a scare at the start: a kind of prelude to the coming horror. But the main reason for this is otherwise, there is 30 plus minutes with very little horror which is hard on a movie audience who wants the horror now! Unless you are doing a 2-hour show, you don’t need to worry about doing this, although it is an option to have a little taster of what’s to come.</div>
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<b>Scepticism is allowed. </b>Normally being sceptical or not believing what is happening or being said is a real killer for improv scenes, but it’s okay for the protagonist to be sceptical in the early stages of the horror. It is very much in the genre for the hero to not pay attention to the books falling off the shelf, or to attribute weird sounds to everyday occurrences. In fact, there’s a built-in game of scary thing happens and giving it increasing implausible explanations. Of course, at some point the protagonists must realise the horror is real.<br />
<br />
<b>Allow characters to die or disappear. </b>But again, don’t rush this and remember this is a big moment.
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<b><br /></b>
<b>You only need one type of monster. </b>Improv stories tend to have too much of everything, and improvised horror is no exception. You don’t need to have a vampire and a werewolf and a zombie and haunted clock; you only need one.<br />
<br />
<b>Sometimes it’s scarier not to show it. </b>Makers of low budget horror movies have realised that they can’t compete when it comes to special effects. But they don’t have to compete. Some of the scariest movies have hardly shown, or not shown at all, the monster. It can be more effective to show someone scared of the gorgon or someone recoiling in horror at the sight of the gorgon than have the reality completely destroyed by someone pretending to be a gorgon. (See especially The Blair Witch Project (1999), Paranormal Activity (2007) and Night of the Demon (1957).)<br />
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<b>Do not play just for laughs. </b>There has to be some jeopardy and some fear. Depending on your show, you might go more for the jokes, but you need characters to be scared. If it’s all jokey, then it’s a lame parody of horror. Given that most improve is dedicated almost entirely to getting laughs and little else, the more scared you allow your characters to be, the more like a real horror show it will be and the more your show will stand out. My advice would be to rehearse pure horror cos your team probably doesn’t need to practice the funny and when you have an audience the funny will slip out of its own accord.<br />
<br />
<b>The evil can be defeated. </b>Finding a way to kill it, remove it or send it back to whence it came is an important part of the story. It gives the remaining characters hope. It doesn’t mean you do kill it, it means you can try. In many stories, you will succeed, in others you fail. However, even if you succeed, you might do so only to find that was just the tip of the iceberg or you merely angered something bigger and scarier.<br />
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<b>Have fun. </b>Enjoy playing a scared character. Enjoy being frightening. Enjoy being part of a rich story-telling tradition.<br />
<br />
---<br />
Peter is performing <a href="http://www.mrpetermore.com/show-calendar/">two horror shows</a> in the coming month and has a super mega genre workshop coming up real soon. <a href="http://www.mrpetermore.com/contact/">Contact him</a> for details.Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-16721531782608482122019-07-24T19:12:00.000+01:002019-07-24T19:12:08.394+01:00Rutger Hauer on choosing a character<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
'Good guy' or 'bad guy', hero or anti hero; doesn't matter to me, what role I play, only the character have something magical. -- Rutger Hauer</div>
</blockquote>
<br />Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-9950905221773726892018-11-21T20:57:00.001+00:002018-11-21T20:57:24.547+00:00Performing for a Foreign Audience<br />
You are very excited because you have been invited to play at the Fargleskarg International Comedy Festival. You're all rehearsed, you know your format or set, you have your tickets. Could there be anything else you need to think about? Actually there is... It's worth taking time to think about how well you will be understood.<br />
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
This blog has come from more than 10 years of performing and teaching in many countries. It will be performance-focused and will mostly be about improv, but much of it also applies to stand-up, theatre and other types of performance. At least with most of these others, you have a chance beforehand to review the text and see if there are things which potentially could trip you up.<br />
<br />
It is intended for any performer or group intending to perform for a foreign audience in their own language or a second common language. <br />
Whether you are performing in your own language to people who may or may not have a good understanding of it; or a second language, which you and the audience could be at different levels at, there are a number of issues that may arise. Even performing somewhere with the same official language as your own can be open to problems. Let's have a look at what a few of these things can be. <br />
<h2>
1. Speak Clearly</h2>
This may sound obvious, but a native-speaking audience will almost certainly be able to follow you, no matter how fast you speak, what accent you use, or how lazily you pronounce words. Not so an audience for whom it is a second language. If you speak quite fast, you might find you need to slow down a notch or two. If you tend to mumble or slur words, you might also need to pronounce them clearer. And some accents are harder than others to understand. I've done scenes in certain strong British accents and been told later many people didn't understand a word. If you have a strong accent, it's worth checking how well people get it in the country you are performing in. You might have to soften it. You might not want to hear that, but if you speak a (second) language you are not fluent in, you know how difficult it is when someone doesn't speak clearly and with the pronunciation you learnt it in.<br />
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Another side of this is grammar. Grammatically it is highly possible, as many of you will appreciate, to do highly complex things with the structure of what we will call, as most people do, a sentence. Even to a native speaker, that was a complex sentence, spoken to someone who doesn't speak English so well, it might be received by a blank expression. Better to keep it simple.<br />
<br />
In improv it usually is better to keep sentences simple anyway. Add a small bit of information at a time and together build something that will become complicated enough. British improvisers, especially, often pride themselves on their verbally dexterous loquacity, and although this plays well to a home audience, it can lose audiences abroad. Be prepared to adapt.<br />
<h2>
2. Vocabulary</h2>
This is an extension of the above, but big enough a topic to get it's own section. Even if you are going to another country that speaks your language, there can be a differences in the words used every day. A lot of the time, this situation won't be a problem. Brits, for example, know a lot of American words and slang thanks to movies, and also Americans hear more Britishisms than they used to. But it is something to especially be aware of if your audience is not fluent in your language. They will most likely not know slang words, old-fashioned or rarer words, or the more complicated word for something where a simpler word exists.<br />
<br />
Some of this can be obvious. If you are feeling your audience, you can often sense when something you have said is not clear to them. And it's always possible to fix it if you realise you have used a slang or complex term by saying the standard or simpler word, and/or by describing what you mean.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Let us go to the refectory. I mean the canteen. You know, where we can get food.”</blockquote>
Maybe that was a little too much, but it is usually better to over-explain than to not be understood.<br />
Of course, it's fine if an audience doesn't get a couple of words during a show and you don't have to second guess yourself with every single thing you say, but if they don't get words key to understanding the plot or relationships, that's a different matter.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
Professor Stanley Unwin, eminent scholar and linguist </div>
<div>
(see cultural references)</div>
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Common expressions, sayings and euphemisms very often don't translate well and are not understood except by very good speakers of a language. I studied Dutch for a few years, and I can sometimes understand all the words in a sentence but have no idea what it means because they are using one of the many, many Dutch expressions where the literal meaning has nothing to do with what they are really saying.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“And now the monkey comes out of the sleeve.”</blockquote>
What monkey? Whose sleeve? Why was there a monkey there, anyway? (It means “and now the truth is revealed.”)<br />
<br />
It's worth remembering that testyourvocab.com found that whilst most adult native speakers know about 20,000–35,000 words in English, non-native speakers have an average of 4,500 words. So you should be avoiding most of the fancy words you know.<br />
<br />
Now of course, a lot of genres come with their own vocabulary. If you are doing a Shakespeare show, for example, there is an expectation of a few obscure words thrown in. And I say, verily, do so, but if your audience is not native, you can get away with doing it a lot less than you would for a show at Ye Olde English Society.<br />
<h2>
3. Cultural References </h2>
Everyday, you say things, do things, eat things that are culturally specific. There are facts you know without knowing you know. Facts that other cultures don't know or maybe even disagree with. You are usually so immersed in your culture that sometimes it is hard to imagine that people don't share the exact same experiences and set of knowledge as you all over the world. But people don't share them. Not every culture eats Wheatabix / hagelslag / Skorpor / Pfunchlacks for breakfast.<br />
<br />
It's often a shock when you go somewhere and nobody understands your joke about Ant McPartlin / Gordon / Gunde Svan / Paavo Väyrynen / David Levy / Lazlo Philosovic. Even though it would almost certainly get a laugh back home. Every country has its classic comedy go-to celebrities. B-listers whose names you mention and that will nearly always get a laugh. These are rarely celebrities that are known at all outside of your own country.<br />
<br />
This even goes for bands, films, etc. Some bands and movies are internationally known, but a lot aren't. Just because Frambleplank are huge in your country, doesn't mean they made it anywhere else. In fact, I learnt a long time ago, just because I think a band are awesome and one of the greatest bands ever, doesn't mean anyone else has heard of them. Even people on my street.<br />
<br />
If you are going to make references to people, things or events, they have to be well known internationally. This can be hard to judge if you haven't spent a lot of time out of the country in the company of locals.<br />
<br />
Madonna, Brad Pitt, the current US president (whoever that is at the time of publication) are all suitably international that most people in most audiences will know who they are. Others you don't really know until you try, and it can vary country to country.<br />
Even local references can be problematic. You might want to throw in that you know who the queen of Denmark is and that will work fine if the audience is made up of Danes, who will nearly all know who their queen is, but if the audience is international (visiting improvisers or local expats (who are only there for a short while and often don't get too involved in the local culture)), it might fly over their head.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lazlo Philosovic, probably.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Overall it is best to avoid a lot of cultural references (and not just at international festivals). They are a particular type of spice you can add to a scene, but they are almost never necessary. Scenes ultimately should be about the characters and the relationships in the scene. References anyway, whilst funny, often take the scene and the actor out of the here and now and into the head world. They are often anachronistic (meaning out of place), which again can be funny, but it is something else which breaks the reality of the scene and improv seldom needs more of them.<br />
<h2>
4. Do more than just words</h2>
So far we've mostly looked at things to avoid or be careful of, but what are things we can focus more on. Most of the complications as we have seen have been about words. Improv tends to be a very verbal medium.<br />
<br />
One approach for festivals is to do away with language. Or at least learn to not rely on it. French and Italian groups are great at doing this. Partly because English is often not so well spoken in those countries but also because they have a very strong physical theatre tradition. They tend to perform very physical shows where emotions, characters, relationships, etc., are not explained but shown. (Which is, after all, what your improv teachers kept going on about anyway.)<br />
<br />
Play clear, true emotions, physicalise your characters, heighten your relationships, find and play games that are not word based.<br />
A good story is always about the characters and relationships. As the great Hollywood story guru Robert McKee says, “All stories are 'character-driven'” [Story, Methuen, 1999]. You should always be focussing on characters and relationships. References, jokes and word-play are sprinkles on the top, which are not necessary. If your scenes are all just confection on the top, your audience is going to get diabetes pretty quick.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teatribu.</td></tr>
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A clear character and well-defined relationship can also be something that is shown and not told. Sure, the specifics of a relationship might be hard to convey, but you can tell if two characters love each other, hate each other or whether one is jealous of another who doesn't even notice them. Likewise, we can usually see if a character is confident, shy, adventurous, thoughtful, romantic, fearful, etc, by just looking at them and seeing them interact with the world and others. <br />
A great story can be told without words, and yet as improvisers we cling to words like they are everything.<br />
In fact if you concentrate on the physical, the emotions, the character, the relationships, make it clear what's going on, you don't need words at all. I have seen groups struggling to express themselves in a second language who when allowing themselves to slip back into their own language or no language have suddenly freed themselves to really play. <br />
<br />
The Italian team Teatribu often perform in Italian. They use simple Italian and use their great mime skills to make sure we can follow, and everything else is super clear. And the fact it is in Italian makes it all the more beautiful. It's funny that I know almost no Italian, but watching their shows I feel I am fluent. That should be your goal, to make sure the audience completely understands you no matter how well they speak the language you are using.<br />
<h2>
Conclusion</h2>
To summarise, the main points are these...<br />
<br />
1. Speak clearly<br />
2. Use simpler language<br />
3. Avoid slang and expressions<br />
4. Avoid references that are not universal<br />
5. Focus on character, relationship, emotions and physicality.<br />
<br />
The bottom line is, be aware of what you are saying and doing and be aware as much as possible of your audience. And this is not just good for festivals, this is good for all shows.<br />
Do that and you'll keep the horse from eating the spanners.Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-10387588777384664942018-05-30T20:21:00.004+01:002018-05-30T20:21:43.298+01:00Walk This Way: Walk-on ExamplesMy last post dealt with the subject of walk-ons and there were a few things I left out despite it being a bit long for a blog post. There are a couple of resources out there, which you might find helpful. There are also examples in a lot of movies (and plays, books, etc) that show this is not just an improv phenomenon.<br />
<br />
To recap, walk-ons are a simple idea that can be a very effective tool. They can also easily get overdone or steer a scene in the wrong way. <br />
<br />
Let's start by looking at examples in popular culture. I had a lot of trouble finding good clips because they are by their definition not hugely important, and usually they are not memorable. They are not meant to be memorable. You might remember the message they bring, but not the messenger. Which is mostly how it should be. <br />
<br />
In movies, they are usually little more than a talking extra. The character that comes on and gives a report of what's going on is the classic. Or the character who adds to the terror by screaming "Oh, my god, it's huge. It'll destroy us all!"<br />
<br />
In movies they don't actually have to walk on, because the camera can cut to them. But any character with who we see briefly and has one line, or only a few lines, is a walk-on. <br />
<br />
A classic scenario for a movie is that an authority figure is approached by a second character, This second character gives a report of the current situation, is optionally given an order and leaves (or becomes once more a background figure). We'll take a look at a couple of a couple of examples. There might be spoilers, but mostly these are classic movies so if you haven't seen them yet, you haven't been trying.<br />
<br />
There's a classic one in the original Star Wars movie, which is hard to find a good clip of, where an imperial officer enters and begins, "Lord Vader, the battle station plans are not aboard this ship! And no transmissions were made," and then pretty much leaves. <br />
<br />
This is from the same movie and shows that it's not just humans that can do walk-ons, but also mouse droids. It's more comedic than explanational, but it is more than simply comic, it also highlights something of the characters we are following.<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cLqNmMH4hsg?rel=0" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
At the start of this next clip, from the classic nature-turns-on-man horror/thriller, The Birds, there is a walk-on which heightens the tension and unease of the main characters.<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0fTXzdHoip8?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
In Jaws, Harry, the old man on the beach character has a two-part walk-on. To first, heighten the tension and give us a false scare and then to give us some character exposition about the main character.<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y7npJpvI6E4?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
The final clip is a classic joke button at the end of a scene type walk-on (or in this case a CUT TO). In fact it's probably the most famous punchline end to scene by a walk-on character in the history of cinema: “I'll have what she's having.”<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F-bsf2x-aeE?rel=0" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Some people might point out that the character is briefly shown earlier, but this is fine. Walk-on refers to the characters role in the current scene or moment, not their function in the whole piece. Here the character went from being background to being a walk-on.<br />
<br />
Having an established character do a walk-on is perfectly fine, and happens a lot in movies and TV shows. The Simpsons is full of established characters who do walk-ons all the time. One of the clearest examples – and most used – is Herman Muntz and his iconic "Ha-ha!"<br />
<br />
As they said in the movie Walk-On Club: “The first rule of Walk-On Club is you do not walk on unless it is absolutely necessary.” The second rule of Walk-On Club is once you've done the thing you were doing, walk the feck off stage.”<br />
<br />
<h3>
Other Resources</h3>
I got a lot of inspiration for the videos from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u14G9_ot6bM">The Greatest One Line Movie Roles</a> from the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXSFPoTv-AuggOLvrE67F4Q">Overthinking It channel</a>.<br />
<br />
Here's a great set of succinct list of questions you could ask yourself before doing a walk-on from <a href="http://jimmycarrane.com/5-tips-to-decide-if-you-should-walk-on-in-an-improv-scene/">Jimmy Carrane</a>.<br />
<br />Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-16893408297210268312018-05-25T22:38:00.000+01:002018-05-25T22:38:37.340+01:00Walk On By: The Subtle Art of Walking On and Walking Off AgainThis topic came up as a recent discussion on everyone's favourite data-mining site, facebook. It set my brain off so here's some of its thoughts on the subject. <br />
<br />
Before I start properly, I will state that my brain can't decide whether it likes "walk-on" or "walk on." (It already objected to “walkon.”) I'm going for the former as this seems more widely accepted and is clearer in some circumstances. If I offend any grammarians, then I'm am sorry.<br />
<br />
I'll start this piece by defining what I mean by the term "walk-on." A walk-on is where an actor goes on stage during a scene and interacts with the scene (usually in a way that adds something) and then leaves. This can either be as a character who enters the scene or as a "director" pointing something out (scene painting, explaining, etc).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Waiter, there's an extra person in my scene!"</td></tr>
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It seems simple enough but it's fraught with danger and it can easily become something else. For example, if the actor doesn't leave, it is not a walk-on, they are adding a character. If they walk on and somehow take too much focus from an already established story that didn't require it, this is stealing focus. Walking on to edit a scene I do not consider a walk-on as we are discussing here, it is it's own separate thing.<br />
<br />
There is also a walk-through, which is slightly different, but in the same ball park. It's where, for example a couple of characters cross the stage not interacting with the scene itself, although possibly referencing it. Once they actors have crossed the stage, that bit is over. It's like an INSERT in a movie.<br />
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Walk-on: Or a short flashback on Family Guy!</i></blockquote>
Again if the actors start a walk-through, but stay on stage, it becomes a split screen.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Walk-on: Oh, the jargon!</i></blockquote>
99% of the time in a walk-on, the actor physically enters the stage (usually by walking, but not exclusively), but, a voice from off-stage adding some details is also technically a walk-on.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Sire, I bring you good news from off stage."</td></tr>
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There are several reasons why walk-ons can be a good thing. They mostly come from the fact that actors on the side can have a better overview of the scene / story than the actors in the scene. They can usually <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">better </span>see what a scene needs or what the actors want.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Walk-on: So let's hear some.</i></blockquote>
<div>
Some reasons to do a walk-on:</div>
<ul>
<li>Clear up confusions; explain things.</li>
<li>Add a helpful detail to enrich the scene, characters, atmosphere, etc.</li>
<li>Further a game.</li>
<li>Raise the stakes.</li>
<li>Highlight an offer that is more important than the actors in the scene realise.</li>
<li>Solve a problem which is distracting the players.</li>
<li>Helping the story along when it's time to do so.</li>
<li>Add some element of fun.</li>
<li>To throw in a joke, make a call-back or add a counter-point.</li>
<li>Ending a scene. Although this is almost a separate subject, but if you come on and add a line that gives the scene a good end (or "button"), then this is also a specific kind of walk-on.</li>
</ul>
Again these things can all be done, but should only be done if they are needed. If you are not sure they are needed, they are probably not. Keep watching the scene and see if something feels missing or needed. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Walk-on: You will spend a lot of your time in improv standing on the sides and watching.</i></blockquote>
Now a lot of people are wary of walk-ons for some good reasons. Here are some of the pitfalls...<br />
<ul>
<li>Sometimes the actor providing the walk-on doesn't leave, either because the actor thinks there is more to add or the other actors took this walk-on as another character - this can especially happen when the actors in the scene feel it is going badly and latch onto anything they can and are horrified that this new character might leave them alone.</li>
<li>The offer brought by the walk-on steers the scene unnecessarily in a direction it wasn't going. Walk-ons can nudge a story on track, most notably when the actors on the side can clearly see this is a story about one character's desire for revenge but somehow they characters are getting bogged down making coffee. But sometimes the actor on the side wasn't paying full attention or is obsessed with an earlier offer they think the story should be about.</li>
<li>The scene starts to be about the walk-on character when this isn't necessary.</li>
<li>The walk-on comes on as a character that the audience loves and this takes the focus. In general, come on for a walk-on as a minor character, do what you have to do and leave, but sometimes, you hit upon a great, funny character and they audience responds well to it. My advice here is still leave. Still serve that scene and help it. Because you can almost always bring that character back later in the show, which will probably have more impact, anyway.</li>
<li>The walk-on was to do a joke which ruins the atmosphere or takes away from what's happening on stage. A lot of judgement is needed as to whether this is the time for a funny walk on. Sometimes the funny gets in the way of the story and although you might have a great gag that you know would get a laugh, if this is a touching moment, it might not be right at all, as you'll stamp all over the story and ruin a chance for improv to be more than just a bunch of joking nods to the audience and call-backs. Sometimes you can save it for the right moment (a touching scene followed by a great, funny line is good comedy) and sometimes you have to let that little birdie go (there will be other jokes, trust me).</li>
<li>An actor just wants to be on stage. I think we have all cringed at shows where there is one actor who somehow manages to be in every scene whether they are needed or not. And many of us have cringed when we have realised that actor was us that evening.</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Walk-on: Hi everyone!</i></blockquote>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
As with all these things, we can analyse them until we are blue in the face, but they only way to really learn the parameters is to do them. Rehearse with your team, practice walk-ons: do a montage-type longform and say beforehand, “we will do as many walk-ons as possible and then see / feel which ones work.” Play games where, say, only new information can be added by players outside the scene. There are more exercises, I'm sure.<br />
<br />
And don't be afraid to evaluate and discuss after. "When you walked on during the egg scene, I didn't understand what you were bringing." Don't be afraid to ask yourself or fellow players, "was that needed?" Understand that it is hard to lean the balance of when to go on and when to not, and we will go too far sometimes in our enthusiasm, but that's how we learn. And sometimes it is a matter of opinion. As long as we are open to questioning ourselves and learning we can find that perfect balance point where we only enter a scene when it truly needs it and then, if this is a walk-on, we get the bejesus back off stage.<br />
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Quiz for the keen: There were several walk-ons during this piece. Can you determine which were the helpful ones and which were not? There will be a follow-up post with some examples soon.<br />
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<i>Walk-on: As ever feel free to comment.</i></blockquote>
Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-91583546444607731902018-02-03T08:00:00.000+00:002018-02-03T08:00:32.666+00:00IMPRO Amsterdam 2018 - Gotta get down on FridayOn Friday I took a workshop on hip hop improv because one should always push oneself. Plus it’s a workshop with a beatboxer in it, and pretty much anything without a beatboxer is lame. I won’t even go shopping these days without someone beside me laying down some dope beats.<br />
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The night started with Friend Friend, where two friends, Amy and Anna, channel their love for each other to portray a heart-warming array of characters. There is so much charm and calm joy on display here. You get drawn into the worlds they are themselves discovering and feel you’ve just watched a show of two people giving each other lovely gifts.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'll Be There For You. (Photo by Marwan Youssef)</td></tr>
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The second show was Stuck in the middle. In this show, one of the players is selected to be “stuck in the middle” which means they are on the stage the whole time and it’s up to the other players to start scenes with you, to look after you, and to mess with you. I was blessed enough that day to be the one selected.<br />
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You know that feeling when you are in a toy store and one of the staff comes up and says “here’s a large scale millenium falcon, play with this” and then when you’ve had a little fun another comes up and says “here’s a lego castle, play with this” and shortly after another appears and says “here’s an classic Atari console fully loaded with Ms Pacman…” (Let me know if my references are dated at all.) Anyway if you can understand the concept of this then you understand what it’s like to be the chosen one in this format. A gang of talented performers give you a selection of awesome gifts and the main thing you have to do is react I’m still a little hyper from it all.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We'll be there for you (Photo by Marwan Youssef)</td></tr>
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After all this fun, there was more fun. A choice of fun. There was The Final Gig, a duo show showing the final concert of a legendary, nonexistent musical pairing, with great singing and high emotions.<br />
The other show was Decibel, a Franco-Finno trio who combine mime and acrobatics with their improvisation. And I really do mean acrobatics, I’ve never seen a group, climb, carry each other and tumble with such ease. They also do the one of the seemingly most difficult improvisational skills: not speaking. Also they had beatboxers guesting because, well, if you can you really really should.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the last time we'll be here.</td></tr>
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Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-57331212605069241412018-01-29T01:03:00.001+00:002018-01-29T12:07:16.195+00:00IMPRO Amsterdam 2018 - T to the hursdayTonight there was an extra early show from the Brazilian mime group doing their living statues show. There are not many improv shows where you get painted from head to toe before you go on stage.<br />
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The main presentation got started with Dogville. This is an improvised adaptation of the movie by Lars von Trier. It's the one where the set budget only stretched to some chalk. Also the actors had no trailers and had to be on set the whole time even in scenes not about them. The original movie is in the genre of harsh drama; This was definitely lighter.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downward Facing Dogville. (Photo by Mathieu vd Berk)</td></tr>
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As far as I'm aware this is the only Lars von Trier movie to have inspired improv shows. I’m still keenly waiting for the formats Nymphomaniac and Antichrist.<br />
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After the break, North Coast from New York took the stage. North Coast do a thing called hip hop improv. It's exactly what it sounds like it is. The energy they bring to the stage, the rhythmicality, the sheer scale of commitment is exhilarating. They do scenes and games that lead into or somehow involve music. They are not only versatile within the reasonably broad category of rap / hip hop but also jump into other styles too. What really sets them apart from other improv groups who may do music is that they bring with them two world-class beatboxers. What Kaila and Mark can do with their voices will blow your mind. At this moment, I can’t imagine doing a show without a beatboxer in it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northcoast in the Haunted House (Photo by Mathieu vd Berk)</td></tr>
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Tonight the late night shows were The Ghost Sheep from Brussels with The Fortune Teller where an audience member has their future predicted / improvised; and the sensitive Dutch men from Broos. The Ghost Sheep told the future of one of the beatboxers because, well, every show needs a beatboxer.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ghost Sheep Need Ewe!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broos - the brooding bass-backed boys of improv.</td></tr>
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Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-63387374733786016662018-01-27T14:49:00.000+00:002018-01-27T14:49:07.979+00:00IMPRO Amsterdam 2018 - Tales from the GarageFlicker is a format by Katie and Chris of Project2 and one I was lucky enough to be in. The simple explanation is that half the scenes are played in the dark and the other half in the light. The scenes without light force you to use sound to create radio plays or soundscapes. They also hopefully remind you to be more physical in the scenes where people can see you. It certainly produced some fun scenes and made for a show with a strong visual identity.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scene with the lights on (Photo by John Mabey)</td></tr>
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The second half was given over to Dad’s Garage. Dad’s Garage are a theatre with a good reputation based in Atlanta in the US. What do they make in Dad’s Garage? Well, lots of things, but tonight two of them showed us Working Title, which is an improvised Hollywood movie. Using the language of movie scripts to help paint and link the scenes, they get a description of a hero from the audience and two very different locations and launch themselves into if. Our hero then somehow gets from the first location to the second one, far from home and what he knows. They hit all of the beats of a good script and clearly know their movie structure. So the show has a well-structured story with some action, a little romance, camera pans and a satisfying end where everyone feels good. But it’s all done with a ton of confidence and a lot of fun, discovering the story as they go and following the twists to their conclusion.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lights on, cameras on, actions (photo by John Mabey)</td></tr>
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After the main shows, there were 2 options as previously:<br />
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In one room, most of the cast of the main stage shows ganged up and threw down a show. It was basically a talented bunch of friends putting on a show simply for the joy of what they do.<br />
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In the other room, BAFNI from Scooby Doo, I mean BAFNI the Vampire Slayer, I mean BAFNI from The Czech Republic performed. They took stories from themselves and the audience to inspire them in all directions.<br />
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I know I promised lots of gossip, but I think everyone is too sleep deprived to cause scandal, or I’m too sleep deprived to notice it. All I can say is that in the green room there is a teddy bear groupie that partied way too hard this week.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fight's on! (photo by John Mabey)</td></tr>
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Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-61433577624260639982018-01-27T12:21:00.000+00:002018-01-27T12:21:17.672+00:00IMPRO Amsterdam 2018 - MardiTuesday night began with The Ghost of Love, a format where 4 couples go on 4 very different romantic journeys. For each couple, two “ghosts” control them, mock them, add atmosphere, emotions and plot points. The ghosts leave the actors free to play the characters and situations and not worry too much (or anything) about the story, which is always helpful for an actor.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ghosts, Actually. (photo by Robin Straaijer)</td></tr>
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The resulting show was somehow very cinematic, touching and filled with metaphor and symbolism. The fact that all 4 paths were very different made this feel like a written piece. The paths were not just a new couple getting together, but an established couple getting over a rocky patch and a couple who has always been together who never experienced a bump, but were still a joy to watch. The fourth couple got together, but it didn’t work out, and this, more than anything, made it a well-rounded show. None of this, four neat, happy endings mulch. And seeing the characters in their couples (or not) in the final moments, dampened many a nasolacrimal duct.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L'Action (photo by Robin Straaijer)</td></tr>
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From the joy and heartache of love, we moved on to the joy of joy. La Carpe Haute are from Strasbourg in the bit of France everyone thinks is in Germany. They do physical theatre with a ton of mime, clowning and plenty of heart and soul. If there is an object needed, they will not hesitate to demonstrate or be that object - whatever it is to make sure you know what that object is. There is never doubt. And even that object, no matter what it is, exudes joy. They love to play, they clearly love each other and they commit to whatever they discover about 104%.<br />
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To cap off the evening, there was a choice between two solo shows:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Las Vegas I Gave You My Heart (Photo by John Mabey)</td></tr>
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The Laser Comedy Show by Chris Fair is comic book drawn right in front of you with the addition of sound. You’ll find comic books pretty lame after this.<br />
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The alternative was Trudy Carmichael Presents: The Improvised One-Woman Show, in which Robin Rothman plays a Las Vegas legend telling the improvised story of her life and career in between songs.<br />
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Lasers or divas, sometimes in life you have to choose between the two.Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-28136863978897352022018-01-25T00:32:00.001+00:002018-01-25T00:32:29.797+00:00IMPRO Amsterdam 2018 - Opening nightFestivals should begin with a bang. That is unless you running The International Festival of Slow Fades, or Disappointed! The Festival for Mismanaged Expectations. (Both of which are great festivals, but I’ll discuss them another time I absolutely promise. Honest.) But this festival went for the tradition of bangular openings.<br />
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This show is the first chance for the general public to really see the ensemble cast. For this first show, everyone performed in their original teams. Each team has a show of their own later in the week. Except the Dutch who were only assembled as a team for this festival and are merely along for the ride. It's a kind of taster for the whole week.<br />
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(Also there is another team with a main-stage show that is not part of the ensemble, but I won’t mention that now to keep from confusing you. It’s Dad’s Garage.)<br />
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Each team showed off a bit of their style and were then given a second challenge to pay homage to another team, which got Americans being Australians, Australians being Dutch and the Dutch rapping. What could possibly go wrong?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ouestern!</td></tr>
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The second half of the show was given over to Project2 an English duo who improvise in the style of science fiction. It is fair to say they kicked the ball straight out of the stratosphere. A lot of improvised science fiction is goofy, soulless, gadget-obsessed parody. (Actually a fair few movies are too.) Katie and Chris (who are the current incarnation of Project2) are doing this out of love and respect. They know their science fiction. They might mock it, but they do it with love. They can find the funny, but they are not afraid to be truthful and their commitment cannot be questioned. The stories they weave and eventually manage to tie together contain so much human truth, that the end was a veritable burst of joy.<br />
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And all this with a superbly atmospheric live soundtrack by one half of noughties electronica duo Lemon Jelly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zombie vs Sentry Drone</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night at the Museum of Stories</td></tr>
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After most of the shows this week, there is a choice of 2 late night shows. Firstly, there were Brazilian living statues with Museum of Stories. Yes those actual living statues you find in most big cities on the streets near the most touristy of spots were brought into theatres to be both statues and actors in scenes. Any improviser who has ever had to try and be still on stage for more than 1 minute can learn a lot from these guys.<br />
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And secondly there was some “playback theatre” from local group, Wordt Vervolgd (which means To Be Continued). Playback theatre is where the audience tells their stories and these are then recreated or interpreted on stage for fun or therapy.<br />
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In all a great official first night. Well up there with the opening night of Bangfest IV: The Bangening.<br />
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Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-86510737085175630832018-01-23T00:16:00.000+00:002018-01-23T00:16:30.030+00:00IMPRO Amsterdam 2018 - Secret Preshow<div dir="ltr">
A festival the size of IMPRO Amsterdam doesn’t just happen because of the efforts of one person. There are scores of people who help make the magic happen. From the artistic team who decide which teams come to the people who wash the dishes after the performers have eaten. (Yes, this festival provides food for the performers. I know, right!)</div>
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As many of these volunteers as can fit in the chosen venue (about 50) are rewarded with an extra free show where they get to see the newly assembled team show what they can do. It’s a very nice pre-actual festival show. A time to really play with your new friends but without the pressure of a show in a 220-seater theatre.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And house spirit makes three.</td></tr>
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The players were divided into two groups, spreading each of the national teams as evenly as possible between them. Each group played for 40 or so minutes. Showing off the mixed skills, styles, heights and accents of the cast. It’s hard to remember scenes in shows you were in, but from what I recall there were scenes about how accommodating French hairdressers can be to uncomprehending foreigners; haunted hotels where you can probably never leave; the difficulty of finding pets that will stick around; waiters caught between a hard chef and a gang of customers; the complexities and absurdities of negotiating a shoe shine; and the importance of light-switch positioning when taunting light-fearing demons. All very valuable lessons in life.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You actually can'r even check out anytime you want.</td></tr>
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There was definitely a lot of not just playing well together but the joy of playing together on display. It all ended with a huge dance number including much of the audience, which, being almost entirely made up of improvisers, was more than will to join in.</div>
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It’s already uberfun and it’s not officially started.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megajazzhands</td></tr>
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Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-13241065640874565922018-01-21T23:37:00.001+00:002018-01-21T23:37:09.246+00:00IMPRO Amsterdam 2018 - The cast meet the castDrawing the teams from 5 countries (over 3 continents), the men and women behind the organisation of the festival have pulled together an awesome, diverse team of players. There are Hip Hoppers from New York, Science Fictioneers from London, Comédiens physiques de Strasbourg and a couple of talented sheilas out of Melbourne.<br />
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These, with 6 Dutch (and adoptive Dutch) players, form the main stage cast for this year’s festival. There are other players doing the more specialised late-night shows and adding to the number of countries and continents, but I’ll talk more about these later.<br />
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Some of these people had met before, but many had not. They arrived as several different-shaped containers of talent, and the first stages of mixing them together and making them a team began Saturday, with a dinner and a chance to play together.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dutch bikes after the storm.</td></tr>
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“Familiarity breeds content” is an old adage in improv that I just invented. And so this was a chance for the players to get to know each other, both as players and as people. The more you know and like someone, generally, the better you perform together. It’s true. Try performing with someone you just met who you hate. It’s really difficult. Everything they say is so stupid.<br />
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After the foundations of the team were built, the next, more powerful method of bringing people together took place. Dinner! Food unites people. The communal breaking of bread (or, in this case, pizza base), is guaranteed to bring people closer together. Unless for some reason they like Brussels sprouts, in which case everything they eat is so stupid.<br />
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Also, there was alcohol. Everything that goes for food, goes for alcohol (except the effects are quicker but much shorter lasting).<br />
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After all of this there was a chance to perform for each other and see some of the skills these kids have brought to town. Oh, man, are you in for a great festival!<br />
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Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-13813704325894236222018-01-20T14:51:00.000+00:002018-01-20T14:51:09.984+00:00IMPRO Amsterdam 2018 - introduction (not that it needs one)In September last year, Theatersportvereningenamsterdam (TVA), organised a kind of knock-out competition to find who is the team to represent the Netherlands in this year’s IMPRO Amsterdam. The various gods of comedy smiled on me that night and I am to be part of the 6-strong cast of funny people who next week will, as they say, represent.<br />
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For those of you who don’t know IMPRO Amsterdam, shame on you. But, it doesn’t matter, it will happen without you knowing about it. And even if you know nothing about it, it doesn’t really need an introduction, all you need to know about it is in the title. And certainly if you use it’s full title, “Improvised Comedy Festival Amsterdam The Netherlands 2018.” (Which in Dutch would be “Improvisatiekomedietheaterfestivalamsterdamnederlandtweeduizendachttien” (IKTFANTTA).)<br />
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As last year, I intend to blog every day about the festival. This time from an insider’s perspective. As a performer at the festival. I’ll give my impression of the highlights, the lowlights, and the midlights. I’ll give you the low down, the goss, and the words from the streets. I give you as much as I can before I fall asleep through sheer exhaustion, because it’s quite a full-on week.<br />
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So, if you can’t make the festival, keep reading and live it through these words and occasional pictures. If you can make the festival, still keep reading and see if you agree with my twisted view of what happened. And if you are involved in making the festival happen, keep reading as all this is dedicated to you.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dutch cast: Jochem, Sven, Nardje, Huib, Nicole, and<br />Myself (winning the goofiest expression competition).</td></tr>
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Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com2Amsterdam, Netherlands52.3702157 4.895167899999933152.2150437 4.5724443999999327 52.5253877 5.2178913999999335tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-36783484920722369342017-12-04T22:32:00.000+00:002017-12-04T22:32:25.377+00:00Personal Boundaries And The Stage<br />
You are on stage in the middle of a scene. The other player is someone you have seen around but have not played with much before. The scene started fine, but somehow it seems to be going out of control and suddenly your scene partner is up very close and grabbing you. You feel uncomfortable but put it down to being inexperienced or that you missed something. After the show, rehearsal or workshop is over the incident sticks with you longer than you expect. Does this sound at all familiar to you?<br />
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An essential thing that is missing here is not experience; it is trust. A comparable interaction with an improviser you have played with a lot maybe does not bother you. The trust is there; you are looking out for each other.<br />
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In improv we spend a lot of time out of our comfort zone. So much so, that we can find it difficult to realise straight away when things go too far. It can be hard to differentiate between the discomfort of being on stage with no idea where the scene is going and the discomfort of doing things that are crossing personal boundaries for you.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For some things, the best illustrations come from workplace stock photos.</td></tr>
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There is a difference. On a low level, it feels different. But it may get mixed in or confused by the higher part of your brain with everything else that is going on.<br />
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Things that cross personal boundaries are varied. They are things like physical closeness, bodily contact, especially if not gentle, and things that are more intimate. It can also be of being in a scene where the content is uncomfortable somehow. Mostly I’ll be talking about physical contact as this is where the greyest area is. I’m not even talking about when it is actually violent, dangerous or genuinely sexual as this is never okay.<br />
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We all have boundaries about these sort of things. They vary for different people; they vary by situation; they vary depending on who else is in the scene, who is in the audience, and what has happened that day. And it’s made harder because when you begin, most of improv is putting yourself out of your comfort zone.<br />
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But these boundaries exist and they should be respected. By yourself as well as others.<br />
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As I said, we tend to blame ourselves that we aren’t better improvisers or that we didn’t understand what was going on. And worse, scene partners can also often blame us if we don’t fully go along with where they thought the scene was heading.<br />
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A very clear example of what I’m talking about is being handled roughly in a scene, say grabbed forcefully. This will almost certainly cross a boundary in the other player if you don’t know each other so well and haven’t discussed this sort of thing.<br />
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Sometimes, players do realise their boundaries are being crossed on stage and their response is influenced by that. But even here, there is a tendency for the performer to criticise themselves for their response and even for the other player to do so too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRr0QpWabLu-_ponNhn4lrGYRHIDG9IQXfr8KmgtbU78L_aMNo5spfOmBgaA-DmFq98kQe3UPFNMU1faSKRUFeDShgZ8ptcY5KyCF_O93D1ef1dd6pzYXPYaRBJe0T1gCAw5Lu-FxKepE/s1600/sb10062916kk-001_XS%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="400" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRr0QpWabLu-_ponNhn4lrGYRHIDG9IQXfr8KmgtbU78L_aMNo5spfOmBgaA-DmFq98kQe3UPFNMU1faSKRUFeDShgZ8ptcY5KyCF_O93D1ef1dd6pzYXPYaRBJe0T1gCAw5Lu-FxKepE/s320/sb10062916kk-001_XS%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This scene has been recreated by actors.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Let’s take as a specific example, Augustine has gone to touch Bertha’s hair and Bertha, not feeling comfortable with this, has leant back to avoid the touch.<br />
<br />
A frequent response to this is afterwards for Augustine to complain that Bertha blocked him. Which is not true. You can say that Bertha yes-anded their own sensibilities (boundaries), and, indeed, that of the audience, who would not want to see a player truly uncomfortable.<br />
<br />
Now, was Bertha overriding Augustine’s offer with her own internal impulse? I say no. The impulse was a reaction to the offer.<br />
<br />
Yes, in a different situation, if Bertha trusted Augustine more, she would have possibly allowed him to touch her hair. But this is irrelevant. What matters is what happens in the scene between these players at this moment.<br />
<br />
The problem here is not Bertha’s reaction to the offer, but Augustine’s response to Bertha’s reaction. If Augustine was paying full attention to Bertha, he should have realised Bertha’s response was due to boundaries being crossed. He could even have seen the signs before hemade the move and made a different offer that indicates the same emotion but less intrusively. Bertha’s response is an offer, and as it was so nicely put to me recently: “Your job as an improviser is to make your scene partner comfortable. If they feel uncomfortable or scared, you have failed.”<br />
<br />
Augustine’s objection comes in part from only seeing his offer as he originally intended it. He is seeing his offer as “A touches B’s hair,” but this is presumptive. The offer is in fact, “A tries to touch B’s hair” and the response is “B avoids the their hair being touched.” In terms of wants of the character, there is no blocking. In fact it’s fine for two characters to want different things as long as they acknowledge the others want.<br />
<br />
The real problem, of course, is the fact Augustine reached for the hair at all when Bertha wasn’t ready for it. It shows there isn’t a good connection between the scene partners and/or the offer to touch the hair really wasn’t the next step in a process of discovery by the two players in that a scene. In fact, in most cases this sort of thing happens because one actor is railroading the scene, pushing forward their own vision of what should happen whilst taking little input from the other player.<br />
<br />
I’ve heard people explain that they went too far because they were “in the moment.” But “the moment” is not just whats going on in your head, it’s what is happening all around you, between you and your partner. Being so into something you are doing that you don’t notice your partner is NOT improvising.<br />
<br />
Improv is about taking care of each other. It’s about paying attention. Inattentiveness is not an excuse. We have to be attentive: it is the CORE of what we do. If you are not paying attention how can you accept?<br />
<br />
Being aware; Read signals; Always be respectful.<br />
<br />
And this doesn’t just happen between actors who don’t know each other, it can happen between people in the same team, people who have played a lot together. As we said, it’s not about inexperience, it’s about not paying attention<br />
<br />
If you do accidentally go too far, which can of course happen, you should be aware of it and adjust. Use the response from the other player in an accepting way, and most of all apologise after the scene. You might step over a line very occasionally, but have the awareness to realise it and the humility to apologise for it. The big problem is not that it happens at all, it’s when it happens frequently.<br />
<br />
If you find yourself in the situation of being uncomfortable due to boundaries being crossed, don’t be afraid to let your scene partner know. Any good, attentive improviser should pick up on this and use your response as an offer and certainly they should not push further.<br />
<br />
You are not being a bad improviser for not accepting something you feel highly uncomfortable with (i.e. something beyond any normal feeling of being out of your comfort zone in improv). As I have explained, this is usually not actually blocking.<br />
<br />
What can you do if your signals are not seen?<br />
<ul>
<li>You can make them more obvious.</li>
<li>Make an offer that deflects where the scene is going. </li>
<li>You can even call out the actor’s behaviour attributing it to the character.</li>
<li>And if still, it continues, you can always leave the stage. No show is worth being made to feel unsafe for. Your integrity as a player is more important than the scene.</li>
</ul>
(These are easier said than done, I know, but it’s good to be aware of options.)<br />
<br />
Players on the side can also help.<br />
<ul>
<li>Edit the scene and start a new one or tag one of the players out.</li>
<li>Intervene as another character or voiceover.</li>
<li>Bring it up after the show/rehearsal.</li>
</ul>
The audience will probably have sensed your unease and will not want it to carry on as it is. In fact, in cases like these, often only one person wants the scene to go the way it is going, and that’s the player forcing the offers.<br />
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This sort of thing affects us all, whether you are a victim or not. In fact, I’m sure more people have had this happen than you think. Maybe all of us. Not too long ago, I was groped on stage by an actor I did not trust who did it because he knew I would accept it and because he thought it was funny. (The audience did laugh, but mostly at the how weird and inappropriate it was.)<br />
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Discussing this sort of thing within you group, saying what people do and don’t feel comfortable with is the best way to raise awareness and prevent things going too far.<br />
<br />
Everyone, especially more advanced players, should be more attentive to this sort of thing (and not just on stage). We should edit uncomfortable scenes, call-out inappropriate behaviour, remind everyone that this is a medium that only works when we work together. As always we should remember the words of the great guru, Gerald Springer, “Take care of yourself and each other.”<br />
<div>
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Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-87835175925605293362017-09-02T01:10:00.000+01:002017-09-02T09:59:29.444+01:00Ten lessons for improvisers from the movie AlienAlien (1979, dir: Ridley Scott) is a great example of a
science fiction movie. You may have seen it. Frankly you should have seen it. I
don’t think you need to have to follow this post, but why resist seeing it, you’re
only depriving yourself.<o:p></o:p>
<br>
<br>
Improvising in science fiction is fraught with danger. These
dangers are the same that film-makers also face. So looking at a successful science
fiction movie can give us some insight into how to do it well. The same goes
for horror, which is relevant, as we will see. Let’s look at Alien and find ten
lessons about improvised genres and improvised narratives.<o:p></o:p>
<br>
<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuh43irtg27iA5HKBF-NNwZ3hlDrbFYJ6Y-24i_Nf79kfZmCMX9xxDE0rZ2J5XUwdJvVFdkJdVawWAV3mSw3wp4O0ciB_u27LFAiLnYEpJkKqLYnNyVa7UlndBacvMUib3r3a8ej0skc/s1600/9315598cdbe482b6c17d1e47277a475d%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="656" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuh43irtg27iA5HKBF-NNwZ3hlDrbFYJ6Y-24i_Nf79kfZmCMX9xxDE0rZ2J5XUwdJvVFdkJdVawWAV3mSw3wp4O0ciB_u27LFAiLnYEpJkKqLYnNyVa7UlndBacvMUib3r3a8ej0skc/s320/9315598cdbe482b6c17d1e47277a475d%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People still eat, no matter what era it is.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ol>
<li>People have always been, and always will be, people. People in science fiction don’t have to be weird, unrelatable aliens. In fact they rarely are. The crew of the Nostromo are blue-collar workers doing a hard job. They are the crew of a towing vessel. Today they would be the crew of a freighter. They are all people we could and relate to in our ordinary non-future lives.
<br>
</li>
<li>Establishing character through dialogue. Our main introduction to the crew is through a conversation over a meal. Here they chat, joke, argue and generally show their outlook on life through how they talk and what they say. Again, it should be noted, they are not talking about weird space stuff, they are talking about getting paid and what their job entails, and the sorts of things we talk about when we’re at work. People will not be radically different in a few hundred years time.</li>
<li>Science Fiction often has another genre. Although most people would say the genre of the movie Alien is science fiction, the story is pure horror. Science fiction is almost always a filter put over the top of another genre. At least, that’s how I like to view it. Science fiction is actually very broad as a genre, and in a way gives us very little concrete to start with, and plot-wise gives us even less. A science fiction story can be set in any time or place, both real and imaginary. It doesn’t have to be set anywhere near space. However, if a story is set in space, it is automatically science fiction. (At least it will be until space travel is boringly routine for us as a species.) Alien goes for what could be called a classic setting for science fiction, a space ship. But it is not an exploration ship on a voyage to explore new planets; it’s not a battle cruiser off to battle against the interplanetary federation; no it’s basically a tug taking a cargo of something mundane back to Earth.</li>
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</div>
<li>Relationships. It’s important to establish the relationships of the main characters early on in a story. A lesson here is that, most relationships are not going into in much depth. This is not a relationship-driven story and in fact not so much time is spent on it, but you do get to learn some of the connections that people have to each other – it’s mostly who gets on with whom and who doesn’t get on so well together. This is partly because there are 7 characters at the start and so we can’t keep track of 21 relationships. (The equation is n(n-1)/2, if you were wondering.) It’s also because horror is not (usually) a relationship-driven genre. The action is not dictated as much by the actions of the main characters as it is by some outside entity. Plus most of the people you meet at the beginning ain’t going to make it. In horror, as a rule, we don’t follow and identify with the main characters because we are fully invested in their character but because we empathise with their predicament and don’t want them to be brutally murdered.</li>
<li>Alien is not about the alien, but about the crew’s attempts to avoid getting killed by the alien.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghY68qPqr1UgZn1WR8Q8gSZaj9pnxxW9uIW-aXbwVXHxGYrRWhv48ltCkTK0UikaFGn0ok19N16V-aSjZpwstQg9bbGTtPyxnJ2hJveR8RKZ1a30QRfrdl0SKbDiRgll3SBm_SX0fXiG0/s1600/1252946568845069%255B1%255D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="500" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghY68qPqr1UgZn1WR8Q8gSZaj9pnxxW9uIW-aXbwVXHxGYrRWhv48ltCkTK0UikaFGn0ok19N16V-aSjZpwstQg9bbGTtPyxnJ2hJveR8RKZ1a30QRfrdl0SKbDiRgll3SBm_SX0fXiG0/s320/1252946568845069%255B1%255D.jpeg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby killer aliens can be cute too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<li>Gore or lack of it. Although we see some of it, we don’t actually see too much of the alien killing the victims. Horror (aside from the gore and slasher subgenres) is much more about the build-up of suspense and the reactions than the actual horrific acts. Which is good for improvisers as it’s hard to mime a good decapitation. Especially one that isn’t funny. But atmosphere and reaction we can do. However, the trick is that atmosphere and reaction require total commitment to it. Which sounds like the realm of improv, but, in improv the commitment is often only to the funny, and applied far less to the dramatic or real side of things. But with commitment (and good music) a scary atmosphere can be achieved pretty easily. One good tip is your character should genuinely be scared. At no point in the movie do you think, “that actor is just playing scared.” You certainly don’t see what you too often see on an improv stage, a character playing some sort of vaudevillian, knowing spoof of a scared person. You see the fear of the characters. That’s the only way horror works.</li>
<li>Establish the rules of the world. Some sci fis have wildly different rules to the world we know, but most don’t. The one’s we relate to most do not have that much which makes it alien to what we know. There should probably be some new rules, as this is an important part of sci fi, but there do not have to be many. And the characters are usually used to the rules of this world, and so live them, understand them and are not surprised by them. Rules can be small or large. Things that are different have to be explained or demonstrated. In Alien it is explained that they have to respond to the SOS beacon because that’s one of the rules AND that their pay depends on it. Also, the rules of the autodestruct system (in particular that there is a time-limit to the over-ride function, which only makes sense plot-wise) are explained by the autodestruct’s own voiceover. Also in Alien it is enough to show that steam coming out of vents at various points of the ship is a regular thing for us to accept it is an important part of the workings of the ship, even if part of us doesn’t get why, once we see it a couple of times, we accept it as something that happens in the world of that ship.</li>
<li>Technology changes the way we do some things but we are still humans. We won’t spend all of our time talking about technology (okay, some of us will, but most of us won’t), but we will use that technology in our everyday lives. This is easier to do in a movie where we can show so much without having to talk about it, but even in stage-bound improvisation, we can have scenes where we have a lot of new technology around us, but we just use it rather than talk about it or over explain it. Note this last thing is not just a trap for improvisation, but a lot of terrible sci fi does it too. The trick is to talk about what’s going on with the characters and not about the tools you are using.</li>
<li>Androids and robots are only really interesting when they have or want human emotions. The biomechanical android is so convincing as a human, it only becomes clear it’s an android when it’s head gets knocked off. And although looking back, the seemingly emotional choices of the android had a less emotional driver, it does reveal some emotions we can (sort of) relate to in that it has the capacity to admire. Although it admires the alien for being “unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.”</li>
<li>In horror (certainly since the seventies), just when you think it’s over, it isn’t.</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attitude.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Any
other lessons you’ve seen from this movie? Any alternative takes you have? That’s
what the comments are for.</span></span></div>
</ol>
<div>
<br></div>
Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-72590264021322082712017-02-05T13:25:00.000+00:002017-02-05T13:25:27.907+00:00IMPRO Amsterdam 2017: Final DaySaturday, the final day of the festival. It’s been a long road, but here is the blast at the end. The final day doesn’t include a group doing their speciality thing, which is what excites me most about this (and other) festivals. It does, however, have two shows where a cast of great people who have been performing, rehearsing and eating/drinking together for a week put on 2 high-impact shows. Plus there’s a party. Partying at the end of a festival likes this seems mandatory. Whether you are a performer who's had a hectic but rewarding week in a foreign land, and organiser who has blooded, sweated and teared to make it all happen to what appears seamless to any one outside of the organising circle, a fan who’s seen a few good shows in a week, or a battle-weary reporter, hoping to get the improv equivalent of a pulitzer. (It’s just as prestigious, but it’s imaginary, which is just as well as so is my mantelpiece* is imaginary. (* - I realise this is an uncommon word, so here is is translated for the visiting groups: schoorsteenmantel, manto de chimenea, Cornija de lareira, spiselkransen, mantel, and, um, imagine putting a shelf above the barbeque.)
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The first half of the show was a Western directed by Patti Stiles. It had a lot of dramatic tension, a set and costumes which I am always excited about in improv because 95% of improv shows, you have zero props and no specialist clothing except a checked (plaid) shirt, which or some reason is compulsory improv-wear in many parts of the world. It’s a genre that to do well requires more acting than improvisers usually get to use, but they managed to build some great moments / scenes, both comic and dramatic. And the costumes and music helped a ton. Again Felipe’s character, a wronged man who get’s his revenge, stood out and he gave Laura’s character the rare improv gift of a protracted non-comic death. It was a very Western moment.<br />
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At the complete other end of the emotional spectrum, the second half was a High School Musical. Teenagers come to terms with life, love and becoming adults; and sing about it whenever possible. It was a lot of fun (one could say gleeful), and the Swedes, who brought the format and perform this a lot, really shone. Plot- and end-wise there was a bit of confusion, mostly due to having a bit too large of a cast, but the big production numbers benefitted from having those numbers, providing large dancing ensembles (as these things often do). And, of course, it would not have not been anything without the 3 highly talented musicians who composed and played the music on the spot. If you are going to close a festival (and they all have to at some point), you can’t do it with more energy than a musical - old Chinese proverb.<br />
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So that was the festival. If you went, I hope you recognised it and brought back fond memories, and if you didn’t, I hope it gave you the impulse to go next year. As ever the quality of the performers invited is top notch and I hope to see more of them all elsewhere.<br />
<br />
Mantelpeace out!
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Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-55648438238742261702017-01-31T21:05:00.000+00:002017-01-31T21:05:14.038+00:00IMPRO Amsterdam 2017: Day 5: FridayToday’s open stage had 3 musicians and a full room . It’s certainly grown over the week and is definitely something people want. Improvisers, like all junkies, need their fix.<br />
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The first half of the main show was Midnight Radio, a format devised together by Emil Struijker Boudier and Sarah Michaelson despite being several thousand miles apart. If you don’t know who these people are, let me get all wikipedia on you. Emil is an Amsterdam-based improviser most known for taking the art of tech-ing improv shows up to 11. He was the main tech of easylaughs before the pirate ship Boom Chicago kidnapped him one night. Sarah is also known as DJ Mama Cutsworth and provided the soundtrack for several shows this festival, most notably with the mostly-Colombian group Picnic, of whom she is the non-Colombian part.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUUxNu3lzroSMJt0-BzDj21sH55_ECLkRWZ2kq2Dsy8dSmY_Q2osH4oD2sIErVPXU8-bPQ_VkOQLD7Dt1BFEweiHRfaDfyYZDjvOLCwSpuR-t3WocgZVi3jY03xXCUR04Y9fmdqyPp5s/s1600/IMG_4704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUUxNu3lzroSMJt0-BzDj21sH55_ECLkRWZ2kq2Dsy8dSmY_Q2osH4oD2sIErVPXU8-bPQ_VkOQLD7Dt1BFEweiHRfaDfyYZDjvOLCwSpuR-t3WocgZVi3jY03xXCUR04Y9fmdqyPp5s/s320/IMG_4704.JPG" width="256" /></a>It was a really nicely different show. The premise is that there is a midnight call-in radio show hosted by the above mentioned two (and really, there should be). The rest of the cast call in in character and request a piece of music, which, Spotify-permitting, is played. The music is then played and used to inspire or provide the soundtrack for the scene. And then another caller.
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Again this was a vehicle for some great scenes, and some lovely callers. And there was a genuine feel of two DJs who have been together for ages despite having met the previous weekend. But this is a theme of the festival. By Friday, you have a strong cast of players who you would swear all knew each other since Jesus was a young improviser.
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Felipe’s puppy stole the show. But there were plenty of other good moments. It started with a super-strong wordless scene with Dave, Roemer and Victoria acting out the classic boyfriend finds girlfriend flirting with another guy and bullies him out of money so that now boyfriend has all the cash, so girlfriend leaves with him. There was an interesting, almost surreal scene of a woman harvesting hearts that lead to what is possibly the call-back of the festival when Marta returned to collect a broken heart in the final scene.
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The show was followed by British duo, Folie à Deux. Yes, I know it’s French. After Brexit, they will have to be called “You don’t have to be mad to be in this duo, but it helps,” which is not nearly as catchy.
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Charlotte and Andrew are clever, good actors and have a ton of chemistry. There is much wit on display and they take their time to explore the world and the characters, plus find some games to play on the way. Returning to stories always sees them moved on nicely. The doomed romance between a hotelier and the only guest in the One Season Hotel was a particular joy to see unfold.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYE8LO06GD00LjJwgHI87jVpw4iJbdt3MOIhDhaHcQ4aK75vWYTSDwOgDrDh3wVm2h4uV6TfR93nRlAnNyi_V5X0MprU75k0eeznQH9Ak4dILoAejVbf47mpj7dZfAnjls9859hS9lQi4/s1600/IMG_0130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYE8LO06GD00LjJwgHI87jVpw4iJbdt3MOIhDhaHcQ4aK75vWYTSDwOgDrDh3wVm2h4uV6TfR93nRlAnNyi_V5X0MprU75k0eeznQH9Ak4dILoAejVbf47mpj7dZfAnjls9859hS9lQi4/s320/IMG_0130.JPG" width="218" /></a>At this point in my notes, it says “Nele is great.” No one can argue with that which is why I wrote it exactly as she said.
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I rounded off the night in the company of Phil Lunn, whose show centres around a female cabaret singer who has been around the block. She tells us about her life (with much help from the audience) and then sings songs inspired by those events with titles from the audience. The songs are great and the life story, from humble beginnings to present day, provides a nice arc.
Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-46864868351908715902017-01-29T22:45:00.001+00:002017-01-29T22:45:43.713+00:00IMPRO Amsterdam 2017: Day 4: Quinta-feiraBackstage at festivals the atmosphere is nearly always of excitement. Sometimes towards the end, it’s exhaustion mixed with excitement, but mostly it’s excitement. Every year at IMPRO Amsterdam, the back-stage snacks get more elaborate than the year before. By 2024 there will be meals served by a butler.*
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(* - probably not.)
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The first show off the night was Cage of Fools which is a hosted show of short games with intermediate chats with the players. It somehow reminded me of the short-lived British TV improv show Fast and Loose.
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In between games the host, Rod Ben Zeev, asked them questions about relationships. It was a nice chance to get to know something about the festival cast, or half the cast, although it was the bit that was more hit and miss than the games. By now, the cast is working well together and the show had some great moments. Something different than what normally happens at the festival these days.
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After the break, we were treated to Impro Fado, a format by Portuguese group Os Improváveis. Fado is a style of music and the word fado means “fate.” As well as 3 actors they had 2 musicians and a singer. After every scene, the musicians and singer performed a song about what had happened. The show and songs were mostly in English but with some Portuguese. We didn’t mind that. In fact, although the actors weren’t held back too much by their English, they were physical and emotional enough that we could have followed with a lot more Portuguese. The singer sung much better when singing in her mother tongue. I think partly because the Fado style is very much tied to the Portuguese language. She had a phenomenal voice, and we could have happily listened to her sing the Lisbon telephone guide.
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The scenes were highly dramatic and the story was closer to tragedy than comedy, but that suits the style of the music. There was some levity, but I always feel refreshed watching a show that is not trying to be funny. And the end of the main character going back to the abusive relationship she ran away from rather than stay with the kindly man who gave her freedom was fitting the genre and, unfortunately, life.
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Of the late night show, I saw Ohana performing Sidekicks. Ohana seems to be a sort of improv band camp and the cast or this show were a collection of improvisers from various currently European countries. Their format, Sidekicks, follows two minor characters whilst around them or behind the scenes a bigger story is played out which the just bumble through. It’s very much based on the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which follows two minor characters whilst the story of Hamlet goes on around them in the background. The 2 central characters are a basically a comedy double-act comprised of two dumbards who talk about comedic inconsequentials whilst they almost get involved with (but never quite do) the action.<br />
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It’s an ambitious plan. The show was a lot of fun and they achieved what they set out to in a broad sense. There were some funny moments and the central duo had some nice games. This is a group that has un together but does not perform a lot together. I love the concept, I do feel it would have been much stronger if the backdrop had not been comic but epic or tragic. But instead it was very often played for laughs which took away from the power of the comedy of the central duo.
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I’m looking forward to more high-concept format applications next year. Personally I want to see a show based on the movie Momento that plays scenes in reverse order.
Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-35027278588313780452017-01-28T17:24:00.001+00:002017-01-28T17:24:56.048+00:00IMPRO Amsterdam 2017: Day 3: Miércoles In The Lion's Den (part 2)Continues from <a href="http://improblog.mrpetermore.com/2017/01/impro-amsterdam-2017-day-3-midweek-cute.html">Part 1</a>.<br />
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Two Colombian clowns and a Canadian DJ are in a theatre. One Clown turns to the other and says absolutely nothing. Now that’s comedy!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmadh9hJHQ12ukkQKW3iS7n26FpvMCgs4W8aJFbqPRSeB-_hKGOtGNmQv4wEY_OR_C0nYFFqr-b8YQcWmRz-FbyBlAQaj-iaMwcl6rRvgrK_9StOcfL6-Z7qTIynwAUc3CG0MKRAxq-0/s1600/IMG_3346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmadh9hJHQ12ukkQKW3iS7n26FpvMCgs4W8aJFbqPRSeB-_hKGOtGNmQv4wEY_OR_C0nYFFqr-b8YQcWmRz-FbyBlAQaj-iaMwcl6rRvgrK_9StOcfL6-Z7qTIynwAUc3CG0MKRAxq-0/s320/IMG_3346.JPG" width="320" /></a>Picnic Impro are Felipe Ortiz, Daniel Orrantia and DJ Mama Cutsworth. Their show, Speechless, uses the amazing physical skills of the two Colombians to create a very different show to other improv shows. They are both great clowns, physical actors, mimes and even have some acrobatic skills. They show that there really is no need for words. Acting, situation and music can provide the emotions and the stories that emerge. And sure, there is a limit to the complexity a story can have when there are no words, but given the choice between a great simple story with compelling characters or a highly complex story in which we get lost and eventually stop caring about the characters, if we did in the first place, most people would go for the first option.
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That’s not to say the stories are simple. They are straightforward and there is an honesty of emotions, but a lot of stuff happens. They take their time to portray it and make it as clear as possible. It all helps make it very compelling.
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This show had the strongest start to any of them. They had a strong opening using spotlights and their eye for physical comedy they made us laugh and impressed us just by appearing in spotlights.
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DJ “MC” provided the soundtrack. She has a director role sometimes, cuing music that will bring certain scenes back and perhaps steering the emotions, and at other times she has the perfect track or sound effects to heighten what is going on.
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Felipe’s portrayal of a child was so spot on, we needed no information. We could see the rough age and the relationship with the parent. From this start we got to see a cycle of life story, saw the parent get old in front of our eyes and in a finish that moistened eyes all over the theatre, the Death came and led the parent into the light. It was an amazing moment and I must commend Emil Struijker Boudier, technical improviser extraordinaire, who was on fire this show. He was doing all sorts of subtle light things, that most people probably wouldn’t notice, such as slight light changes when doors and windows are opened or closed. But in the end he was ready with a set of lights at the side of the stage to be the literal light to be walked into, so that the whole show ended with perfection of sound, lighting and movement.
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It really makes you wonder why do we need talking at all? And certainly don’t need nearly as much talking as goes on in most improv scenes.
Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6760979004610207513.post-75419776220556374312017-01-27T15:28:00.000+00:002017-01-27T15:28:02.492+00:00IMPRO Amsterdam 2017: Day 3: Midweek Cute (part 1)My plan had been to be a day behind the festival in these updates, you know, life and stuff. One thing which should not slow me down as much as it does is I’m still waiting for a robot vacuum cleaner to arrive, which I realise means it’s not really a robot vacuum cleaner at all because a robot vacuum cleaner would have delivered itself days ago.
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The main show started with “Promised,” a format about 2 people coming together and falling in love. The audience picks which of the cast they want to fall in love. This time they picked WIll Luera and Roemer Lievaart. A European audience will typically pick 2 men when presented with a choice like this. It happens much less I’m sure in shows in Saudi Arabia or Alabama.
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The audience named them Mike and Sanderson, which was pretty restrained of them. The show, which is a kind of an indie rom com, has four acts pertaining to the four seasons. It starts in Summer with them randomly in the same place, but with other people. I say randomly, but because it’s love it’s actually fatalistically or, as it’s a romcom, it’s more plotpointedly.<br />
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Before each act, the main characters have some facts told about them. The facts paint the characters a bit, but didn’t seem to get used much.
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It was great to see the worlds around the main characters, although there were not so many strong relationships there, which I missed because the main characters don’t meet until the end and so that relationship, which is usually central to a romance story, is not there.
A way some stories where the couple don’t meet until the end get round this is by having a strong relationship between them because they are communicating without knowing or showing that their lives are so parallel that you know they are going to be together.
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Will Luera and Charlotte Gittins had such great chemistry tonight both when she played the love doomed by the self-discovery Will’s character had to go on and the domineering tango teacher. The latter scene was lifted even higher by an impromptu tango song by the two musicians and a singing Swede.
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The whole show built nicely so that Spring, the final act, starts as summer did, with the main characters in the same place as before, but now they (and we) are primed for what they call in movie terms a meet cute. This is where the couple meet properly for the first time and you see the spark of what will come. (Or at least until Summer if you’re being cynical.)
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<br />Peter Morehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088377719121666891noreply@blogger.com0