Improvisation Skills Sheet
A guide to all of your improvisation skills
Improvisation Mantra
Improvisation Mantra
- Working the longest amount of time onstage does not make for the best improviser. It is not all about one person coming up with all the crazy ideas. You are part of a team. You need to be sensitive to your team members’ ideas. This way, you’ll end up being very CREATIVE as your performance will be a mix of ideas rather than just one person.
- Be a good listener. Listen to what your team members are saying and doing onstage and REACT to it. Do not ignore them!!!!
- Do not rely on others to do all the work. Get in there and have a go! You will definitely have heaps of fun!
- Don’t be too hard on yourself. You are learning!
- If you didn’t ‘get’ the rules of a game, don’t worry! A mistake can always create a new game!
- Be prepared to ‘stuff up.’ The audience will be completely bored if everything goes to plan! The audience loves failure, but it hates bad losers.
- Stop TRYING! For example, put your finger on your nose. Now TRY and place your finger on your nose? Did it help you by trying? Do not treat your mind as constipated and having to force out ideas. You cannot try and be spontaneous! Just relax and REACT to other peoples ideas.
8. Do not be a zombie. You are not acting on TV. The audience is there right in front of you. They want a real performance. E.G. If another actor places their hand out for you to shake, SHAKE IT.
Party Quirks
A great guessing game
Da Do Ron Ron
A class game
Helping Hands
Always gets a laugh
Skills Ideas
Hedging
Making small talk and not advancing the scene
Justifying
Finding a solution for every Offer and every element introduced in the scene. The idea it to justify everything. A good thing, obviously.
Accepting
A good improv player is one that makes it easy for other players to play with him or her. This encompasses Accepting what your fellow players have to Offer, and some Chivalry. This does not mean you always need to play nice characters. You can still be an evil character and be easy to play with!