Mullaney

May 17

Improv scene templates: Non sequitur

This scene template is a particularly fun one. It feels a little like a trick, but it can have surprisingly delicious results. It starts very much like the Activity to Point of View scene template that I described on Wednesday. One person enters and starts an activity and another person joins that activity. But when the players speak, it’s completely different.

One person starts a conversation

The first person says 1 or 2 statements about whatever topic they like. They can be describing something that happened to them, their state of mind or sharing their opinion on some topic.

Second person says something which is a non sequitur

The second person listens to what the first person says, but responds by talking about something completely different. Again they should use statements and avoid questions (unless they are rhetorical). If one person wants to talk about their job, the other wants to talk about their heartburn. If one person wants to talk about their sex life, the other wants to talk about Star Trek. They do not even need to verbally acknowledge what the other person says.

Each player continues their topic of conversation

When the first player responds, they again talk about their original topic. And when the second player speaks, they are talking about their topic. It’s as if each person is doing a different monolog and pausing as the other one speaks.

Pick one conversation or merge them

After bouncing back and forth between the two topics of conversation for a few lines, one of the players should switch to talk about the other person’s topic. Or in some cases, the player will realize why these two topics go together and merge them. Don’t force it, wait until a satisfying impulse occurs to you about how to merge them. The scene continues forward at this point like any other scene.

Some things to keep in mind:

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May 15

Improv scene templates: Activity to Point of View

On Monday I posted a template for beginning a scene that I called You Statements. Of course, you…

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May 14

Kevin Hines: Advice for Two Person Improv Teams -

kevhines:

Don’t be fooled by that title. I have no advice for Two Person improv teams. Instead I am asking for other people to give advice.

I’m often asked for advice by people starting their own 2 person groups. I understand this! Will and I perform as the Brothers Hines and are both teachers. We should…

I have coached a fair number of two person groups over the last few years and the only thing I can say is that it’s not very different from bigger groups, except that because there are only two people you can get a lot of reps in a short amount of time. I think 90 minutes is about right for a rehearsal. Just pick 1 or 2 muscles to work on per rehearsal and do lots of reps.

May 13

Improv scene templates: You Statements

Scene templates can be very useful for improv scenes. It’s good to have a simple game plan or strategy to help start a scene. And it’s good to practice those strategies over and over so that they become second nature. There is no single right template. Just like there are lots of good ways to begin a chess game or lots of different successful plays in football or basketball, there are lots of good ways to begin a scene.

Here is one that I like:

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