Rules of Improv
SCENEWORK BASICS
Character of the space — start with agreement on one or more of the following elements: location/environment, attitude, emotion, intensity/energy, activity
Establish who you are, where you are, and what you are doing as soon as possible. Show, don't tell.
Start scenes real. This establishes a base reality against which the unusual or specific can stand out. Blue doesn't show up well on blue.
Yes and. Agree with and add to the reality your partner establishes.
Play at the top of your intelligence. "Top of your Intelligence" refers responding truthfully to any stimulus within a scene. It is about allowing yourself to have a true, honest emotional response.
Don't ask questions, make statements and take action.
Don't be coy. If you have decided something about the scene, share it.
FINDING THE GAME
Listen and recognize when the unusual or specific has naturally occurred.
If, then. Decide what pattern or world the unusual or specific partakes in. (If this happened, then what else would happen?)
Play under this "umbrella" and heighten
Don't make jokes. Play the game. Every time you play within the pattern of the game, that's a laugh
HELPFUL HINTS
This scene is not about [existential crisis]
Revisiting Agreement: The improvisers will come to agreement about their reality, what they have found to be unusual, and how they are going to heighten and explore this unusual thing. The characters are simply going to behave in a way that will support and sustain this pattern of usual behavior, even if that means the characters disagree with each other. Improvisers are always agreeing, characters are not.
Avoid teaching. One person can't participate.
Avoid transaction scenes. The scene is over once the transaction is through.
When in doubt, confess. Share the secret.
Think action / reaction. Be affected by and react truthfully and realistically to what your scene partner does. Think of yourself and your scene partner as Lincoln Logs, Legos, the Yin Yang symbol, etc ... If your scene partner is the "unusual" one, then often you will need to be the "normal" one or straight man.
Keep status in mind. This will affect the degree to which you can express your truthful, realistic responses to your scene partner's actions.
OR mirror your partner. Have the same interests, opinions, likes, dislikes, passions, enemies, etc .. . Life is often this way. We associate with people with whom we have something in common.
Don't do a scene about "it." Name "it" quickly. The longer you·wait, the more pressure there is to make "it" pretty fantastic. "It" scenes are frustrating to you and the audience.
Know your scene partner.
Don't kill your scene partner.
FINAL RULE
You can break all of the preceding rules, however; most of the time you'll be better off if you don't. lmprov rules tend to be life rules. They exist to make our work look more like life.