Rules, Skills, & Critisism

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Rules, Skills, & Critisism

Acting in Improv is similar to acting in a play, specifically that you are not just waiting for your chance to speak, but you are physically and emotionally involved in a realistic interpretation of “normal” life. You may interpret that as you see fit, so long as you understand that you must live in the moment and be an involved listener. Improv is all about making choices, and being committed to those choices. Reading books gives you the knowledge, but improvisational theatre is an art of learning by doing. Practice makes perfect.


The Rules of Improv: As a series of exercises, I suggest that all new improvisers be forced (torture is usually unnecessary) to follow the rules of improv. The "Rules of Improv" are a set of guidelines to help facilitate the experience of sharing imagination. It is only when we understand the rules, do we understand how and when to break them.


Getting criticism: Not only is the skill of listening an important during improv, but it is necessary for proper instruction. Check your ego at the door, because there are going to be people telling you that the types of choices you are making are wrong. It’s not personal. No matter how it may sound, they are looking out for your best interests and the interests of the group; they want to make you look better during a performance. If you think that they are wrong, feel free to clarify exactly what your mistake was, and help them articulate how to avoid the problem in the future. If you can help them clarify the type of choice that they did not agree with, then you can gain more understanding of their point of view. If you still think that they are wrong, don’t argue. Encourage your fellow players to give you feedback, and if you need to, take their opinion as just that—opinion. Do your best to find something constructive from every piece of feedback that you receive.


Giving Criticism: When giving notes, make sure to focus on the types of choices that are being made, and not the choices themselves. Correcting specific choices can feel like a personal attack, and the benefit of these specific critiques is minimal, since the exact circumstances of the scene are unlikely to ever occur again. Focusing on the types of choices can give a long term benefit for all group members, and adding to the understanding of the improv skill set. Focusing on types of choices may also give you insight to strategies for short-form improv games that you may have otherwise not been able to discover. Some things to look for:


Negative Things:
Basic Stage Skills (cheating out, projection, etc.)
Driving a Scene or Passive Scene Work
Vague Offers or Gagging
Blocking & Denying
Breaking Character or Inconsistent Characters
Weak Pimping (like asking questions)


Positive Things:
Strong Offers
Weak Offers (not for beginners)
Accepting & Advancing
Justifying & Clarifying
Reincorporating
Rhythm, Pacing, & Timing
Focus & Listening