notes – TRUTH OF THE SCENE improv WS

24th Oct 2023

“don’t add shit: spread shit” – don’t always go “yes, and” and make the scene about something
else/better/more  explore / DISCOVER together: what is this about?

“horizontal scene-building”

 makes scenes more rounded / gives context, reasoning etc.

ACTIVE LISTENING = main task in improv – find out ‘with what the other person comes on stage’,
BUT: nobody enter the stage with an agenda/ preformed ideas  again: DISCOVER rather than
invent (what’s there, what you bring, what you can make TOGETHER  ‘organic scene development’,
no fully pre-formed ideas)

 links with “leave nothing behind”, every little cue (non-verbal and verbal) others drop can be
picked up (later) to advance the scene, make it richer
 be authentic – draw from your own resources, experiences, feelings etc. => RESPOND to
what others gift you

don’t be ‘funny’ – not too over-the-top – be a person as you might find ‘out there’, who is not
improvising, playing a game, acting on stage

31st Oct

(re-cap of last week) focus on relationships

“people are more than their label” – do not reduce a person (on stage; or ever) to e.g. their job or
their familial role (“dad”)  don’t just talk ab. their job for a subject; don’t reduce their on-stage
actions to things associated with their job

(labels in & of themselves are meaningless – must be filled with personality: what KIND of “dad”;
what things trouble, concern, worry, amuse the “firefighter”?)

“what you are to each other is ALSO more than just a label” – what does it MEAN to relate to some in
certain ways, e.g. being siblings, neighbours, (best) friends? – shared history, relationships precede
the on-stage action

 relationships go deeper than how people relate to each other – they care about each other in
different, specific ways
 emotionality derives from ‘what happened before’

!! scenes are not (just) about what you are doing (in a moment, as a job)  make the scenes about
the people’s relationships to each other, with the activity as a narrative frame/lens / snapshot of
their lives with each other

“HEAT” refers to INTENSITY of a relationship (how emotionally involved are people with each other
[in a scene]) – hot meaning passionate, involved, high-energy ‘versus’ cold/coolly disinterested,
disengaged/detached

“WEIGHT” refers to their environment/ the scene or setting of interactions between people whose
relationship = focal; ‘way of doing something’ – heavy/light situation – high/low stakes (drama)
!! when you, as a person on stage, feel something in character – act on it! enquire/explore/discover –
it is meaningful when you emotionally respond to your partners’ ‘gift’ on stage

 ask your questions!

“act like you know: if you don’t know (what’s going on; how to act) – your CHARACTER does!”

(make stuff up: be the impromptu expert on whatever your deal is in a scene)