We asked some of the best improvisers around what they did building up to, just before and during a big show.<\/p>\n
All their words are unedited by me, it\u2019s exactly as answered direct from various facebook or email conversations. None of them knew who else was going to be answering questions and were unable to view each other\u2019s answers, so any similarities are purely coincidence. Some have very similar approaches, some the exact opposite.<\/p>\n
They were all asked the same questions:<\/p>\n
1) What do you tend to do\/think during the day in the build up to a show?
\n2) What do you do\/focus on in the hour before a show?
\n3) What do you do\/focus on just before going on the stage?
\n4) What do you consciously focus on during the show?<\/p>\n
The people we asked are below, I\u2019m going to ask another bunch of people the same stuff later:<\/p>\n
What do you tend to do\/think during the day in the build up to a show?<\/strong><\/p>\n In the day I\u2019ll think about the show, and worry a bit depending on the gig (i.e. if it\u2019s big pressured impro gig or lovely friends type gig). I\u2019ll get a bit nervous in the pit of my stomach but mainly I\u2019ll just think what time do I need to be there etc. nothing very exciting!<\/p>\n What do you do\/focus on in the hour before a show?<\/strong><\/p>\n The hour before I\u2019ll try and relax, stretch do physical warm ups, get into costume if it\u2019s Austentatious, so that\u2019s quite faffy and you have What do you do\/focus on just before going on the stage?<\/strong><\/p>\n Just before going on stage, I\u2019ll try and do last minute vocal warm ups or stretches, clear my mind, become present, sense the audience, What do you consciously focus on during the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n During the show, I try to stay present, but I\u2019m always looking at story, or trying to. What needs to come next? What type of scene? What do you tend to do\/think during the day in the build up to a show?<\/strong><\/p>\n Depends on the show. If it\u2019s Showstopper, then I remind myself of new musicals or styles that we have been looking at, especially if we\u2019ve not used them before so they are far harder to remember. For instance, we\u2019ve been working on Matilda recently, but it\u2019s never been called so I must be very clear what the styles of the songs are and when they would work well in the story. What do you do\/focus on in the hour before a show?<\/strong><\/p>\n For Showstopper, we do a 10-15 minute vocal warm-up, a 10 minute impro warm up \u2013 simple storytelling stuff at high speed. It\u2019s about getting flow and reminding everyone that this is fun. Then there is a sound check usually up to the start. What do you do\/focus on just before going on the stage?<\/strong><\/p>\n For Showstopper I look at the audience, see as many faces as possible and to try to get a feel for how they are feeling. What kind of show do they want tonight? What\u2019s in the air? What do you consciously focus on during the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n The full answer to that would be very long! Here\u2019s part of an answer: In Stopper, the writer character focuses a lot on balancing the unique In recent School of Night shows, we are \u2018co-goaded\u2019. In other words, any one of the cast can step out and move the story on, introduce some bit of esoteric information, or give an instruction to one of the other cast members (previously we had a separate goader to act as MC). So you have to give full attention to the task at handed while at the same time being able to step out and goad \u2013 and vice versa. In a recent show I was introducing the Shakespearean sonnet, keeping an eye on where we were within the sonnet, playing guitar over the sonnet and then also having to do various lines of the sonnet we were improvising. I simply forgot the rhyme scheme. Horrible experience but fortunately in the School of Night way of doing things, we are often trying to do quite difficult things and have ways of dealing with failure.<\/p>\n In GTI the main thing is maintaining what Alan Marriot called \u2018the happy bubble\u2019: the atmosphere of joy bordering on the hysterical that you want to coax the audience into entering. It\u2019s like a smoke machine \u2013 it takes quite a bit to get the place smokey but once it\u2019s there it stays for a while. However, sometimes you are in a drafty room and the smoke never builds \u2013 just occasional wafts and that\u2019s not the show you want. Seal up the doors and windows. And use a good quality machine that spurts out lots of smoke with little effort, rather than a cheap one that takes loads of puffs to get the same amount of happiness. What do you tend to do\/think during the day in the build up to a show?<\/strong><\/p>\n I become a bit of a voyeur. On show days I\u2019m usually a bit more attuned to the world around me. I\u2019ll focus on stranger\u2019s conversations and what would be fun to use from them as characters or set ups. I\u2019m always looking out for different scenarios that could be used in scenes. What do you do\/focus on in the hour before a show?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m quite into my physical warm ups. I\u2019ll stretch a lot, dance and walk around as much as possible. I know if my body is relaxed I\u2019m a What do you do\/focus on just before going on the stage?<\/strong><\/p>\n Again being physically relaxed, I\u2019m always stretching. On top of group warm-ups I also like to have a final check in with my fellow players with a high-five, fist bump, belly rub, back pat, bottom slap, grin or wink. (I\u2019ve only just now realised how gropey I am before a show)If there\u2019s a chance to clap, whoop and holler in the MC\u2019s warm up I\u2019m all about getting involved in that as it helps dissipate my nerves. When I run on stage I focus on having a bright open face and I hold the word \u201cconfident\u201d in my head. A tip I was given years ago for the beginning of shows. It really helps.<\/p>\n What do you consciously focus on during the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n It depends on the show. What do you tend to do\/think during the day in the build up to a show?<\/strong><\/p>\n Probably all of the following will go through my mind: The show, my breakfast, what\u2019s on iPlayer, can I justify buying a new pen, put out the washing, write that script, go to the gym, that\u2019s a good idea, do a sing song, have a cup of tea, the show, can I have another biscuit?<\/p>\n What do you do\/focus on in the hour before a show?<\/strong><\/p>\n I tend to just relax with my fellow cast members. Play some games, talk about some new red\/black outfit I have bought\/seen\/liked. We\u2019ll do warm up stuff and also I will probably coat my face with make up to appear fresh and delightful, steal a Vocalzone from Pugsley.<\/p>\n What do you do\/focus on just before going on the stage?<\/strong><\/p>\n I tend to just focus on me fellow players. We might do a penguin dance if it is a cold venue.<\/p>\n What do you consciously focus on during the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n I focus on the show and my fellow performers and listening. Oh and having a great time. No one wants to see you perform with a concentration face. Smile!<\/p>\n What do you tend to do\/think during the day in the build up to a show?<\/strong><\/p>\n If I\u2019ve got nothing to do that day then I\u2019ll definitely take a long walk, helps to relax me and free up the mind! I get nervous when I\u2019m What do you do\/focus on in the hour before a show?<\/strong><\/p>\n The hour before the show I tend to think about my body and voice! I don\u2019t want to use up too much energy but I want to move around and be What do you do\/focus on just before going on the stage?<\/strong><\/p>\n Anything at all not to focus on the audience. I tend to just close my eyes and do rhymes in my head. I want to contain all the nervous What do you consciously focus on during the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n During the show I focus on my group. I like to gauge the energy of the show, so I can respond by maintaining the energy or upping it depending on what\u2019s needed. I do think about the audience a lot. What are they finding funny? Shall I do it more? I also think about my position on the stage; Performing tips from some of the finest improvisers around. We asked some of the best improvisers around what they did building up to, just before and during a big show. All their words are unedited by me, it\u2019s exactly as answered direct from various facebook or email conversations. None of them knew who else was[…] <\/p>\n
\nto do hair and make up, and sometimes I do the other girls hair, and generally try to chat and hang out with the people I\u2019m going to perform with. It\u2019s good to talk about your days, get all the niggles out of the way, the moans, and then just make each other laugh for a bit. Do some impro warm ups, I love a bit of word ball, infinity box, 3 line scenes, trying to warm up your brain and get into a group mind and a sense of agreement.<\/p>\n
\nare they loud? Quiet? What energy would it be helpful to come on with for the room? Sense my fellow performers energy are they nervous? Do they need reassurance or energising? Do you need to talk quickly about a real world thing because you can see it\u2019s bugging them or do you need to distract them from panicking about the show. Just try and make sure everyone is ok, in the right place, wearing the right costumes! That\u2019s quite a common one for Austentatious, checking the boys shirts and ties are straight and everyone knows what they\u2019re
\ndoing, generally a slowing down and a focusing of all the nervous energy occurs.<\/p>\n
\nWhat character needs to be the focus? What plot loop have we missed? What does the story need to happen? I try and think about it briefly and then just go for whatever I thought and try not to push it if the other players have another idea. But also not worry, sometimes I\u2019ll think at the side of the stage, oh I should come in and tell them this, and a voice will say, ooh no maybe not, and I try to check if that voice is self-doubt or good story telling. If it\u2019s doubt I leap in and if it\u2019s good story judgement I hang back.<\/p>\nDylan Emery, (The Showstoppers, GTI and The School of Night)<\/h2>\n
\nThe School of Night is a whole other thing. My preparations the night before (much better to have a night\u2019s sleep to allow the memories to embed) and also on the day is to read some Shakespeare, Chaucer and one or two of the authors I\u2019m working on at the moment.
\nFor Grand Theft Impro, again I will generally read the paper in case something crops up from that day\u2019s news, as it often does.<\/p>\n
\nFor The School of Night We I\u2019m usually muttering bits of soliloquy to get into the iambic. Another favourite is The Legend of Sam McGee by Robert Service \u2013 it\u2019s not iambic but it is a strong rhyming structure and a great poem, so it\u2019s good to get your bardic tap opened.
\nFor Grand Theft, it\u2019s very practical: we make sure we are happy with how the room is set up and then select the games we are going to play in the first half \u2013 so we think about balance and variety.<\/p>\n
\nFor School of Night I\u2019m just trying to stay calm and focused on what is about to happen \u2013 it\u2019s the show that makes me most nervous.
\nFor GTI I\u2019m usually thinking about the music and the introduction \u2013 how will start the show with an energetic bang?<\/p>\n
\nthree-way relationship of writer to audience, writer to cast, and cast to audience that you get in the show.<\/p>\n
\nThis is an analogy that could go on and on\u2026<\/p>\nMaria Peters (Breaking & Entering, The Playground)<\/h2>\n
\nI have a personal goal for my improv to never being samey or predictable so I try to use other people I come across as inspiration.If I\u2019m particularly nervous before a big musical gig I\u2019ll pick random words as suggestions and rap or sing to myself as I go about my day. I love rap especially because it doesn\u2019t allow you any time to think too much between lines.On my journey to a gig I often go through a variety of first lines of scenes, characters, or voices. I\u2019ll rarely use the ones I come up with for the show that night, I may never use them but I feel like I\u2019m stocking up my cupboard of options.<\/p>\n
\nlot more relaxed in my head.I like to keep connected to my fellow improvisers. If we\u2019re milling around and I can see other players are nervous and looking for distraction we\u2019ll often have conversations in character with them.I like to see and get amongst the audience and chat to them if at all possible. It helps me to break down the \u2018us and them\u2019 environment. I can then feel like the performance is just a bit of dicking around in front of friendly people rather than trying to impress a wall of strangers.<\/p>\n
\nIf it\u2019s a long form show, offstage I might be thinking about the next beat or the progression of the characters journey onstage and how I can support their objectives, or heighten their problems or just generally help the story.
\nWhile I\u2019m on stage I\u2019m focusing on my scene partner and the relationship with them a well as clarifying my own character\u2019s objective.If it\u2019s a short form gamey show I\u2019m all about variety. Focusing on variety of scenes, characters, emotions and physicality.In both styles of show I try to sense what the audience is feeling, to check in if they\u2019re on board with us or not and adapt accordingly.If I get stuck in my head or tense I \u2018voice mirror\u2019 what is being said in the scene. I find it\u2019s a fail-proof way of forcing myself to listen.<\/p>\nPippa Evans (The Showstoppers)<\/h2>\n
Tom Webster, (The RH Experience)<\/h2>\n
\ninside! It\u2019s good to meet up with a friend as a welcome distraction from thinking about the show!<\/p>\n
\nloud to free myself up. The hour before the show is usually when good ideas for opening offers and scenes appear in my head. I tend to try and get rid of them because I prefer a blank canvas on stage. However, some are always bound to show through as I\u2019ve been thinking about them and my subconscious will push them forward. It\u2019s not a bad thing I suppose!<\/p>\n
\nenergy within me so I can let it out when it\u2019s most needed!<\/p>\n
\nIf I notice that something isn\u2019t going very well, it\u2019s becoming stagnant and I\u2019m drifting towards the back of the stage, I\u2019ll always make for the front. There\u2019s nothing worse for an audience member to see someone nervous and quiet at the back of the stage (unless it\u2019s intended within the story you\u2019re creating ahahah)!
\nI also think of genres I like to perform and characters I can do (archetypes, accents, emotions). I tend to have them in a pot before I go on.
\nBut lastly and most importantly, I consciously try to enjoy a show. I want to have fun! Perhaps if you\u2019re having fun, the audience will too?<\/p>\n
\nIf you want to get performing improv yourself Hoopla<\/a> have loads of ongoing performance opportunities<\/a> at London’s 1st Improv Theatre<\/a>.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"