{"id":4799,"date":"2018-10-08T18:53:32","date_gmt":"2018-10-08T17:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/?post_type=resource&p=4799"},"modified":"2024-07-03T15:20:27","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T14:20:27","slug":"beginners-improv-guide","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/beginners-improv-guide.html","title":{"rendered":"Beginners Improv Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s a super quick guide to improvising for people who are doing a beginners improv course<\/a> with Hoopla<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n

If you’re already doing our beginners course and want to do some more after the course the next step is our Level 2 Performance Improv Course<\/a> which is starting soon.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Have fun!<\/b><\/h2>\n

Improv<\/a> is fun! It\u2019s all about playing games, making up scenes and stories, expressing yourself, playing characters and having a good time on stage through play. Hopefully some of these things below help remove some fears and help you to play on stage and have some fun.<\/p>\n

Play<\/b><\/h2>\n

There is no set way to do improv. Play with games and exercises and find out how to make them fun for you. Improv is a constantly evolving art form so your own sense of play is what makes it special. You can play improv games your own way and discover something new about them, rather than trying too hard to get them \u201cright\u201d.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t worry about making mistakes<\/b><\/h2>\n

You don\u2019t get punished for mistakes in improv. There is no report card afterwards or grading system or detentions. Mistakes can often lead to a whole new thing in a story and can become the best bit.<\/p>\n

For instance let’s say your scene partner says you are a Cat Burglar. You don\u2019t know what that is so you say \u201cMiaoowww\u201d and steal milk from the fridge. The rest of the show supports you by being The Dog Police who turn up barking in their pedigree chum powered van.<\/p>\n

So don\u2019t worry about getting it wrong, as mistakes can be a gifts.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re not in competition with each other<\/b><\/h2>\n

Your scene partner is in collaboration with you not competition. You\u2019re not trying to out wit each other, you\u2019re playing together to discover new worlds and characters. It\u2019s OK to lose a tug of war on the improv stage, the rope is imaginary after all.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to be clever, funny or entertaining and you don\u2019t have to make up jokes<\/h2>\n

Trying too hard to be clever or funny can sometimes make people freeze up instead as no idea seems good enough. Doing the opposite and being obvious allows us to relax and be in the present moment and discover things line by line moment by moment.<\/p>\n

The fun and funny of the scene happens naturally from the play between the improvisers on stage, you don’t have to force it. For instance if the suggestion of a scene is “school” and you have an impulse to go on stage and be teachers in a staff room then go for it, that’s a great start to a scene.<\/p>\n

What’s obvious to you is often massively creative to someone else, as they don’t see the world through your eyes. For instance some people hear the suggestion “school” and what’s obvious to them is a strict Victorian school in the smog of 1880s London, other people hear “school” and they think of a diving school on a beach in Bali. All impulses are welcome, and what’s obvious to you is beautiful.<\/p>\n

Being obvious helps us to not overthink things and be relaxed and spontaneous instead.<\/p>\n

Listen<\/h2>\n

Be kind and open and listen. Listen to what people say in scenes. Not just a bit, but right to the end of their sentences. That\u2019s often where the gold is.<\/p>\n

Be as present as possible. Don\u2019t plan what you\u2019re going to say or try and second guess the game or what your teammate might say. You won\u2019t be able to. And that\u2019s part of the joy. It\u2019s one of the few times in your life you\u2019re actively asked to be under-prepared. Celebrate that freedom!<\/p>\n

Put your attention on the other person. If you\u2019re freaking out about the audience and feeling self conscious put your attention on the other actor instead. In fact do that even if you\u2019re not freaking out. Eye contact, listening, movement all help to stay connected to your scene partner instead of feeling self-conscious. It also helps to pick up what improvisers call \u201coffers\u201d which you can build on to discover a scene together.<\/p>\n

Yes, And<\/h2>\n

Agree with the reality your scene partner presents you and add something that explores that moment.<\/p>\n

For instance if your scene partner starts with:<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain, welcome to the ship\u201d<\/p>\n

You could respond with:<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you Lieutenant, and a great job you and the crew have done with cleaning\u201d
\nOr
\n\u201cThank Captain Zarg, it\u2019s wonderful that humans and aliens can finally meet\u201d
\nOr
\n\u201cAhhhh!!! And it be a great vessel for pirating!\u201d<\/p>\n

Or any number of offers.<\/p>\n

Each offer agrees with the scene partner and explores the situation. Notice that each line changes the scene in different ways. None of them are right or wrong. We are collaborating together to discover the story moment by moment, line by line. Your scene partner will also agree with what you present, so if you go for spaceship and aliens they will go along with that, and if you go with pirates they will go along with that.<\/p>\n

Your characters don\u2019t always have to be in agreement, just the improvisers playing the characters. For instance:<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain, welcome to the ship\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t feel very welcome\u201d
\n\u201cSorry about that, I didn\u2019t mean to sound sarcastic\u201d<\/p>\n

Also in general we\u2019re trying to agree with the underlying reality presented by the improviser, instead of block it (saying no). Here\u2019s an example of a block:<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain, welcome to the ship\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m not the Captain, and there is no ship\u201d<\/p>\n

Although even that is not impossible to get out of, as we treat even mistakes as gifts. It\u2019s only improv anyway and you haven\u2019t broken any laws and won\u2019t go to prison for blocking, so if someone blocks a reality accidentally we can still have fun trying to incorporate it somehow and make the block a gift:<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain, welcome to the ship\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m not the Captain, and there is no ship\u201d
\n\u201cSorry! I always get you and your identical twin mixed up. Dammit! That means the Captain has stolen it in the dead of night, I knew we shouldn\u2019t have trusted him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Remember you don\u2019t have to accept or Yes And things that are demeaning, dangerous or comfortable. The teacher will help you with that too. For instance if someone offers you a poo sandwich (not that they would), then probably best to say no thanks!<\/p>\n

Make Each Other Look Good<\/h2>\n

Make the other person look good. Give people gifts. If your teammate loves sci-fi maybe drop some into a scene. If they love doing accents maybe endow them with one and watch them light up with joy. Make them look good and you\u2019ll look good in the process. Use your intuition and try to avoid deliberately wrong-footing people or endowing them with something you know they\u2019ll hate.<\/p>\n

Commit<\/h2>\n

Say the first thing that comes to you, as long as it is coming from a place of support for your scene partner.<\/p>\n

Your impulses are great. Trust them and let them out, as long as they are coming from a place of love and support from your scene partner. If something odd blurts out don\u2019t worry it\u2019s only improv and you\u2019re not at work, and we can make it part of the scene.<\/p>\n

Watch some improv<\/h2>\n

If you haven\u2019t seen improv it\u2019s worth watching some while doing a course, as it stops improv becoming too academic when you see it live on stage. We have improv shows every night of the week at our London improv theatre<\/a>, featuring people who trained with Hoopla<\/a> and went on to perform in our groups.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Our next beginners improv courses<\/a> start next month across Central London.<\/b><\/p>\n

If you’re doing our beginners course and want to do more after the course the next step is our Level 2 Performance Improv Course<\/a> which is starting soon.
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