Scripted Improv: Emotions

When I was still starting out, I once did an improv workshop where all we did was repeatedly perform a scene that had already been written. At first I thought there wouldn’t be much to it but it opened my eyes to the many dimensions of what we can do onstage. We repeated it over and over, altering one aspect or another with each try. Though the words were fixed, the scene kept changing in radical ways.

In improv, a lot of time is spent on the words, the storytelling. A lot of worry is given to “what happens next”. With this exercise, that is completely taken away. All that the players onstage need to worry about is what dimension of the scene is being amplified. We take them one at a time, isolating skills and habits like a Nautilus machine isolates muscles. Each week, I plan on presenting one way of approaching and performing the scene.

Here’s the script.

For this first week, I want to talk about emotions. A first run after reading the script might see the scene played out with Player A either cold or sympathetic and Player B will be sad, maybe a little bit desperate. There’s not a lot of comedy there because that’s what is expected. This is a chance to generate a little heat by having an unexpected reaction to the news. Perhaps it’s “socially inappropriate” or simply “wild exaggeration”, but a surprising reaction can make good comedy.

While the script doesn’t allow you to convey your emotional state with words as explicitly as you might normally, it’s a great chance to practice expressing your emotions in other ways.

• Use your body language.
• Practice one player’s lines in front of a mirror and watch your face.
• Make little emotional sounds like a chuckle or a sob or a growl. And so on…

Humans are great at picking up non-verbal cues but as an improv scene is flying by it can be difficult to add them. These kinds of exercises build habits so that it can become second-nature and you can start doing it without thinking.

Joy
- Maybe Player B wants to be let go. It becomes the happiest day of their life. As with all of these suggestions for one Player, the other Player needs to have an honest reaction to support and reinforce.
- What does it look like if both A&B are thrilled?

Sadness
- Crying. It can go from light sobs and sniffles to full blown devastation. Try it with either A or B.
- Depression can be funny. Explore it (but not alone in your home with a bottle of JD).

Anger
- I know a lot of people who love a chance to get angry onstage. Feel free to go off the charts. Find the right level for yourself. Remember, you still need to maintain some control. If the other player or the audience starts to feel unsafe, you’ve taken them out of the zone.

Changes
- Player B can come in with one emotion and switch it for an entirely different one once the news hits.
- Either Player can start with one emotion at a low level and slowly escalate it as the scene progresses.

Obviously, this is not meant to be an exhaustive list but rather a starting point. Explore it with any ideas you can come up with. If you have any suggestions or questions, feel free to leave a comment.

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1. Théâtre et improvisation théâtrale: quelques pistes de réflexion… — April 19, 2010 @ 8:16 pm

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