I am not a very neat person at all. One glimpse at my room is all the evidence that is needed. Even in life, I am a pretty free-flowing person; I don't like to write things down, and I am pretty much always late to everything. However, there is one thing that I am pretty strict about, and that is the improv scene.
I hate messy scenes, where ideas go whizzing by, locations undefined, and potential game moves dropped. I cringe at all of the missed opportunities. A good improv scene is compact, tight, and to the point. Every decision, every word, every line, every location, and every object, serves a very clear game, or humorous idea, in the scene.
For example, if the game is that a hardcore motorcycle gang dude is passionately shopping at an antique doll shop in Gilroy, CA, the decision of what characters to add, what objects, what events should occur, should all be pointed to this odd juxtaposition. They should all serve a common purpose to heighten the game of the scene. Adding a random Italian character that serves spaghetti and slips on a banana peal does nothing, and will hurt the scene.
At the end of the day, being efficient like this requires extreme listening, and extreme support. As the players in the scene, you must listen to each other and be thoughtful of your lines. Each word is golden, and treat it as so. As the back line players, before stepping into a scene, make sure it's truly adding to the game of the scene, and is not just a good stock character you have. And perhaps the best advice for new improvisors, if you don't know why you're in a scene, you probably should not be in that scene, so get the hell off stage.
Be efficient, be economical, but most importantly, have fun.
- Jeff
EndGames Improv will be holding auditions for our upcoming prime time (Friday 8PM) show: A completely improvised comedy show about the little things that piss us off.
@endgames_improv
