Posts - Part 205

The Rules of Improv

the playground acting classes and acting coaches

August 13, 2016 Acting Classes

Rule #2 of Improv

In a world of number ones, here comes number two. If the number one rule of improv is to always say “yes, and” then what is the second rule? NO QUESTIONS! What? I SAID NO QUESTIONS!!

In improv, asking questions is the kiss of death. A scene full of questions goes nowhere and puts all of the pressure on the other actor to come up with the funny, the gold, the meat and potatoes of the scene. I like to think of improv as a fine sauce that should be boiled down into a rich gravy. How do we do that? By not asking questions.

Questions take time and lead us in a circle. “What do you want to do today?” “I don’t know, how about you?” They can really kill a scene on stage.

Improv Acting Pt. 3

the playground 2016 acting school improv

August 13, 2016 Acting Classes

Dramatic Improv

How can improv not be funny? I’ve seen Whose Line is it Anyway and it’s pretty darn funny. Let’s break it down. What is improv? As per Wikipedia, improv is described as “Improvisational Theater, sometimes called just improv, is a form of theater where most or all of what is performed is created at the moment it is performed.

In its purest form, the dialogue, the action, the story and the characters are created collaboratively by the players as the improvisation unfolds.” For more information on improv, check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Improvisational_theatre

Yes, improv is made up in the moment. Yes improv is not scripted. And yes, improv is created by a team of actors working together. But it’s not always funny. As an acting teacher at Gary Spatz’s the Playground, I use improv with young actors all the time when working with dramatic material. It’s a great way to get kids to connect to their scene partners. They have no choice but to listen and respond and be in the moment.

Improv Acting For Kids Pt. 2

The Playground improv acting for teens and kids

August 13, 2016 Acting Classes

Improv Acting: Less Talking, More Listening

Silence can feel daunting and often times the novice actor’s instinct is to fill the empty space with random rambling. But improv is a team effort. I’m going to say that again. Improv is a TEAM effort. Unlike boating, the scene cannot be steered by one person. No matter how award-winning your idea seems, it will never work if you’re working alone.

How is this over-talking problem solved? The answer is simpler than you think: listen. Just simply listening will grow the scene much faster. Now, instead of two or three people coming up with ideas and yelling them out at the same time so the result is chaos, you have listeners. And listeners can grow a fellow actor’s idea and move the scene forward much faster than over-talking.

Often times, with novice actors, you will see a great idea laid out and since no one on stage was listening, it falls by the wayside. Or worse, that actor will push his idea forward. Now we have a pile of actors on stage all moving in different directions.

Is Improv Acting Important?

the playground improv acting for kids and teens

August 13, 2016 Acting Classes

Improv Acting For Kids & Teens

Life is improvised. We don’t know what we’re going to say next. We must listen and react. And since great acting is all about recreating real life, listening and reacting are key. Enter the honored skill of improv. “The first principle of improv is listening.”

What is improv? Simply put, it is acting without scripted lines The actor’s job is to build an entire scene, line by line, out of just a kernel of an idea. A solid base in improv is an invaluable tool for actors, especially young actors. It teaches them to trust their instincts, which builds a sense of confidence—a mandatory asset en route to becoming a working actor.

Understanding improv gives an actor the freedom to bring brilliant and unique choices to scripted scene-work. Improv keeps the scene fresh every time by freeing you up to make new choices in every moment.

Acting Habits

August 11, 2016 Acting Classes

Acting Habits

As adults, most of us can relate to the term “the force of habit” in some way. The more of our lives that we live, the easier it is to see that the things that we choose to “repeatedly do” often become quite ingrained. The daily choices that we make about how and what we eat, how much rest we get, how we think, communicate, work, play, move and react to the stimuli around us, all become a collection of our personal habits.

Science shows that we, like most creatures, live and die by habituated thinking…meaning we humans are truly creatures of habit. Our bodies and brains lock into a way of approaching something and due to our nature, nurture and personal experience we begin to repeat the familiar, because familiarity equates safety to our animal brains…there is comfort in routine.