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Listening Exercises For Actors

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August 13, 2016 Uncategorized

Listening Exercise Scenes

As an acting teacher at Gary Spatz’s The Playground, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many children over the years. And the thing that I’ve noticed most often with children’s classes are that they think that memorizing is acting.

They believe that if they say their lines perfectly and in order, they’re acting. And for some children this is a great first step. But it’s also important to make the transition to being in the moment, being believable and really communicating. Easier said than done.

A simple way to get in the moment while acting is to focus all of your attention on your scene partner. The truth is that the scene is not about you. It’s always about the other person. You want something from them and you must check in with them at every moment to see if you’re getting it. Simply reciting lines in order doesn’t make an interesting scene.

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The Rules of Improv

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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