Improv rules

1) Say Yes-and!
For a story to be built, whether it is short form or long form, the
players have to agree to the basic situation and set-up. The who,
what, and where have to be developed for a scene to work.
2) After the `and` add new information.
An improvised scene can't move forward or advance unless we add
new information. That is why new information is added after the Yes
of Yes-and!
3) Don't Block.
The opposite of saying yes-and is blocking or denial.
4) Avoid Questions. n
A form of blocking (in its more subtle form) is asking questions.
Questions force our partners to fill in the information or do the work.
It is a way of avoiding committing to a choice or a detail. It is
playing it safe. However, on more advanced levels, questions can be
used to add information or tell your partner the direction to go in.
5) Focus on the Here and Now.
Another useful rule is to keep the focus on the here and now. A
scene is about the people in the scene. The change, the struggle,
the win or loss will happen to the characters on the stage. Focus on
what is going on right this at this moment.
6) Establish the Location!
Good scenes take place somewhere and at sometime. They do not
take place on an empty stage. A location can easily be established
in one or two lines without breaking the scene.
7) Be Specific- Provide Details!
Details are the lifeblood of moving a scene forward. Each detail
provides clues to what is important. Details help provide beat
objectives and flesh out characters.
8) Change, Change, Change!
Improv is about character change. The characters in a scene must
experience some type of change for the scene to be interesting.
Characters need to go on journeys, be altered by revelations,
experience the ramifications of their choices and be moved by
emotional moments.
9) For serious and emotional scenes, focus on characters and
relationships.
A long form improv set should contain a variety of scenes. Some
scenes will be emotional, some will be tense, and some should be
funny. The easiest way to make a scene serious is by focusing on
the relationship of those on the stage (their characters).
10) For humor, commit and take choices to the nth degree or focus
on actions/objects.
A good long form set is balanced. Shakespeare knew that too much
pathos was wearing on the audience; hence, he had minor
characters in humorous scenes such as the drunken porter in
MacBeth.

General Principles
You are all supporting actors.
Always check your impulses.
Never enter a scene unless you are NEEDED.
Save your fellow actor, don`t worry about the piece.
Your prime responsibility is to support.
Work at the top of your brains at all times.
Never underestimate or condescend to your audience.
No jokes (unless it is tipped in front that it is a joke.)
Trust... trust your fellow actors to support you; trust them
to come through if you lay something heavy on them; trust
yourself.
Avoid judging what is going down except in terms of
whether it needs help (either by entering or cutting), what can
best follow, or how you can support it imaginatively if your
support is called for.
LISTEN

1) Don't Deny
Denial is the number one reason most scenes go bad. Any time you
refuse an Offer made by your partner your scene will almost
instantly come to a grinding halt. Example: Player A) "Hi, my name is
Jim. Welcome to my store." Player B) "This isn't a store, it's an
airplane. And you're not Jim, you're an antelope."
2) Don't ask open ended Questions
Open ended questions (like "Who are you?") are scene killers
because they force your partner to stop whatever they are doing and
come up with an answer. When you ask your partner and open ended
question, you put the burden of coming up with something
"interesting" on your partner - so you are no longer doing a scene
together but forcing one person has to do more work than you are
willing to do.
3) You don't have to be funny.
The hidden riddle of improv is that the harder you try not to be funny
the more funny your scene is going to be. Why? Because it's the very
best kind of improv scene you can do is an "interesting" scene, not
necessarily a "funny" one. When you do an interesting scene, a very
surprising thing happens the funny comes out all by it's self.
The best ways to go are to stick to your character, stick to the story
that is being told, and to stay within the reality of the scene you are
playing.
4) You can look good if you make your partner look good.
When you are in a scene, the better you make your partner look the
better the scene is going to be and, as a direct result, the better you
are going to look. All too often, I've seen players enter a scene and I
can just tell they have some really great idea about the character
they are going to play or an idea they want to do. This is wonderful,
but guess what? Your partner probably has absolutely no idea
what's cooking in your evil little mind, and so has no idea how to
react. And no matter how brilliant your idea might be, it's practically
worthless if the scene as a whole goes bad.
5) Tell a story.
Storytelling is probably the easiest rule to remember but the
hardest one to do. The real magic of improv is when we see the
players take totally random suggestions (like a plumber and a cab
driver selling shoes in a leper colony ) and somehow "make it work".
If all these unrelated elements are going to come together then it's
going to happen in the course of an interesting tale. So that's just
what the players are going to try and do, tell us all a story.

Improv edits

Revolving door Edit:

a new player may grab one of the players by the arm/elbow, and turn
them 90 degrees around their vertical axis, like a revolving hotel
door. At that point the other players shut up (and perhaps leave the
scene) and the new player starts a new scene with the player
grabbed by the arm. This can be done multiple times, back and
forth.

Tag out:
Tap a player on the shoulder and replace them.

Sweep Edit:
A new player runs across the stage indicating all current player
should leave. A new scene is started. The new player can bring in
other players or keep inn old players
Voice over edit:
Someone voices over such as meanwhile in the park and new or
previous scene continues.

Improv Games

Foreign Film Dub

This game specifically calls for four people, two to perform the

scene (provided beforehand and speaking in a gibberish alternate

resembling a given foreign language, making meaningful actions and

facial expressions all the while) and two to translate for each

gibberish-speaker (off to the side). The comedy comes from the

interplay between the translator and his respective speaker and how

faithfully he chooses to interpret what the speaker is supposedly

saying. For instance, if a performer speaks some heavy sentiment,

spouting verbal nonense of course, while providing a determined

frown of dissapproval, it'd be amusing if the translator had his words

be something completely pathetic and silly to get worked up over.

This game allows both parties a separate sense of satisfaction,

speakers a channel through which to emote nonverbally (and

perhaps some lingual parody) and translators the gift of literal

meaning. As a result, alternating roles isn't such a bad thing,

fulfillment can be had on both sides of the language barrier.

Questions only

Is this game any good? Would it be absurd to continue writing the

rest of this section in nothing but questions? This game involves

two people, with any additional number of people off to each side as

sub-ins. The players must only interact inquisitively, that is with

questions only, to carry forth the given scene. As soon as one play

slips up (offering a statement, re-asking the previous question in a

slightly different way, or simply taking too long to respond), they are

booted and replaced by the "player on deck" behind them in the

wings. The worst way to play this game is to drag it on too long with

techically acceptable questions, like kicking back the former

question with, "Do you want me to_____?" over and over again. The

object isn't just to stay in the game as long a possible (you can't win

an improv game), but to carry forth the scene and evoke

interest/laughter through the content of the dialogue.

The dating Game

This game is fun as it involves a bit of mystery: the assorted

"bachelors" (any more than three would be over-indulgent) are

comprised of any given identity in a hat, as self-invented or supplied

by a pooling audience, which the chooser must identify after each

has been given a moderate amount of time to express themselves

(perhaps two or three rounds, so the game doesn't drag on and/or

other participants can get a turn). The chooser, in order to get a

juicy response from each contestant, should ask

provocative/evocative questions to up the hilarity and revelation

opportunities.

Scene replay

This game, involving two people, has a scene play out (based on a

given scenario), then requires the two players to replay or

reinterpret the scene according to supplied suggestions.

Suggestions can be an emotion, time period, or particular genre of

TV/film/theater. The subsequent replays, in order to to fit in more

suggestions, can be shortened to keep things interesting. A lot of

fun can be elicited from the juxtaposition of starkly different genres

(e.g. Drew Carey's favored "porno" follow-up after, say, a more

biblical setting).

Freeze Tag

This game is literally open to interpretation: involving two in an

introductory scene, who to an extent may wish to exaggerate

gestures and physical actions, at any point an outside participant

can shout "freeze," at which point all action and dialogue ceases

(bodies frozen in place) and the person can then go and tag

whichever player he wishes to replace. What ensues is up to the

literal scene stealer, as he must resume where it all left off, though

redirecting the scene however he chooses. The idea is that the

newcomer will inevitably make use of the last line spoken or pose
assumed for a humorous effect. For instance, say a player says

something like, "take two and call me in the morning," while

extending two pairs of pinched finger tips (as if to hold two pills); a

scene stealer might come in, taking the place of the patient, and

resume by saying, "But Doc, what am I going to do with an extra set

of nipples?" The make this game less frustrating, it'd be best to let

a scene grow to be longer than two seconds before selfishing

ousting someone for a cheap laugh (that is to say, be courteous, as

a spectator/participant who'd hate to be denied a decent amount of

spotlight yourself).
Big Booty

Students stand in a horseshoe formation, with the student at the right

hand end of the horseshoe dubbed Big Booty. Other students number off

from 1, going clockwise starting with the player next to Big Booty.

Students stomp rhythmically, one foot at a time (1,2,1,2) while

energetically singing the Big Booty song: Big Booty, Big Booty, Big Booty.

Aw, yeah.

Big Booty starts from there, calling his/her own name, followed by

Number and the number of a player in the horseshoe. For example, the

first turn is as follows:

All: Big Booty, Big Booty, Big Booty. Aw, yeah.

Big Booty: Big Booty Number 5.

Number 5 would then pass to another player as follows, immediately:

Number 5, Number 7. Number 7 then follows, Number 7, Number 4,

and so on.

The call can be passed back to Big Booty, but there are no callbacks.

When there is a hesitation or an error, all players (continuing to keep

rhythm by stomping) loudly and energetically call Aw, shoot!

The player who made the error then joyfully goes to the end of the

horseshoe and becomes the last number. All other players move into

vacant places left, adopting the number of the place in which they stand.
For example, if Number 4 made an error, he/she moves to the end,

becoming the last number (say Number 8). Number 5 moves into Number

4s spot, becoming 4. Six becomes 5, Seven becomes 6, etc. Play

continues.

Zip Zap Zoop

This is another motion around the circle warm-up. In this warm-

up one of the players points to another player to one side of
them and says zip. That player turns to the next player in the
circle, points to them and says zip. Thus the zip zips around
the circle in one direction. At any time a receiving player can
say zap to the person pointing at them. When they do the
player that said zip and was pointing at them must change
direction of the pointing. This means that they must quickly
turn around, point and say zip to the person that just pointed
at them. Now the zip can zip around the circle, but changing
direction every time there is a zap. Lastly the person that
receives the zip may elect to yell zoop and point at someone
anywhere in the circle. That player then restarts the zip going
in the direction of their choice. The group must really pay
attention for this to work.

Digits
Everyone in the circle looks down at the ground and closes their
eyes. Someone will count off the number one. Then someone
else will count off the number two. No one knows who will
speak the next number. If two people speak out at the same
time then the group must start again at one. It is common to
try and count to twenty. Usually there is such rejoicing when
twenty is counted to the warm-up is over.

Yes Lets

Someone will loudly suggest an activity for all the group to

mime. Everyone simultaneously yells yes lets, and starts the
do the activity. Once the activity has been mimed for a while
another one is yelled out and the group responds with yes lets
and starts the activity. For example, if someone calls out lets
all dig holes. The group responds with yes lets all dig holes,
and every manner of hole digging mime will begin (complete
with sound effects). The someone will suggest a new activity
and the cycle continues.

Slow Motion Samurai

Once everyone is milling about comfortably they are told to
start moving in slow motion. Once a stable rate of speed is
determined the players all become Samurai with poisonous
blades built into their fore arms. The object is to kill all the
other Samurai in the room. If anyone is touched by the fore arm
of another player they must die a poisoned death in slow
motion. It is important that players keep their speed
continuous. The point is not to win the warm-up, but to have
fun. If players are moving too fast and massacring everyone
else simply tell them to slow down. It helps people work
together. The warm-up usually ends when there is a large pile
of bodies on the floor.

Squirt
stand in circle, one person in middle. Middle person says
someones name and adjacent people must point to them and
yell squirt and target must duck. If target fails to duck in time,
out. If target ducks and one shooter is slower than other, slow
shooter out. If target ducks and both shooters shoot
simultaneously, all in. Out people sit down.

Leading
All the players are milling around and someone suggests a
body part to lead with. Everyone move around as if your left
foot was leading your body everywhere. Continue on with
various body parts like: knee, bum, right ear. End the exercise
when players start calling out internal organs.

Darling if you love me

Stand in circle, one person in middle. Middle person goes to one
person and says Darling if you love me would you please,
please smile. Circle person must respond Darling, you know I
love you but I just cant smile If circle person smiles or laughs,
goes in middle and asker on circle.

Falling
Once everyone is milling quietly one of the players chooses to
fall. The player will announce their plan to fall, by calling out
falling clearly. Once they do that, and it is obvious that they
are going to fall they close their eyes and start falling towards
the centre of the room. It is safest if they make themselves
rigid and fall backwards towards the centre of the room. I
cannot stress enough how important it is to fall inwards.
Everyone else in the warm-up rushes to the persons aid and
lowers them slowly to the ground. Everyone must help the
person be lowered to the ground. Even if one is across the room
and the falling player can be safely lowered by those that
already there one still must rush over and help. Once the player
is lowered safely to the ground she gets back up and the whole
thing starts again. Enormous people should refrain from falling
in this exercise, people with bad backs should only help with a
light touch. Everyone should be able to participate in one
fashion or another. Remember, safety first!Once everyone is
milling quietly one of the players chooses to fall. The player will
announce their plan to fall, by calling out falling clearly. Once
they do that, and it is obvious that they are going to fall they
close their eyes and start falling towards the centre of the
room. It is safest if they make themselves rigid and fall
backwards towards the centre of the room. I cannot stress
enough how important it is to fall inwards. Everyone else in the
warm-up rushes to the persons aid and lowers them slowly to
the ground. Everyone must help the person be lowered to the
ground. Even if one is across the room and the falling player
can be safely lowered by those that already there one still must
rush over and help. Once the player is lowered safely to the
ground she gets back up and the whole thing starts again.
Enormous people should refrain from falling in this exercise,
people with bad backs should only help with a light touch.
Everyone should be able to participate in one fashion or
another. Remember, safety first!

5 Mistakes to Avoid at the Top of an

Improv Scene

The first couple of seconds at the top of any improv scene is

crucial, and if you dont panic you will be able to increase your
chances of doing some great improvisation. Here are the top
five most common mistakes:

1. Starting with a ProblemNothing will stop a scene faster

than starting with a problem. Usually it looks like this: Two
improvisers hit the stage and the first thing that comes out of
one of their mouths is a problem like: We are out of gas. As
an audience we dont care, and worse, we know where this
scene is going. Problems at the top a scene do not connect us
to our partner. We think they do, but they are as frustrating to
watch as they are to be in them.

SOLUTION 1: If the first line you think of is We are out of

gas, before you say it out loud, change it into a positive
statement: Weve got a full tank of gas. Okay, it might not be
the most brilliant initiation you have come up with, but its 100
times better than a problem.

SOLUTION 2: If your partner starts with a problem, react to

what theyve said and make it personal. So you could respond
to We are out of gas with Good, we really havent spent
much time together since you went off to college. Remember,
the audience doesnt give a shit about the gas and whether you
get or it not. What we care about is the relationship.

2. Playing StrangersThis is such a common mistake that I

keep seeing over and over again: Two improvisers come out on
stage and play complete strangers. Ninety-five percent of the
time these scenes go nowhere. The only thing they seem to
accomplish is to test our patience.
SOLUTION: Do yourself a favor and assume you know the
person in your scene. You could have known them for a couple
of hours or 10 years, it doesnt matter. But we dont want to
see the first time you two meet. We have better things to do
with our time.

3. Hitting the Suggestion Over the HeadEasily the most

annoying one. If the suggestion is pineapple, your first line does
not need to be Mmm, I love Pineapple as you frantically eat a
pineapple. This will turn an audience off, and it should, because
you are treating them like a bunch dopes. The one thing I have
learned from my guests on Improv Nerd is there is no one way
to use a suggestion. You can use it to inspire you with a
character, emotions, attitude, environment or objects. Some
improvisers dont use it all.

SOLUTION: If the suggestion is tripping you up and putting you

in your head, dont use it for now. Its better not to use the
suggestion than to jump on stage and say Mmm, I love
pineapple like its the smartest thing youve ever said on
stage. What Ive found helpful is to use the suggestion to
discover an environment: Pineapple makes me think of beach,
or hotel, or cabana, or pool, or airplane, or airport. I have six
locations, and I dont ever have to say the fucking word
pineapple.

4. Not Looking at Your PartnerListening can be done in

silence. If you dont take a couple of seconds to look at your
partners face, youre not listening, and you sure as hell are not
connecting to him or her. I dont care what brand or method of
improv you prefer, the best improvisers are the ones who are
connected to their partners.

There is a reason we say your partner is the most important

person on stage. Its not for them, its for us, so we can get out
of own way. I cannot tell you how many improvisers dont check
in with their partner on stage. It only take a couple of seconds,
and you can still come in with that big character that you love
playing or say that killer opening line. In improv, we are trained
to do multiple things at a time, but let us not forget the most
important one of them all: connecting with our partner. Without
them, we have nothing to react to.

SOLUTION: This is an exercise you can use in class or

rehearsal. Go out on stage and dont plan anything. Look at
your partners face to get the initiation for the scene. So if you
go out there and she looks sad, you may say: I know break ups
are never easy. If you go out there and she looks happy, you
could say: We are going to be great parents.

5. Not Starting in the MiddleSometimes, improvisers

establish a relationship, but they dont start the scene in the
middle of the action. Instead, they talk about absolutely
nothing. It goes something like this. Hey, wanna go to the
movies? Yeah, great. How about Anchor Man 2? Sure, its
playing at 8:15. This goes on for a couple of minutes, but it
feels like an eternity because there is no meat to the scene.
They havent started in the middle.

SOLUTION: I got this from Jack Bronis, a wonderful teacher at

Second City: Start a scene with a secret that youve been
holding onto for six months that you have to tell the other
person about. Reveal it in the first couple of lines. The higher
the stakes of your secret, the more mileage you will get out of
it. For example: I know were only on our third date, but I want
to marry you, or I know Im your step brother, but Ive always
had a crush on you are great meaty opening lines that start in
the middle of the action.

5 Awesome Improv Moves

By Bacon, January 25, 2013 at 10:11 am

The greatest part of improv is it's organic. The
basic idea of a scene might work one night and
completely bomb the next. So in all reality there
are no "perfect moves" or "scenes that work every
time". This list is composed of scenes or moves
that I personally enjoy seeing almost all the time.

The perfect Bookend

Many themes, ideas, and characters are

explored throughout any standard long form improv
show. A perfectly bookendededed show typically
starts out with an opening scene/group game that
explores a theme and during the show you explore
those ideas and themes. Then at the end of the
show there is a scene that seems to capture
everything and put an exclamation point at the end
of it.

Example: I was watching a show at iO where the

opening group scene was about wolves. They
organically explored many of the personal
relationships between wolves and they ended the
scene howling at the moon. The very last scene in
the show was another group game, but this time it
was about a man who was raised by these wolves.
The scene ended when the man died and the
wolves started talking about what the man meant
to them. Every meaning was a different theme in
the show. Already fantastic, but wait it gets better.
Then one improvisor said, "After this man died his
body rose into the sky." A second improvisor said,
"That man became what we call the moon." And
without missing a beat the entire group said, "And
that's why wolves howl at the moon." LIGHTS! It
was amazing and I'm pretty sure I pooped myself
after. I can't remember what iO team performed
this show, but hopefully one day I can be apart of a
show that amazing.

Idiots who think theyre smart

Again I have to start out with an improv rule
preface. In improv you always want to play to the
top of your intelligence, but that doesn't mean you
can't play an idiot. You can be an idiot and still
know things and as an improvisor know how to
move the scene and relationship. I love any amount
of idiot character on stage (I actually play them a
lot), but I love nothing more than a group of idiots,
who all think the same way. Sure two idiots with a
straight man is hilarious because you can watch
them push the straight mans buttons, but I love
watching a bunch of idiots who think they're better
than everyone else. It's a lot like watching a trashy
reality TV show. "Honey Boo Boo" is a whole show
centered around a bunch of idiots who think
they're better than everyone else and that's
basically why so many people find it entertaining
(they probably also watch it to feel better about
themselves). In improv it's the same concept, but
with real actors who aren't the deterioration of
society. We are kind of annoying on public
transportation though.

Deeply emotional scene

This type of scene starts out the same way most

good improv scenes start out with, a good
relationship. The only difference is that this scene
is so deep in emotion and relationship that the
humor takes a back seat. Improv doesn't have to
be funny all the time and sometimes the jokes can
just come from deep emotions between the
characters. I love watching a hilarious improv show
and then out of nowhere seeing a deep emotional
scene where the performers really commit. Those
types of shows really stick with you. Personally as
a performer I might like hearing an "aww" or
a concerned "gasp" more than a good laugh.

Supporting a mistake

In Tina Fey's book "Bossypants" she states the

classic improv rule of "there are no mistakes just
opportunities" (I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure
that it's in a few other improv books too*). For the
purpose of this blog post I will refer to them in the
context of a mistake. Some teams will shut down
when someone on the team makes a huge mistake.
Others might point out the mistake to get a laugh
and move on or point out the mistake by correcting
the person who made it. Personally I love
supporting a mistake and making it a huge part of
the show. As an audience member or player I love it
when a mistake is embraced by a team fully, not
just as a joke, but as a real "AH HA!" moment.

*I am positive. It's in every improv book ever made.

In this Universe
This is when someone states something in a scene
that isn't true in real life, but in the universe of that
show it is.

Example: Someone says, "Yeah, because the

Detroit Lions win every game they ever play."
Great, in this universe the Detroit Lions are the
best football team EVER and have won every NFL
championship. Future scenes don't have to be
directly about the Detroit Lions, but little call
backs will find there way into scenes and you can
explore what the world would be like if that was
true. Detroit might be a huge metropolis that's
bigger than New York and their street lights are
made out of trophies because they have so many of
them. I DON'T KNOW, it's hard to come up with
stupid improv scenarios when you're writing a
blog, but you get where I'm going.

How to be a better improviser

These are some basic rules of thumb of improvisation.

* = The key ideas. Things the master improvisers do without thinking.

ACCEPT INFORMATION: YES AND *

When you get a piece of information from another actor, first, accept it as fact and second, add a
little bit more information to it. If somebody tells you that you're wearing a hula skirt, tell them
yes you are, and that you made it right here at Club Med. Keep doing this long enough, and you'll
have a scene full of fascinating facts, objects and relationships. Fail to do this and everyone will
hate you, even your parents.
ADD HISTORY *

The swiftest way to add reality and depth to a scene is to have the characters call up specifics from
their common history. A simple exchange such as:

--Are you trying to get us arrested?

--Like the time we ran naked through the Yale-Princeton lacrosse game?

though just a few words, provides a great deal of information. The audience and actors now can
infer that the characters are college boys, they are troublemakers, they are educated, they are in
New England, they drink to excess, they have police records, they are old friends, and much more.
With one sentence, the amount of information the improvisers can now draw on has grown greatly.

Some improv teachers suggest staying in the present tense as often as possible. I disagree. I think,
however, that you should avoid talking too much about the future. Things in the future might
happen, they might shape your characters. Things in the past did happen, they did shape your
characters.

ASK YOURSELF IF THIS IS TRUE, THEN WHAT ELSE IS TRUE?*

Often in improvisation, things deviate from the normal, the usual. (This happens for a number of
reasons and it is usually not intentional. Improvisation is constrained communication so
misunderstandings are bound to occur, and these misunderstandings, among other things, can lead
to departures from normality.) When in situations that are fantastic, respond realistically, and heed
this simple maxim to govern your action: ask If this is true, then what else is true? Each time you
find the answer, you can play it out.

Example: Suppose, a character picks up the phone and calls Maureen. The improviser on the other
end says "sorry, wrong number" and hangs up. The caller says "something must be wrong with me, I
keep dialing wrong numbers these days". The other improvisers ask themselves "if the protagonist
can only dial wrong numbers, then what else would be true". They come up with new scenes and
initiate them. Someone initiates a fire in the scene and tells him to dial 911, inspiring someone else
to pick up the call and say "411". The misdialer tries to call his girlfriend and gets another woman
on the line, who happens to recognize him from the last times he has dialed the same wrong
number. She starts to flirt with him. The real girlfriend suspects something is up, uses reverse
lookup, and confrontationally rings the doorbell of every woman whose phone number is 1 different
from hers. The what-ifs continue, each person just asking themselves "if this guy only dials wrong
numbers, then what else is true?"
BE VERY SPECIFIC

If you're going to say "nice car!", why not make it "wow, a 1979 Volvo Station Wagon!" If we know
the Volvo owner is a 21 year old woman, suddenly we can visualize her (well, maybe you cant, but
I can: she has dried blue and white oil paint on her fingers, wears an extra large mens dress shirt
as a smock, and has long, straight, chestnut-brown hair). A more vivid image opens up a rich, new
world. Adjectives accelerate scene development.

BEGINNING SCENES

Basically, you want to cut to the interesting stuff as soon as possible. This is why we sometimes
advise: start the scene with two people on, or start the scene with two people with common
history.

Why have a scene that goes:

--Hi.

--Hello.

--What's your name?

--Jim. And what's yours?

--Mike.

--What's new?

--I've got one month to live.

When you can have a scene that goes:

--Jim, I've got one month to live.

--Let me get you a drink.

--No, my treat.

COMMENCE WITH CHARACTERIZING ACTIONS

Characterizing actions are those which define a character's occupation or role, such as a teacher
erasing a blackboard, a janitor cleaning up, or a child playing with toys, are good for starting
scenes because they provide your fellow actors something to build on. They say a lot about what is
going on and thus help the scene get to the point faster. Note that the scene need not (and often
should not) be about drinking a beer or chopping lettuce just because that's what one of the
characters is doing. Two people can start a scene engaged in an action together. By putting status
into this two-person action, a lot of information can be communicated very quickly. For example,
consider a scene which starts with one character hitting tennis balls, and the other chasing around
after them. The audience knows what the status is and where the characters are before the scene
even starts.

DONT DENY*

Denial is trashing what somebody else has set up or is trying to set up. There are many forms:

Mime Denial: Somebody spends five minutes setting the dining room table, another character walks
right through it. This will make the audience squirm and gasp and have a general sicky feeling.

Character Denial: Not letting the other person be what she wants to be.

--Hi, I'm your Dentist.

--No you're not. You're my gastroenterologist!

Location Denial: Contradicting setting information someone else established.

--Periscope down.

--What are you talking about? We're in a helicopter!

The denying actor is not reacting to the presented information. Denial makes audience and cast
uncomfortable. All denial can be rectified with Justification, but it's a real skill.

People advanced in improv can tell the difference between bad denial and comedic denial. In the
latter, denial can make sense within in the logic of the scene: i.e., if Don Quixote were the
helicopter pilot, he may say "periscope down" and need to be corrected by his straight-person
assistant. However, it requires a lot of respect (the opposite of denial) to get to the point where
the audience understands that the captain is a Don Quixote.

Furthermore, experienced actors may appear to deny each other when playing games of one-
upsmanship, but, upon closer inspection, they are accepting the information the other presents,
then adding to it and raising the stakes. For example:

--Now you shall die by my sword, certified to be the sharpest in the land. Schiiing.

--Sharpest in the land! You mean you don't import your swords? Scha-schiiing.
The response accepts what was stated, and one-ups it by finding a way to beat it without denying
it. A denying response would be, "Well, your certificate lies. Shluuung". Accept and justify the
information that others provide. It makes the scenes flow easier, and is simply less aggressive than
denying what your fellow actors have created.

Two exercises can help people overcome the denying urge. One is playing the denial game (i. e.,
playing out scenes where every line denies the other character's previous line) to make one another
conscious of the bad habit. Another rehearsal exercise, just for beginners helps to point out each
others denials in scenes: simply respond to your fellow actor's denials with "there's no denying
that!".

ENTER AND EXIT WITH PURPOSE

Entering, exiting and staying put should have a reason, be justified. This is the purpose of playing
the game Entrances and Exits (go figure) in rehearsal. Don't just say "OK, bye" and walk out of a
scene. Give a reason. Unjustified exits tend to be a problem novices have.

THE GAME OF THE SCENE SHOULD RHYME AND HEIGHTEN

Mark Twain had an adage that history doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. The game of the scene is
the thing that repeats. However, I don't mean repeats exactly, which is why I say it rhymes. When
you rhyme "star" with "are", you take the word "star", generalize it to the "-ar" family of rhymes,
and find another specific member of that family. So it is with the game in the scene. You don't
want to repeat it exactly, but want to find another specific that rhymes with the general theme
and heightens it.

Consider the following scene from Spinal Tap, with Marty interviewing Nigel about his Guitar
collection:

Nigel Tufnel: Look... still has the old tag on, never even played it.

(Marty points his finger)

Nigel Tufnel: Don't touch it!

Marty DiBergi: We'll I wasn't going to touch it, I was just pointing at it.

Nigel Tufnel: Well... don't point!

Marty DiBergi: Don't point, okay. Can I look at it?

Nigel Tufnel: No.

Notice that Nigel doesn't insist on the guitar not being touched three times. Here, the pattern is:
don't touch, don't point, don't look. This is a rhyming pattern (all concerning observing a guitar). It
is also a heightening, which is very important in game playing. Asking someone not to touch a
prized guitar is a bit odd but understandable. Asking someone not to point to it is more strange,
and asking someone not to look at it is heightening the game of "respecting the guitar" to an
extreme.

GET BEHIND THE STORY

Try not to think about yourself in longform. Instead, always ask yourself "how can I contribute to
the larger picture?" and "what is my function in this piece?". A structured longform piece, like an
episode of the Simpsons, should have a main character.

GET IN GROUPS WHEN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE ON STAGE IS HIGH

When your longform piece is getting out of control, returning to two person scenes and "going line
for line" will restore harmony in no time. (Yes, I know this is the third time Im saying this, but its
just that true.) The number two can be held steady by having new entrances cause immediate exits
of other characters, but this shouldn't go too long. If the stage is crowded, then low-impact is the
best policy for the non-essential characters, as well as clustering, that is, forming a group
(physically and ideologically) behind a leader. Please don't abandon someone on stage unless they
want to be left alone there.

GIVE YOURSELF A SUGGESTION WHEN YOU DON'T ASK THE AUDIENCE FOR ONE *

We all know scenes are better when you enter them with an attitude, activity, or emotion -- so just
pick one for yourself either randomly or in response to the other character, and you'll have a better
scene.

GO AGAINST THE VOICE OF REASON

In our everyday lives, it often makes sense to follow the voice of reason. In real life, if your friend
says "I'm ugly", you may tell them they aren't, even if they are. Why? Perhaps because you feel it's
not important, you want them to feel better, you want to preserve your friendship, and so on. On
stage, a different logic may apply. Audiences come to the theater to escape the mundane logical
world, they sometimes want to see the barriers lifted. You may respond to "I'm ugly" with "you
know, I've been meaning to say something...". You may rob a bank because someone tells you to.
You may play sycophant to your abuser. In short, you may do things onstage the real you wouldn't
do. Try going against the voice of reason, it's liberating. You don't have to justify your actions
much, sometimes "I don't know why I'm doing this, but ..." is sufficient.

GO LINE FOR LINE *

You can almost guarantee a good improvisation if each player: 1) Says just one line and 2) Bases his
or her line on the last thing the other character said.

JUSTIFICATION

You must provide reasons for everything the audience sees that doesn't make sense. If you don't, it
will disconcert them. That is, if 3 characters each mime the refrigerator being in different places,
then the character who damns putting rollers on the thing will put the audience's mind at ease and
allow them to get into the story and characters. They will also get a laugh, but that doesn't matter
as much.

KEEP THE FOCUS HUMAN AND ONSTAGE

Careful not to stare too long at objects that are offstage, on the floor or in your hand. What's
interesting is a human reaction to an object, person, or event, not the object itself.

MAINTAIN YOUR CHARACTER'S POINT OF VIEW

If a character starts out adoring spider monkeys, but then decides she hates them 10 minutes later,
it may confuse the audience and your fellow actors. Once you like spider monkeys, keep liking
them until you have a reason to stop. Very often, you'll keep liking them thoroughout the piece. If
you're consistent, then the other actors will best know how to support your character.

MAKING JOKES

Never try to be funny or tell jokes on stage. Humor will arise naturally out of tight relationships and
solid, simple plots.

MIME BETTER, MUCH BETTER

50% of what the audience thinks of you as an improviser hinges on the quality of your mime and
physicality. Dont believe me, go out this week and watch the best improviser in your city. Ill bet
you they do incredible object work. Sadly, few improvisers ever do anything to improve their mime
and few teachers have any worthwhile mime exercises. Use this fact to get ahead in life, kid.

PLAY THE OPPOSITE EMOTION

Something to try now and then in two person scenes. For example, if one person is frustrated,
come on at ease and relaxed. A basic comedic structure which is the basis of many comedic
movies, plays, and TV shows.

PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE OTHER PERSON

Scene going nowhere? Tell the other character something about him/her self. The simple
comment "Nice tuxedo", can launch into a back-room panic session between a groom and his best
man. Getting specific makes scenes go somewhere fast. Staying vague leads to scenes about two
nondescript people standing in the middle of nondescriptland talking about tacos. Just kidding,
tacos are descript.

RAISE THE STAKES

Scenes that are going nowhere can be much improved by putting more at risk, that is, introducing
some large consequence of the wants of a character.

Why have:

--Hey, if you buy me that piece of candy, I'll eat it.

When you can have:

--Hey, if you give that cop a wedgie, I'll let you kiss me on the lips.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF *

This simply means going into every scene with an activity or emotion. This does several things i) it
gets the scene going faster ii) it provides information which your partner can use iii) and, perhaps
most importantly, it gives you something to do which makes the audience comfortable. What do I
mean "comfortable"? If the audience sees you standing there doing nothing, they think "oh no, he
doesn't know what to do. He's worried. He's confused". Then they feel bad. The audience wants
the actor to succeed. The moment you launch into an activity (baking bread, counting money,
sweeping the floor) or an emotion (hope, love, pride), the audience thinks "oh, I see. They know
what's going on. They have a plan" and then they relax and enjoy the show. Of course, you don't
really have a plan, and you don't really know what's going on. As Mick Napier said: "improvisation is
the art of being completely O.K. with not knowing what the f-- you're doing." In more polite
English, the best improvisers appear completely confident even when they have no idea what's
going on.

THE BEST ADVICE I CAN GIVE ANY IMPROV GROUP *

See Go line for line. If you are using what the others are giving you, you are improvising well. Its
really that simple, people.

QUESTIONS SHOULD GIVE MORE THAN THEY TAKE

Why ask a question on stage? Are you expecting your fellow-actor to have a ready answer? What if
she doesn't? Doesn't that put her on the spot? Don't most questions slow the scene unnecessarily? If
it's a yes-no question, are you prepared to react to both yes and no answers?If no, then aren't you
in trouble if the wrong answer comes back? If yes, then aren't you writing?

Any question can be turned into a statement. The nice thing about statements is that they provide
information you and your fellow actor

can immediately start building upon.

Why go through:

--What time is it?

--Uh, 3:30?

--Are you ready?

--Yeah, are you ready?

--What are we doing?

--I don't know. What's the capital of South Dakota?

--Uh, Fargo?

When you could have:

--It's 3:30

--We're right on schedule.

--Johnson should be handing the teller the note right now.

--It's 3:31. Ski masks on.

--Think I have time to run to the bathroom?

--Why don't I ever get paired with Johnson?

Questions which don't require answers are fine. Questions which provide more information then
they demand are fine, too, e.g. "Think I have time to run to the bathroom?" This question
introduces information, raises the stakes, and doesn't require the fellow actor to come up with a
response. Rhetorical questions are fine, e.g., "Why don't I ever get paired with Johnson?"

A drill to point out question-asking *in rehearsal only*, is to respond to each other's questions with
"that's a good question ..." or adopt the Yiddish practice of answering with the exact same
question:

--What do you want? [bad question, contributes nothing to scene]

--What do I want? [actor 2 points out that actor 1 is putting him on the

spot instead of contributing]

--Look, I'll get you the money tomorrow [hurrah! actor 1 gets the message]

WHAT MAKES TODAY SPECIAL? IS A FINE QUESTION TO ASK YOURSELF

Think about a scene as "a day unlike any other day." When it seems like something big or
outrageous is going to happen (e.g. someone is about to confess their love, someone wants to rob a
bank, wants to swim naked in the river, don't just talk about it -- do it. In relationship scenes,
think about saying the thing you've been waiting to say for 5 years (e.g. I love you, I love your twin,
I ate your hamster ...)

WHO WHAT WHO WHERE? ARE GREAT THINGS FOR PEOPLE STARTING SCENES TO ASK
THEMSELVES

A fine way to start a scene is to lay out who both people are, where they are, and what they are
doing. You may provide this information or do it for the other character. Just be sure to accept all
information the other character provides for you. Who? what? who? where? is nicely followed by
raise the stakes -- sort of an opening gambit for improv scenes.

APPENDIX

Here are some vocabulary terms I've grown to know and love:

blackout - A very short scene, often just a few seconds. Three of

them make a runner.

characterizing action - an action which says to the other performers and

the audience what sort of occupation or social role the character has.

These are often used to begin scenes, such as when teachers erase

blackboards, and what not.

denial - Trashing what somebody else has set up on stage, be it mime or fact

fourth wall - The wall that isn't there which, if existed, would go

between the players and the audience. Beginners need to be careful

about turning one's back on the fourth wall!

gag scenes - Very short, funny scenes. People doing them should not

feel obligated to further the plot or present any vital information.

These scenes are just plain fun and the people on lights should treat

them as such.

geography warmup - is a famous vocal warmup in the world of improvisation. It goes as follows:

Trinidad and the big Mississippi

and the town of Honolulu

and the lake Titicaca.

The Popocatepetl is not in Canada

but rather in Mexico, Mexico, Mexico

Canada, Malaga, Rimini, Brindisi

Canada, Malaga, Rimini, Brindisi

Yes Tibet Tibet

2 3 4 (repeat)

Notes: Popocatepetl ((po po ca te' petl) nickname Popo) is a volcano in South central Mexico which
erupts all the time, even 11 days before I wrote this. It is not a seaport. Malaga is a seaport in
Southern Spain, home of strong, sweet Malaga wine. Rimini is a seaport in Northeast Italy, which is
like Fort Lauderdale for European youth. Brindisi (Brinde zi), sometimes nicknamed and
mispronounced "sleazy Brin dee' zee," is a seaport in Southeast Italy where you catch the ferry to
Greece. A girlfriend and I once asked the tourist office if there were any movies in town. "Only for
men," they said.

justification - providing an explanation for something the audience saw that didn't make sense

reflexive action - an action a character does repeatedly and unconsciously. Helps make the
character stand out from the crowd, as well as seem familiar like an old friend, or that special pair
of moccasins. One way to "take care of yourself" on stage.

rule of a thousand - continuing on after the rule of three until things become funny again. Some
people believe this works something like a sine wave, so there's always hope some thing may get
funny again even if it's starting to look really desperate.

rule of three - Three humorous events (scenes, jokes, etc.) on the same topic or with the same
gist. The third is always the hardest hitting.

runner - three blackouts on the same theme with the third one being the biggest larf of all.

status - Whoever has influence or control over a situation has the higher status in the scene. Many
pre-defined stock relationships, such as, judge / plaintiff have status build right into them. Status
can easily invert and this can become the plot of entire stories, a la Trading Places.

yes and - two great words which encourage the person who says them to accept information and
add to it

"Ask Fors" are requests for suggestions from the audience.

Improv actors receive some of their best material when the
crowd shouts out simple, zany, and/or creative ideas.

Typical Ask Fors include questions such as, Can I get a

location? or Can I get an occupation? However, they can
be much more unusual and inventive. Once the audience
suggestion is accepted, an improvised scene can begin.
Performers utilize the audiences ask-for and do their
best to generate characters, conflict, and laughter.

Would you like to create some Ask Fors of your own? Try
this: Write a list of words from A to Z. (Ex: Animal, Body,
Career, Dinner, Etc.). Then, create sentences or questions
which ask information from a potential audience.

Heres my list of Ask-Fors:

An animal you would not expect to find in an apartment?

A part of the human body?

A poor career choice?

A historical figure you would like to invite for dinner?

A celebrity you would not want to meet in an elevator?

A product known for false advertising?

A board game?

The worst location for a resort hotel?

A brand new invention?

The punch-line of a really corny joke?

CONTINUE READING BELOW OUR VIDEO

How Does Color Affect How You Feel?

0:04
 /

2:54

A person you would not expect to be a karate instructor?

A foreign language?

The first thing you would buy after winning the lotto?

Fill in the blank: I am a professor of (BLANK) ology.

A person you would not want to meet at a nude beach?

A phobia?

A topic for a pop-quiz?

An unlikely subject for a rap song?

A really cool super power?

A title of a television show?

An occupation that requires a uniform?

The wrong place to take a date on Valentines Day?

A place you would not expect to find a weather man?

Something you would not find in an X-Ray?

The name of a yoga position?

The name of the new exhibit at the zoo?

Asking for Ask-Fors

During rehearsal we are always looking for new ways to inject life into old
games. We also look for ways to keep the shows we do flowing and
seamless. Ensuring that what we do is ACTUALLY improv and not pre-
rehearsed or inside jokes is paramount to maintaining our legitimacy as
improv artists.

Suggestions from the audience solicited from ask-fors is probably the

most important aspect of a live improv show to ensure that these things
happen. Here is an awesome article on the importance of ask-fors in the
context of improv.

It, and many other articles, are available at:

http://greenlightwiki.com/improv/ask_for but I have cut and pasted it
here.

Take care and come to our showApril 23, 2005!

-Niigon

The Improv Wiki Ask-Fors

An ask-for is a question you ask the audience before a scene begins, to

give the performers a seed to begin with or otherwise fill a slot needed by
a game. What the audience gives you is called a suggestion.

Some sample ask-fors:

-Can someone please tell me a word?-Would someone tell me an

occupation, like butcher, baker, or candlestick-maker?-What is an activity
two people might do together, like playing chess or building a treehouse?-
What is a place where two people who know each other might meet?-
What is a country where they don't speak English?-What's a reason you
were late for work?-What subject did you hate most in junior high school?

Tips on thinking up ask-fors:

-A good ask-for is one that gets something from the audience that juices
you to have fun on stage.

Getting fresh suggestions

To get something fresh nearly every time, ask an open-ended question,

not one that has a limited set of possible answers. For example, "Can
someone tell me a word?" has an enormous set of possible responses, as
does "Can someone tell me the name of a movie that's never been
made?" On the other hand, "Can someone tell me a color?" has a
relatively small set of possible responses, and all of them are colors. "If
your elbow belonged to a political party, which one would it belong to?"
will likely get you either of the two typical choices, or a selection from the
handful of third parties. These last two ask-fors limit suggestions to a
pretty narrow box. Contrast that with "Can someone tell me a political
party that doesn't exist?"

Of course, for a particular game, you might want the audience to choose
from a small selection. Or you might want something completely
unexpected every time. This entire section is to help you be aware of how
an ask-for opens up or limits responses.

Setting expectations

If there is concrete information in the ask-for itself, this sets up the

audience to expect that the scene will relate to that concrete
information--information that you supplied. For example, "Can someone
tell me what is the Eleventh Commandment?" leads the audience to
expect that the scene will make biblical or religious references.

If you're setting up a game that doesn't go in that direction, then this

ask-for might lead the audience to feel disappointed with a genuinely
brilliant scene, just because of their expectations. On the other hand,
putting concrete information into an ask-for is a great, concise way to set
up a game. If the game is about a priest and confessor, then asking for
the Eleventh Commandment sets the audience up to love the scene
without your having to explain anything.

Two ask-fors

By asking for two suggestions, you create instant potential for comedy. All
the performers have to do is combine them. For example, asking "What is
the Eleventh Commandment?" and "What is a job that someone might
quit in order to join the priesthood?" can set up a priest & confessor game
with no need for explanation. You don't need to explain that the priest will
give the confessor a penance related to his old job. When the priest gives
the penance and it connects the suggestions and other material from the
scene, this will catch the audience by surprise even though it's the most
natural development--always a joy to see, and it sets up a Closer.

Getting two ask-fors can help reduce the performers' temptation to try to
force laughs. When given two unrelated things, pretty much the first thing
that comes to mind for connecting them will be unconsciously funny.

Leave something open

Asking for all three elements of the Platform blocks the players' potential
to add those elements. It limits the Platform to the audience's
imagination, and setting up the Platformis one of the main improvisational
skills that makes a huge difference to a scene. The beginning of the scene
can drag as the players establish the given Who Where Whatwithout
adding anything beyond what the audience gave them. So you might
want to ask for only one Platform element (if any).

On the other hand, if the performers aren't yet comfortable creating a

Platform , an emcee can help them shine by having the audience supply
all the elements. This ensures that the players have a Platform to build
from. It can also be a good Exercise to give people the experience of
building from a solid Platform.

Getting realistic or imaginative suggestions

To get something realistic, you can ask the audience for something that
has personally happened to them. For example, "What was the worst
piece of advice your mother gave you?" or "What's the largest object in
your back yard?" To encourage the audience to give you something wild
and imaginative (unrealistic), you can ask them for something that does
not fit a certain criterion. For example, "What's a moral that they'd never
try to teach in Sunday School?" or "What's a category that you'd never
see on Jeopardy?"

Some groups don't like imaginative suggestions from the audience. Often,
if a suggestion gets a laugh, then the scene doesn't, because the
suggestion has already used up the potential for humor. The scene then
becomes something like continuing a joke after the punch line's been
said. Of course, you can also get good at taking a funny suggestion and
exploring in a totally new direction and finding unexpectedly funny things.

Helping the audience

It can help the audience if you give an example or two with your
question. For example, instead of "A relationship, please," you can ask,
"Can someone tell me a relationship between two people, like boss and
employee or priest and confessor?" A weird example can inspire the
audience to get even weirder. A realistic example often inspires a realistic
suggestion. Avoid using the term "ask-for" on stage. It's Improv Jargon,
and most audience members don't understand it. If you absolutely must
refer explicitly to what you're asking for in the intro, the word
"suggestion" works great, though. Don't ask for "a non-geographical
location" unless you want to confuse the audience. No one except improv
people knows what that is. Ask for something more specific, like "a place
two people might meet" or "an outdoor location" or "a retail
establishment".

Preventing certain suggestions

If there is a response that you do not want, you can include it as one of
the examples. For example, if you don't want to do a skit about the oil
industry, you can ask, "Can someone tell me an industry, like oil or soy-
bean farming?" This is also a great way to exclude boring suggestions like
"boss and employee". (Conversely, if you would like a particular
suggestion, don't use it as an example.)

Don't feel bound by ask-fors

Don't over-use audience suggestions for the sake of having them. It can
feel like ask-fors help legitimise the improv process by proving to the
audience that it's really improvised. Even with ask-fors there will be
people that won't believe you so instead it is better to focus on making
the show the best you can for an audience, it's for them after all.

Some final tips

Also don't be afraid to veto ask-fors. For example if you ask an audience
to name 'something that would surprise you' and get several answers that
don't inspire the improvisers, don't use them. You may need to modify
your question or drop it and change what type of scene you will do
entirely, once again it's for the audience and they will enjoy a scene you
are inspired by and committed to more than one you feel obligated to do
because an idea came from the audience.

The first few Ask For's you accept will set the tone for your entire show. If
you quickly accept plain, everyday suggestions, the audience won't be
afraid to continue offering them. If you insist on Wacky Fun Time Bizarre
suggestions, that's what you'll get all evening. (Although many people will
hold back, thinking their suggestions aren't funny enough.) If you accept
obscenities or sexual suggestions early on, be prepared to get them (and
little else) all night long.

Etiquette for starting an improv scene

3 Replies
Perhaps youve been a part of something like this. Its time
to edit a scene on stage. One player starts to make a
sweep edit, and everyone else hesitates before joining
them. Finally someone joins from behind at about the
same time that the first player waves for someone else to
join them. Now there are three people in the scene. They
each make fumbled initiations. and the scene continues to
stumble forward as they try to make it work.

Or perhaps youve done this. You walk on stage and start

doing some activity. You say nothing. No one joins for a
really long time, perhaps because they cant make sense
of what you are doing. Finally someone does come on
stage and immediately says something that contradicts
what you have created. You freeze up because you are not
sure if you should drop your initiation or say something
that clarifies what you were doing and hope your scene
partner can make sense of it. You are both extremely
frustrated with each other, defensive at notes and begin to
plot how you can get the other one kicked off the team.

Maybe you have done this. Two people edit at virtually the
same time, they go on stage, look at each other with a
blank stare, because neither of them have an initiation.
Instead of taking a breath and making a simple choice,
one or both panic and make outlandish initiations that the
other one cant make sense of.

Im surprised how often intermediate level students

havent yet absorbed the basic etiquette for starting
improv scenes. Here are some guidelines.

Let the person who edits first, initiate first

Whoever makes the first move to edit, should get the first
chance to initiate. It doesnt matter how awesome your
idea is. If they were a half step ahead of you, let them
start an activity first and let them say the first line. If they
do nothing, go ahead and make your initiation, but they
have dibs. If they have to grab a chair or two to set their
scene, dont initiate something else before they are ready
to make theirs.
Join the person who edits before you know what they are
doing
Just go out there. You dont need to know what they are
doing first.
Dont wave people on to start a scene from scratch
You shouldnt be picking your scene partners and you
shouldnt need to get someone to join if your team is
following the previous guideline. But if no one joins you
right away, just start your activity and be in the place that
you intended to be. Pretend that is exactly what you
intended to happen. Dont treat it like a mistake.

There is an exception to this. If you want to initiate a

scene which requires a character from a previous scene,
you may want to signal to that person that you want them
to join you when you edit. Come up with a signal for your
team if you dont have one already. I personally like
making eye contact with your teammate or nudging them
subtly before you edit.

Dont ever show disappointment because the wrong

person joined you or they didnt understand your initiation
This sucks so hard when I see it. I dont care how terrible
you think their move is or how bad you think they are.
Your job is to make them look great. If you do otherwise,
you look like an asshole and the audience will dislike you
for it.
You never have nothing
Sometimes you edit because its the right time to edit. You
dont have an idea of anything. Someone joins you
because its the right thing to do, but they dont have an
initiation either. Dont panic. Take a breath. Look at the
other person. Make an observation about the other person
(how they are behaving or what you think they are feeling)
or say how you feel and slowly let the circumstances
tumble out. Make little decisions about where you are and
whats going on as they come to you. It will be fine. Really.
If someone sets a chair for you, sit in it
I mean this both figuratively and literally.
You dont have to talk about what you are doing
Maybe the first couple of lines is about the situation or
activity or place, but the scene doesnt have to be about
that. You can talk about anything. See Opening lines:
dont make too much of them for more thoughts on this.
These arent necessarily the right guidelines to start
scenes. You team may have different preferences or your
form might require different ways of starting. But you
should have some guidelines. Advanced players often
dont need this, because theyve so thoroughly absorbed
the basic principle of making their scene partners look
good and honoring their initiations. But beginning and
intermediate players usually do need something like this.