Gavin Hawk’s Improvisation Class at American Stage 2011
9/19/2011
*Say Yes and...
*Say No too, as long as it is a yes to the scene(not denying the reality created already)
exercise - Agreement game
3 people
-we support, we don’t deny
3 person panel - book writers who have come together to write on a specific topic(suggested) and no matter what is offered they agree, support and heighten the agreement from there justifying each others statements.
**Side note** - the audience is the barometer, when they stop laughing they are saying we got off track and need to get back to truth> if it gets too whacky, you can always get grounded
exercise - 2 person
YES and...
format:
A: XXX
B: Yes XXX and YYY
A: Yes YYY and RRR
B: Yes RRR and LLL
A: Yes LLL and PPP and so on and so on
-basically A introduces topic, B first agrees then adds, A then agrees and adds, and this continues
9/26/2011
Emotional exercises
2 groups formed similar to a layup drill in basketball
A- I am X(Angry, Sad, Happy, Scared)
B- Why are you so X?
A- I am so X because of Y
B- I am X
A- Why are you so X?
B- I am so X because of Y
-works on starting w/an emotion coming into a scene, also agreement & heightening
Space Work
Groups of 6 on back line, one comes out, does a repetitive activity (eg- painting a fence), next person comes out and adds to the reality, heightening what is happening(example: bringing out more lumber for a job), another person comes out raising the level of activity and adding to the scene continuing to paint the scenic picture, continuing to add & so on...
Location exercise
2 people come out - given a location as a suggestion, 1 starts, the other adds to it, you are doing something(space work), choosing an emotion before coming out, get in activity(noticing each other’s activity & emotion) when given the queue to talk, talk about something other than what you are doing & what the other person is doing *talk about something else! *don’t give up the activity
*possibly/ideally noticing the first unusual thing(ie: the game per UCB Upright Citizens Brigade)
*always remember(with what has been shared so far) ‘and what do you know already?(about the characters, the scene, the history referenced, etc...)
*if this is true, then what else is true?
10/2/2011
*2 person scenes continued from last week
**TEACHING NOTE** Gavin gave emotions or direction to help players get past thinking block (example: Everything player A says infuriates you, everything player b says you accept & agree with) Gavin encouraged Yes and(look out for negatives, possibly because of polar opposition, kept reinforcing “Say Yes to see where it takes us” (note: No takes us nowhere) Gavin”Nothing more infuriating than yelling at a person who agrees to the conflict” Saying no to conflict stops scenes in their tracks and conflict gets tiresome & boring. Gavin “Audiences don’t like to see squabbling, which is where conflict can go, so say yes and see where it can take the scene”
>back to exercise - Don’t talk about the activity, be active but mentally in the space, be in the environment
-New topic - How do we turn things into Funny!??
1. The inappropriate Response
ex: kid comes home - ‘mom, I just got an A on my test’
normally Mom would respond ‘Great Job Son!’
inappropriately... ‘Dammit! You think you're better than me! / What?!! Larry, Get the belt! / No! All these grades are going to raise suspicions!
**The inappropriate response can work quickly & change things up & become funny
Inappropriate exercise
2 person scenes given relationship
example: Loan officer & customer
Things to remember with this exercise - Be Real, and respond to crazy like it’s crazy
*If something is inappropriate treat it as much, if you accept the inappropriate as appropriate it takes the wind out of the sails of what is trying to be reached. If someone offers crazy it is only crazy in comparison to straight. Someone needs to ground the scene. If both players are crazy, then they need to keep it grounded to that universe.
10/10/2011
3 Line Scenes
Answer Who, What, Where inside of 3 lines
example:
A: Hi Jim, great to see you here at the boy scout campout
B: Hey Steve, yeah I told Billy I would make it out regardless of my opposition to nature
C: Well Jim, you're in luck, the scoutmaster dropped the ball and forgot both the tents and food, we’re going au’ natural this weekend!
Exercise Two: Second round of 3 line scenes with heightened emotion
Gavin’s question to us: What are you afraid of? What emotion/type of character do you stray from? What do you stick w/most?(opposite of this answer may help you answer previous question)
**Side discussion** Serious dramatic improv - Gavin suggested film maker Mike Leigh(British director) who made such films as Another Year*, Happy Go Lucky, Vera Drake*, All or Nothing, Topsy Turvy*, Naked* *=films available streaming on NetFlix
**Discover your fears emotionally/character-wise and play them** Follow the fear & do it anyway
**Hold onto emotion, don’t give it up to match scene partner’s emotion, if nothing else, justify your opening state(beware of emotional contagiousness)
EDITS
Sweep Edit - A player from the back wall(or possibly on stage) runs/walks directly in front of players
*shows end of scene & can be done by player looking to initiate next scene or by fellow player w/out initiation just for support to edit the scene.
Tag Edit - tags out partner who goes out and those untapped remains, same character, new player could advance time, flashback & typically change location(but doesn’t have to)
Time Advance - “CUT TO >” ex: Cut to five years from now, Cut to homecoming dance, Cut to the wedding, etc... Advances scenes to future times (could be ten minutes, could be ten years, could be different time & place altogether)
Split Screen - Generally 2 or more players on a part of the stage doing a scene, 2(or more) players come on and advance the story, adding to story talking over other group, other group intuitively quiets down(still active but silent), then the other group begins talking & current group talking quiets down to allow other group to pick up scene
9/19/2011
*Say Yes and...
*Say No too, as long as it is a yes to the scene(not denying the reality created already)
exercise - Agreement game
3 people
-we support, we don’t deny
3 person panel - book writers who have come together to write on a specific topic(suggested) and no matter what is offered they agree, support and heighten the agreement from there justifying each others statements.
**Side note** - the audience is the barometer, when they stop laughing they are saying we got off track and need to get back to truth> if it gets too whacky, you can always get grounded
exercise - 2 person
YES and...
format:
A: XXX
B: Yes XXX and YYY
A: Yes YYY and RRR
B: Yes RRR and LLL
A: Yes LLL and PPP and so on and so on
-basically A introduces topic, B first agrees then adds, A then agrees and adds, and this continues
9/26/2011
Emotional exercises
2 groups formed similar to a layup drill in basketball
A- I am X(Angry, Sad, Happy, Scared)
B- Why are you so X?
A- I am so X because of Y
B- I am X
A- Why are you so X?
B- I am so X because of Y
-works on starting w/an emotion coming into a scene, also agreement & heightening
Space Work
Groups of 6 on back line, one comes out, does a repetitive activity (eg- painting a fence), next person comes out and adds to the reality, heightening what is happening(example: bringing out more lumber for a job), another person comes out raising the level of activity and adding to the scene continuing to paint the scenic picture, continuing to add & so on...
Location exercise
2 people come out - given a location as a suggestion, 1 starts, the other adds to it, you are doing something(space work), choosing an emotion before coming out, get in activity(noticing each other’s activity & emotion) when given the queue to talk, talk about something other than what you are doing & what the other person is doing *talk about something else! *don’t give up the activity
*possibly/ideally noticing the first unusual thing(ie: the game per UCB Upright Citizens Brigade)
*always remember(with what has been shared so far) ‘and what do you know already?(about the characters, the scene, the history referenced, etc...)
*if this is true, then what else is true?
10/2/2011
*2 person scenes continued from last week
**TEACHING NOTE** Gavin gave emotions or direction to help players get past thinking block (example: Everything player A says infuriates you, everything player b says you accept & agree with) Gavin encouraged Yes and(look out for negatives, possibly because of polar opposition, kept reinforcing “Say Yes to see where it takes us” (note: No takes us nowhere) Gavin”Nothing more infuriating than yelling at a person who agrees to the conflict” Saying no to conflict stops scenes in their tracks and conflict gets tiresome & boring. Gavin “Audiences don’t like to see squabbling, which is where conflict can go, so say yes and see where it can take the scene”
>back to exercise - Don’t talk about the activity, be active but mentally in the space, be in the environment
-New topic - How do we turn things into Funny!??
1. The inappropriate Response
ex: kid comes home - ‘mom, I just got an A on my test’
normally Mom would respond ‘Great Job Son!’
inappropriately... ‘Dammit! You think you're better than me! / What?!! Larry, Get the belt! / No! All these grades are going to raise suspicions!
**The inappropriate response can work quickly & change things up & become funny
Inappropriate exercise
2 person scenes given relationship
example: Loan officer & customer
| Loan Officer | Customer |
| Traditional | Inappropriate |
| same | same |
| same | same |
| (Switch) inappropriate | traditional |
Things to remember with this exercise - Be Real, and respond to crazy like it’s crazy
*If something is inappropriate treat it as much, if you accept the inappropriate as appropriate it takes the wind out of the sails of what is trying to be reached. If someone offers crazy it is only crazy in comparison to straight. Someone needs to ground the scene. If both players are crazy, then they need to keep it grounded to that universe.
10/10/2011
3 Line Scenes
Answer Who, What, Where inside of 3 lines
example:
A: Hi Jim, great to see you here at the boy scout campout
B: Hey Steve, yeah I told Billy I would make it out regardless of my opposition to nature
C: Well Jim, you're in luck, the scoutmaster dropped the ball and forgot both the tents and food, we’re going au’ natural this weekend!
Exercise Two: Second round of 3 line scenes with heightened emotion
Gavin’s question to us: What are you afraid of? What emotion/type of character do you stray from? What do you stick w/most?(opposite of this answer may help you answer previous question)
**Side discussion** Serious dramatic improv - Gavin suggested film maker Mike Leigh(British director) who made such films as Another Year*, Happy Go Lucky, Vera Drake*, All or Nothing, Topsy Turvy*, Naked* *=films available streaming on NetFlix
**Discover your fears emotionally/character-wise and play them** Follow the fear & do it anyway
**Hold onto emotion, don’t give it up to match scene partner’s emotion, if nothing else, justify your opening state(beware of emotional contagiousness)
EDITS
Sweep Edit - A player from the back wall(or possibly on stage) runs/walks directly in front of players
*shows end of scene & can be done by player looking to initiate next scene or by fellow player w/out initiation just for support to edit the scene.
Tag Edit - tags out partner who goes out and those untapped remains, same character, new player could advance time, flashback & typically change location(but doesn’t have to)
Time Advance - “CUT TO >” ex: Cut to five years from now, Cut to homecoming dance, Cut to the wedding, etc... Advances scenes to future times (could be ten minutes, could be ten years, could be different time & place altogether)
Split Screen - Generally 2 or more players on a part of the stage doing a scene, 2(or more) players come on and advance the story, adding to story talking over other group, other group intuitively quiets down(still active but silent), then the other group begins talking & current group talking quiets down to allow other group to pick up scene
