Improv Olympic Intensive
3/10/14 Day One
The day began with a group welcome & discussion with Charna Halpern(C), Tara DeFrancisco(T) and Lyndsay Hailey(L)
C- The last thing to worry about is being funny
- Main thing is improv is bigger than 'being funny', it makes you a better person
-making your scene partner(better) is what's important, we'll all take care of each other.
-This is an ensemble job, not individual.
-with regards to yes and- we agree together
-Say 1 thing, as opposed to 2, so we can respond to the last thing(1 thing)
-Slow Comedy - waiting to have intelligence
-Pay attention like your playing chess
-Access your Third Thought (this warmed my heart)
*Play from the top of your intelligence
T- We treat the audience like geniuses & they rise to it
-(we treat each other & the audience like artists, geniuses and poets)
-Not teaching comedians, but 'game players'... so things can come together
L- The Third Thought - 'The permission to breathe'
C- Don't think ahead (re: UCB's 'Don't Think') you have to think, giving/receiving gifts to each other
Question: How has improv changed your life?
T- It changes Everything!
C- It's spiritual/ good people, 'largely', are attracted to improv.
C- Listening, it is, 100%(of what's important)
C- (re: questions) Questions are asked to be Answered with Yes!
C- People want to see agreement
Question: Difference between UCB Harold vs. iO Harold
T-Game/Pattern vs Heart/Relationship
L- (We Teach) - lead with love.
T- Clowning alleviates sadness
C- We've succeeded(sharing the love of this Art as Del Close wanted it to be)
Group Exercises
-Zombie Hunt - the group mills around, one member is designated a zombie, anyone they touch(while zombified) becomes a zombie and begins infecting the other members
-Hot Spot - with the group circled up, one player will jump in the middle and beginning singing a song, hopefully picked up by the rest and tagged out as fast by another player who begins singing another song, hopefully picked up by the rest, then is tagged out by another player singing another song, this continues until some calls it.
Conversational exercise - 12 folks, 6 groups of 2 people having a conversation, with Charna directing by #(she #'d every group), each conversation starts and stops, basic conversations about different subjects. Directed first, then they go off by themselves(coming in off of the last conversation, allowing to enter, allowing to exit)
Danceprov exercise - 10 to 12 to 14 players, start with a scene paint (still captured image), do 'choreographed' 4-5 minute dance video to some popular song.
Lyndsay Hailey(my instructor)
(self description) *Hippie, Clown, Meisner(technique fan)
- 'We were destined to be here(and with each other)
Sheeple exercise
Lay down, wake up as sheep, giving good eye contact, moving from a 3 to a 7 to a 10 to 10+ (3>7>10>10+)
-follow, mirror, lead, repeat (all done by individuals & the group)
WHY? > Group Pyschology
"Improv is EASY, Not Hard"
*Save the Cat Moment (See Save the Cat by Blake Snyder http://www.savethecat.com/)
-in the first five minutes, you see a weakness in the protagonist so we root for the character
Improv Tenants
- Today is the Day 'moment' (Most interesting 2 minutes of that character's life)
- Start in the middle
- Know the characters for at least 6 mos.(So they are emotionally entrenched in each other) & know them well.
- Who, What, Where (exposition that can be laid out w/in the first few lines)
- ^What - what is the deal(of the scene, between characters)
- Have a deep relationship, know them(**my note- Reveal vs. Create)
- Charna - Questions are stealing(they are subconscious means of directing that scene)
- Lyndsay - Arguments & fights aren't always bad(vs the standard approach that they are considered as such in improv)
- Watch out for the cyclical nature of the scenes
- Give Characters Names! <NAME PEOPLE!>
- Enjoy Silence (Allows for great tension)
- 3,7,10>10+ Emotional Scale
- Keep your POV(Point of View)- Hold it, Don't drop it, It can be turned(but not easily). POV is a promise you make to the audience, the emotional essence of the character.
- Be present, stay in the NOW
- Don't talk about the future or the past
- ^The ensemble(other players) are the protectors of the present tense-keep it in the now, NOW!
- (Lyndsayism)- Don't give up your power to inanimate objects.
- (Lyndsayism)- SHOOT THE GRANDMA - Avoid cyclical patterns & kill your scene partner
- Show, Don't tell (do stuff, versus talking/explaining all invisible details-something we wouldn't do in real life either)
End of Day One
03/11/2014 Day Two
Warm up - Name Only Exercise
- Based on what you observe(10 seconds of eye gazing) Give your scene partner a name, only using that name changing inflection.
-3 line scenes-who, what, where
Sheeple exercise - (see above) start asleep
-today, more present, more eye contact, go from 3>7>10 >10+ scene ends
Name exercise - first determine what you are seeing - give a name to reveal an emotional WHO
Find a base, begin, find a space(place) move 3>7>10
Reactive Mind vs. Responsive Physical Body
- Without breathing > It's your mind
- With breathing > It's in line with your body/energy
*Be responsive to your scene partner, by being present
*Avoid judgement to fully stay in the moment
*What comes from the body is right, the mind(not so much)
*When we act/speak away from present energy/connection we move to invention as opposed to revelation of what is already there.
Clown(resident) State (Our goto state)
State where we are free from EGO(because it's who we are)
- see Paolo Colletta(sp?) - Clowning Instructor
*Acting performances you hate- the characters who don't fit the 'real' of the actor.
3 line scenes (or more)
-get out the who/where/what (who/where-most important)
-React with what you Have
-Don't invent (Inventions are largely things discussed outside your scene partners)
**Know your scene partner for at least 6 months, WHY? Because you have an emotional scene partner.
**Say YES to the intention of your scene partner(meaning you can can so NO, just not to the intention)
**Show Don't tell - Beginning improvisers talk about what they're doing, pointing out invisible objects, experienced improvisers (and REAL people) don't talk about it, They Just DO.
End of Day Two
