Common pitfalls to avoid
Below are some common issues which we see crop up in scenes. While teams should focus on positive techniques, such as listening, accepting ideas and being changed, some awareness of these pitfalls can be helpful.
Crowding
A major (and common) problem we see in scenes is overcrowding. This is when too many performers enter stage without a clear need or purpose.
Overcrowding almost always results in muddled scenes, with performers finding it difficult to tell what is happening or being said. There tends to be lots of offers being thrown out but then ignored, and performers talking over the top of each other.
Scenes will generally work best with 1 - 3 performers on stage. Team members not required in the scene can support their teammates in other ways.
We suggest the following strategies to avoid crowding:
take turns starting scenes (so its not always the same people beginning on stage).
Only start with 1-2 team members on stage.
support teammates by playing background elements (eg set pieces, scenery, animals). For example, in a scene set in Paris you could play the Eiffel tower, or the Mona Lisa, or a pigeon. You can also create sound effects such as cars honking, wind howling, etc.
Playing walk-on roles or minor characters (‘extras’) such as waiters, crowd members, passengers on the bus, or a street mime.
Paying attention offstage waiting to see if you are needed or can support.
Standing towards the back of the stage
Nervous performers tend to shift towards the back of the stage and away from the audience. This makes it harder to hear the performers and affects the visual impact of the scene. We encourage performers to practice performing towards the front of the stage.
Its ok to use the back of the stage for big entrances etc.
Arguing and sidetracking
This refers to arguing about an offer rather than being changed by it.
The performers don’t deny or negate the offer but instead argue about it or find problems. For example:
Player 1: Lets go the park!
Player 2: Last time we went to the park I got a rash. Why do you want me to suffer?
Player 1: You always don’t want to do anything.
While conflict is part of drama, this isn’t the same as arguing or disagreeing about what to do next. It prevents the scene moving forwards and sucks the energy out of the scene.
Sidetracking is similar to arguing and is where the performers find a reason that they can’t act on an offer or suggestion. For example:
Player 1: Lets go to the park!
Player 2: Awesome. First, we need to fix the tyre on the car.
Player 2 seems to be accepting the idea of going to the park, but they have instead found a reason not to do so. It does give the players something to do (so in that respect, it is better than the first example) but it still involves the performers avoiding doing the suggestion. Even when the tyre is fixed they still need to go to the park - although its likely the performers will discover there is no spare tyre or the jack is broken.
Over-egging the scene
This is where a scene has too many offers or ideas, and these are not explored properly. This can be the result of overcrowding the stage or it can be the result of a team member not trusting the ideas already on stage and looking for a ‘better’ or ‘cleverer’ idea.
For example, a performer meets a talking dog, and then they are attacked by aliens, and then the President asks for their help redecorating the Oval Office, and then…. It was probably sufficient to explore the offer of a talking dog with the other ideas not necessarily needed in the scene.
Pre-planning
Impro is genuinely better when the scene is created in the moment as a result of the team work between the performers.
We appreciate there can be a temptation to ‘devise’ scenes or plan them ahead of time. This arises from a desire for teams to avoid failing on stage or to try and ensure they only do ‘good’ scenes.
However, pre-planned material will often appear flat. It takes students out of the present moment and gets them operating from memory. This means they will often miss offers or possible inspiration. It is also very noticeable to an experienced judge.
There is nothing wrong with practicing a scene and having an idea about how you might approach it as a team but we encourage you to avoid mapping out exactly how a scene is going to flow ahead of time.
Taking over or railroading a scene
This is when team members try to control where a scene goes. This is often the result of a team member having a strong idea they don’t want to let go of, or being afraid that the scene might not work unless they force it to.
Railroading means that other performer’s ideas are often ignored or shutdown and will generally result in the teamwork for the scene to be affected. Scenes are better, and the outcomes more interesting, when they are a combination of all the performer’s ideas rather than one performer’s vision imposed on the rest.
Gossiping and talking about it
This is where performers talks about what is happening in order to avoid doing it. For example, the team might start talking about going to the park and plan what they will do at the park, what they will eat, what they will do if a bear attacks etc.
It is far easier for teams if they do instead of discuss. In the example above, the team should go to the park and have the picnic (and maybe get attacked by that bear). Talking or gossiping is a way of delaying moving the scene forward, possibly because the team is not sure about the idea and is looking for a better one or because the team is not sure what to do next if they do it.
Being clever
Performers sometimes put pressure on themselves to be clever or original on stage. This will often result in the performers coming up with offers that bear little relationship with what has been established in the scene, or which take the scene in a totally unexpected direction. For example:
Player 1: (Librarian) What book can I help you find today?
Player 2: I am an alien from the Re-GOB nebula and I have come to steal your brain!
There are a few issues with trying to be clever. It often disconnects the performer from the scene because they are thinking about what to say next rather than focusing on the offers others are bringing to stage (such as, that the offer that they are in a library). It also tends to over-complicate a scene and make it hard for others to follow what is happening. It can also be a tactic for a performer to avoid their character being emotionally changed.
Remember: Impro isn’t an exercise in quick thinking or wit. It is about connecting with your teammates, building on their ideas and following your inspiration.
Its ok to be boring and to just opt for the next obvious step in the scene (“Hi, I am looking for a copy of ‘Wuthering Heights’. Chaos will come without it having to be forced.