Theatre

Improvisation

Chances are, you've probably ad-libbed or improvised throughout your entire life. You've had to for survival and to progress. Life presents us with new challenges, opportunities & situations everyday where we have to "think on our feet" & sometimes act very quickly. These are the exact same skills we use when we improvise in a theatrical skit.

We need to plant our feet firmly on the ground that we stand upon. We need to be ever present in the moment. Survey your surroundings and absorb each little detail you can about your environment & the people in it.

Then, act or react. Acting is actually the better choice as it provides more fun, freedom & the ability to guide the situation where you'd like it go. Basically, you're more in charge!

Use your creative force to move your life (or skit) forward. Expand your life (or skit) by "traveling on the wings of: inspiration; imagination & intuition. These 3 "I's," will help you get through almost every situation. I will refer to these 3 "I's" often, which can assist you and propel you forward into your next step or situation. The 3 "I's" will also help your writing come to life, but that's another page

Hopefully when you read the details of your improv, inspiration will strike, even seemingly natural, but if not, you have an alternative. Many people choose to use their intellect rather than the 3 "I's." You may even choose to use a blend of these skills to help with any decision-making process. I suppose, I could create the 4 "I's," and include intellect, but personally, I place the gifts of inspiration, imagination & intuition into a more refined class than intellect. Don't take me wrong, the intellectual mind offers a great source for knowledge, wisdom and information, but personally, I enjoy the flight that the 3 "I's" offer.

With that in mind, let's get started. Listed below, you'll find some basic exercises that will be useful to you to begin your theatrical training & are guaranteed to put your creative force to work. These exercises will help to develop your theatrical talents & abilities.

Don't forget to breathe (so you can think better). Breathing also will help you with the timing of your speech & actions. Have you ever seen a comic with great timing? They know just the right time to speak & the right amount of time to pause or remain silent. Be sure to use these tools to enhance & improve your dramatic performances.

Some improvisational exercises are meant to be mimed, and other's are meant to use speech. Before beginning, make sure you understand the rules that you need to be using. If you've ever played a game of charades, then you'll know what to expect with improvs (the shortened term). From this point forward, I will use the term theatre games or games for improvisations. Just remember, above all else: relax and have fun! When we relax and breathe, we become one with the scene and more genius will surface.

Feel free to make your own - it's easy. Simply write down a variety of actions and/or situations and practice with your friends, family or other drama or storytelling students. The better you get, the quicker your audience will be to figure out your actions -- there's your ruler for your progress.

Activity - Body Movements & Expression

Students take turns using only body language to express:

  • It's so cold in here!
  • It's so hot in here!
  • Stay back!
  • You were supposed to clean your room before your mother came home & now she's telling you how disappointed she is that it's not done.
  • You just got a touchdown & made the winning point to win the championship final game.

Now - Using Your Voice & Your Body:

"Mom's coming."

  • You're throwing a surprise birthday party for your mom, all the guests are hiding in the dark, you say, "Mom's coming."
  • You & your friends are in the kitchen, you've just made homemade pizza & ice cream shakes & there's quite a mess! You say "Mom's coming!"
  • Your older brother is 16 & just got his driver's license. Without asking he borrowed his mother's brand new convertible car and took it for a drive. He took his eyes off the road, just for a second to change the radio station, & when he focused back on the road, he rammed into a police car who was stopped at a red light. You tell your brother, "Mom's coming."

"What are you doing?"

  • You enter your room & find your brothers going through your drawers, you are furious & ask, "What are you doing?"
  • You are peering into the opened hood of your father's car, which hefixing. You ask him, "What are you doing?"
  • You are the professor in a science laboratory. You are watching a young student pouring in different chemicals into a glass flask, who is watching his formula bubble over the top of the flask & onto the science table. You ask him, "What are you doing?"

"I lost my..."

  • You are explaining to your teacher that you were working on last night's assignment, but the computer crashed & "I lost my homework." Try these words using the following emotions: sadness; joy; frustration; anger, boastful, nervousness, exhaustion, rudeness, apologetic, laziness.
  • Your dog is missing, so you begin your frantic search by knocking on a neighbor's door. He opens the door, & you say, "I lost my dog."
  • You are an old man or old woman. You cannot remember where you are, why you are there and how to get home. You approach a stranger on the street & say,I lost my way."
  • You are married, and you've been working hard at home all day. Your spouse returns home & he/she is really happy. You tell them, "I lost my wedding ring."

Click here for reader/printer friendly Create Your Own Improvisation Guide