​FIND A CONNECTION AND NAIL THAT SCENE CHEAT SHEET!

 

Are you stuck in a scene where you’ve been discussing which paint colour to buy for the whole thing? Or have you been teaching a class? Or maybe even been negotiating whether to go out or not for 5 minutes?? 

Don’t panic, the scene isn’t dead, you just need to ….. 

Find a connection!!!     

SUGGESTIONS TO TRY: (work these in, OR they can come from nowhere!) 
You only need ONE. Then listen, reconnect, be present and build from there. 

 

- Look at your scene partner. How does that character make you feel. Say it out loud. If mid discussing paint colours you suddenly say “Dave, I can’t stand to be in the same room as you”….Then, we have a scene! 

 

- Out of nowhere “You look…..” or “You seem…” It works. It might feel out of the blue, that’s fine. It just works. 

 

- Reveal something: A secret, a confession, a feeling, a thought, an opinion. A move like - “I quit” “I love you” “I’m leaving the country” “I love your top” “I’m selling the company” “I just bought a load of bitcoin” 

 

- Have a big emotional reaction to whatever the next line is.   A)“and then we can get chips after we buy the paint”   B) (Manically laughs) 

“ What’s this really about?” or variants like “Is this because of Paul?”  “Is this because you’ve always resented me?” 
    Extra bit - you don’t have to agree to these! EG “Is this because of Paul?” “You know what Harry for once it’s actually not, it’s about you, you don’t need to bring Paul into everything!”  You can YES AND while not agreeing. 

 

- CHANGE. You may have been arguing for the brown paint the whole scene but drop it, go with the blue your scene partner wants! “Kate, I’ve been deliberately stalling. I’m sorry I have to confess I just wanted to spend more time with you” 

 

- Say something real. Maybe from your real life even, or just an honest truthful moment from your character. Mid teaching a yoga class - “I’m just getting through this as quickly as possible so I can go home and watch Love Island”. 

 

- How do you feel? Literally say it out loud in character - “I have to say Paul, I’m bored, why are we just talking about paint?” 
     What are you as an improviser currently actually feeling - say it!! “I’m a bit lost actually” “sorry I’m doing a lot of talking” 

 

- LISTEN - really lock in and listen, look for the SHINY THING, maybe there’s a fun game to be had here!

 

THINGS THAT MAKE SCENES HARD: 
Negotiations 
Planning things 
Teaching scenes - I don’t need to see you teaching a class to use a lathe, it’s not there, I’d love to know WHY you’re teaching this, or what your opinion is on the lathe, the student, yourself. 
Not caring, what does your character THINK and FEEL about what’s going on.

 

None of these are rules, they are suggestions and tips that can help out a scene. You should be thinking   “Hmm we’ve been planning our date for a long time without actually doing anything, we need to reconnect, I’ll confess something!”.