games and lessons
There’s More The Game One day while we were working on Keith Johnstone’s “Tilts” (dramatic alterations of relationships in scenes), I noticed three main reasons why people weren’t being affected on stage. The person receiving the information refused to be altered. The person receiving the information simply wasn’t paying attention Read more
SORRY, CAN WE RESTART? The Game Italian Improviser and manic mathematician Peppe Marchei, proposed a game the other day that is worth looking at. If any of you play with this, please send us your thoughts and help Peppe develop it further. Peppe writes: “I proposed (the game) yesterday. The Read more
Hand Directing The Game Some of you might know Keith Johnstone’s “STAGE DIRECTION’S” exercise. When one person in the scene says a line of dialogue; “Hello!” their partner immediately supplies the stage action that follows; “She said, while walking towards me with her hand out.“. It’s a great game to Read more
AND NOW! The Game I’ve been thinking about a game that moves stories forward while training improvisers to accept, explore or alter ideas even when they don’t initially see merit in their partner’s offers. In Keith Johnstone’s “WHAT COMES NEXT?” – (one of the best impro exercises devised) a performer asks Read more
Audience Interaction Games Respect, Engage, Incorporate The Audience – Your other partner The audience has come to watch the show. Some of them might be willing to join you on stage if you are brave enough and have tools to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone. If you avoid Read more
THE KING GAME The Secret to Comedy Keith Johnstone introduces this game to his students long before I met him. He used it to teach status and “being obvious”. Over the years as I played and taught it, I noticed that it offered so much more and I emphasized other Read more
HOOP GAMES Dancing Poodles A “HOOP GAME” refers to a game improvisers play where the main purpose is to prove how clever the improvisers are. The name, ‘HOOP GAME” comes from the idea of dancing poodles in their tutus jumping through hoops in a circus, cleverly entertaining the audience with Read more
PANTS ON FIRE! The Format A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE FORMAT Before we get into HOW TO PLAY PANTS ON FIRE, here’s the story of how one format inspired two others and PANTS ON FIRE was born. If you aren’t interested in this exciting and adrenaline pumping story, skip down Read more
TIPS AND TRICKS UNFROZEN UNFROZEN! Deborah from Vancouver sent me a note after our workshop. She asked: Where to find ideas to help the story. All of a sudden I’m up there and I forget what I do in the kitchen or in the car or at school! Help and Read more
I’M NOT LEAVING! The Game This game is more of a tool to incorporate into a scene rather than a structural game. And it’s fun to play. Have you heard of the phrase “Torment The Hero”? This is a concept Keith Johnstone used to describe the task of frustrating the Read more