Many novice and experienced actors enjoy the art of improvisation. When an actor improvises a scene, they can take advantage of the energy in the room to drive their scene to new heights. Judging how the audience is responding to the scene can help the actor decide which lines and actions will make them laugh. Every actor has experienced the feeling of failure which comes when an improv scene falls flat. It can be difficult to get over this disappointment, both for the audience and for the performers. Brian Posen offers 5 tips to keep your improv scene going, and how to keep your audience coming back for more.
1. Accept the Changes
One of the most important things you can do as an improv actor is to accept the direction that your scene partners give. Using negative comments and contradictions makes the scene frustrating to perform and unsatisfying to watch. Most of the energy that comes from improv acting is centered around the acceptance of the new and varied ideas introduced by the scene partners. If one or more of the partners is a damper on the action, the scene will come to a halt. If you are looking for a way to expand your scene's horizons, start saying yes
to every suggestion. These suggestions can come from the scene partners or from audience participation. This is a great exercise when it comes to building the high energy that is associated with improvisation.
2. Add in Movement
Two characters standing in the middle of the stage and talking to one another can be boring for the scene partners and for the audience alike. It is best to incorporate movement into the scene, using varied parts of the stage. Use large movements so that your audience can catch your energy. This added movement can also help your thoughts flow and become more inspired. Movement will also bring your scene into focus. For example, if you need to project a particular emotion, moving in accordance with your new emotion will help the audience go along with your idea.
3. Try New Characters
If a character isn't working out in a scene, find a way to change it by creating a new character. You can differentiate this character from the person you were playing before by changing the voice and the movement. For example, if your scene is getting boring, try becoming an animal or a small child. This will bring a different kind of energy to your scene. You can quickly duck backstage for a moment to reset yourself to become this new character. It may be tricky to make sure that the audience knows you have become a new character, but it will create amazing comic relief for your scene if you do it right.
4. Accept Audience Participation
Audience participation can be a great way to keep a scene going. If a scene is getting stale, pause the action to ask for suggestions from the audience. This will help to feed on the positive energy in the room and bring you much-needed ideas. When the audience is empowered to change the scene they see before them, they will become more engaged with the actors and will enjoy the experience more. Audience participation can also be encouraged before the scene, when audience members are asked to write down a particular element that you will use in your scene. One great idea is to write down famous quotes from movies or TV shows. These familiar words will help the audience feel more connected and will give you a variety of hilarious ideas to riff on.
5. Be Daring
Keeping your audience in mind, be as daring as you can. Don't be afraid to put your scene partner in a strange or difficult situation. They will accept the challenge and bring new sides to their acting. It is also a great idea to use all of the characters to keep the scene moving, not just the main focus character. Changing the focus in the scene will keep the audience guessing and will bring you a more exciting situation.
Always Be Creative
Improv is about letting your creativity shine. If you let yourself become too bogged down in others' expectations, you will create a boring scene and lose your audience's attention. Sometimes in these situations, it is best to bring your scene to an end, but it is better to try to revive a dull scene than to let it fall flat and disappoint the audience.
Improv is an art that all actors should study. When actors engage in improv scenes regularly, they will be able to tap into their feelings and encourage a variety of thoughts. Brian Posen recommends that every actor take an improv class periodically to engage themselves in this fun and surprising discipline.