Improv String Theory

I finally have a few minutes to write after an embarrassingly long time absent from the ol’ blog. It’s been a busy time, with a ton of performances (including with some new groups), rehearsals, classes, and even a little bit of non-improv-related activity. I apologize to any of you twisted individuals that might actually look forward to reading this little posting. The rest of you… what are you doing here? Go back to John McCain’s website.

I wanted to present a theory of structuring the world that works pretty well for me when it comes to developing suggestions into initiations. I’ve presented this theory in my classes before, to some looks of confusion, and some looks of absolute and sudden clarity. Stick with me here.

Imagine the universe. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Now, I’d like for you to move the universe to one side. On the other side, imagine a giant roll of chicken wire. Then unroll it, so it’s a great big sheet. For you city folk, chicken wire is basically a grid of wire arranged in a honeycomb-type fashion (that’s right… hexagons. Now imagine that this chicken wire is truly three-dimensional… so that there are hexagons extending out in every direction.

Now overlay the two images you’ve been holding in your mind. You should now have a picture of the universe that’s been separated into a handy, hexagon-shaped grid pattern. The universe is a bit expansive… go ahead and zoom in to something you’re more familiar with - say the room you’re sitting in right now. Do you still see your hexagons? If not, take a moment to re-establish those hexagons all throughout the room.

If you’ll now notice, the hexagons connect you to everything else in the room. If you were sitting where I am, the hexagons would be connecting you to the computer monitor, a box of tissues, my mortgage payment, my iPod, a roll of tape, two scripts, a bookshelf, a box of Star Trek merchandise (a long story), shoes, an ABBA CD, a fan, bottles of wine, my own fingers, etc. etc. etc. You get the idea. It’s all connected.

“That’s cool, John… what the hell does it have to do with improvisation? All you’ve done is cause me to have a brain hemmorage, and now I no longer recognize my own cat. Also, what kind of man has a box of Star Trek stuff next to an ABBA CD?”

When I’m on stage and I hear a suggestion, I use this segmented and connected universe to help lead me to scenes to play. I don’t like to use the actual suggestion in the scene if I can help it. If it’s the first thought in my head, it’s probably what the audience is expecting, and I don’t like to give them what they’re expecting. Humor comes from the unexpected, after all. So… I follow the grid. Zip along the grid, and see where you arrive.

Say the suggestion is “home office.” How convenient. I immediately establish my home office grid in my mind, and see which direction my mind takes me. I could do a scene starting with any of the items mentioned above, and in almost every case, when I tie it in with the original suggestion, I will be doing a scene about something the audience wasn’t expecting, while still being true to that suggestion.

You can do this with any suggestion. May I demonstrate a little from my own personal mind grid?

Suggestion: Album - ZZ Top - beards (initiate with “Man, I’m thinking of going easy rock.”)

Mean - Tina Fey - Saturday Night Live (initiate with “I’d like to check in. I’ve just been fired from Saturday Night Live.”)

Park - kids - blocks (initiate with “It’s only natural materials for my kid’s playground, Bess.”)

With practice, you’ll get quicker and quicker. For those of you with a structure-hungry mind, you may find this a great technique to use that’s more concrete than “Go with your second thought.” It’s a technique that’s plenty flexible to apply to almost any situation.

Caveat: This won’t work for everyone. Some people will find that this technique does nothing but puts them directly into their own heads, where they will not have fun and they will no longer be a productive member of the improv team. If you’re one of those people, I hope I haven’t contaminated you, and I hope I come up with a good technique for you one day.

Everyone else… give this a try in your next rehearsal. See what happens. Let me know what happens. Did you love it more than anything? Did you think it was absolute rubbish? I want to know. I have a feeling it might be more than just me that Improv String Theory appeals to.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 13:55 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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