Robert Bateman - November 22nd-29th

Hey improvisers

Here are the notes I made during the Macro Neato sets (AKA 'Sweep'). They're very choppy, so I apologize in advance. At the very least, you can use these notes to remember exactly what you did during your scenes.

November 22nd

Thinking

-         I’ve been thinking

o       Noticed the hair on my legs

§         Pondering over this dilemma

o       Dinner’s Ready

§         You don’t er your din

o       Paper or Plastic

§         One is good for the environment

o       Time Machine

o       Lumberjack

§         Tree was down

§         Did you hear a sound

o       To be or not to be

§         Do or do not

o       Do you love me?

§         “This has a lot of factors”

-         Ready for this Exam

o       Everything’s flying at me

o       I didn’t get your resume

o       Anchovies on this pizza

o       Honey I’m ready

o       Pilot

Time

-         Are we late?

o       Train

o       First day on the job

§         Too early cut Brian

o       First born child

o       Where were you at 7:30 PM

-         Urr urr urr urr

o       Time periods

o       Flat earth

o       Teaching gorilla

o       Inertia is a property of matter

o       Planes fly

-         Brian is a clock

o       In joke on death watch

o       Looked at the sky and wondered how insignificant we are

o       Wanna buy a watch

o       Is life, just, one big long TV show

-         Spaghetti – Put some thyme on it

Electronic – Give them a couple more seconds cos I started late

-         ACTIVATED

o       Robots are invading the Earth

o       Lightning Storm

o       Programmed to kill John Connor

o       Mr Roboto, don’t kill my family

§         DOMO ARTIGATO – LAME

-         Lol!

o       I can’t believe you’re in English

o       Elizabeth is Southern – Cell Phone confusion

§         What magickry is this

o       JUST GOT A HOME RUN

§         TWEET THIS

§         MYSPACE IT

§         GOOGLE IT

o       All you ever say is lol

o       Hitler is texting

-         Mr Electron, why so negative?

o       There’s nothing good in the world

o       iPhone 4.0

o       Sorry, sentenced to die by electric chair

o       Lightbulb

§         Pieces of the sun

-         Cool Video

o       Dancing with words on her arms

Eternal

-         Renan has seen many things in his life

o       I’m 61 is a gag

o       He shot Lincoln

-         Brian is dying

o       Graham, come closer

-         San Diego

o       Olympic Torch

-         So I’m thinking about living forever

-         Lines at the DMV

o       Bus is taking forever

o       Harry Potter

o       Clock just stopped

§         Middle of the Lecture

-         Give up my immortality for you

Eugene, don’t clap (You were clapping in the background, and it was distracting)

November 29th

Musical

Eugene and Renan

-         Problems in high school

-         Tap dancing and singing about the future

Elisabeth and Renan

-         Bet your bottom dollar (Amazing)

-         Renan, you should have sung

Brandon and Elisabeth

-         Baby baby baby oooooh

-         Brandon, don’t take out the driver

Eugene and Brandon

-         Justin BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

SWEEP

Renan and Sahaj

-         Murder on our hands

-         B flat killed C sharp

-         A Sharp! And F Flat!

-         Needed a French horn

Eugene and Sahaj

-         Just can’t hit that A sharp

-         Gotta work at it

Renan and Sahaj

-         Wanna be just like Justin

-         Don’t cry

Callum and Renan

-         The Fat Lady is singing

-         You are going down in a pit of flames

Bilal and Callum

-         Listen Gila

-         NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP

Renan and Bilal

-         Got Rick Rolled

Fancy

Graeme and Renan

-         Disgusting bowl of soup

-         Hair in the soup

Sahaj and Graeme

-         Muddy Pigs

Eugene and Graeme

-         New Baby boy

Erin and Graeme

-         Close up

Sahaj and Graeme

-         Nobel Prize

Renan and Eugene

-         Nuclear bomb just destroyed everything

Elisabeth and Graeme

-         Hair in the soup

Erin and Graeme

-         Don’t touch me please

Callum and Graeme

-         Pants make me big

Bilal and Graeme

-         Cocktail dress

-         It’s revolting

SWEEP

Eugene and Sahaj

-         Hair is like a blonde ocean of blonde

Graeme and Eugene

-         Bunny

Callum and Eugene

-         It’s so CUTE

-         Leprechaun

Elisabeth and Eugene

SWEEP

Renan and Sahaj

-         Order for a Golden Watch

Bilal and Renan

-         Bilal – Don’t delay too much when going in

-         Balrog

Be more engaged in the background!

~

There you have it. From what I can recall, here are some specific notes:

1) Take time to establish your platform. It will make the characters more clear and it will make the 'driver' more defined. 

2) The driver is the same character in every scene. Put him or her in more and more heightened scenes! (i.e. play the Game, raise the stakes!)

3) Be engaged in the background. Think of Macro like a sporting event. You're all on the bench at a basketball game. Be ready to jump in at any point!

4) Once the Game has been heightened a few times, sweep the scene! Don't worry about coming up with an idea. Go for the Object, Emotion, Visceral and you'll be fine.

5) If you feel as though a scene is tanking, sweep it! You need not be polite!

And boom goes the dynamite.

See you all next week!

Cheers,

Cliff

Robert Bateman - November 8th, 2010

Hello improvisers

What?! An update? How uncharacteristic!

I'm sorry, gang. There seems to be two forces that are working against my routinely updating the improg. They are an increasing workload at Stamford, and the fact that the days and weeks are getting shorter and blending into each other. I think that's one of the symptoms associated with being a teacher: time loses all meaning.

Anyway!

Colin

Colin did some fantastic stuff with you on Monday. Your improv was really, really good. You all performed at a level that experienced improvisers aspire to achieve. Congratulations, seriously. You were fantastic.

That's So True

This exercise works on having students respond naturally to comments. It's boring as hell to watch, but it's getting you to understand the platform upon which your scene should be based. Don't worry about making a big 'What' decision at the beginning. Focus on where you are and who you are and make your 'what' decision later on.

Big Dumb Choice

After you've established your platform to a reasonable level, an improviser can drop a 'Big Dumb Choice'. Basically, this means you make a huge decision that affects the people in the scene, and the course of the scene itself. The Big Dumb Choice becomes the 'what' of the scene. As Colin described, making a big dumb choice after you've established your platform forces the audience to believe in the reality of the scene. If you ran out on stage and shouted 'There's way too many eggplants!', you may get a laugh, but the scene would likely ultimately flop. On the other hand, if you spent some time talking with the other character (let's say it's your spouse) about whatever, commenting on the events of last night, or your spouse's hair, or any other things, while really establishing your relationship, and THEN you say 'There's way too many eggplants', then BOOM! You have a directed scene with a solid platform!

Great example, Cliff. That was good!

The audience would likely not want to see a scene about random people handling an abundance of eggplants. The audience would find out that they were interested in seeing a scene about hangling an abundance of eggplants if that situation presented itself to established and familiar characters. Hence, establish the platform and then drop the big dumb choice.

Make sense?

Try thinking about your scenes with this concept in mind. It will definitely create layers that you likely weren't considering. Don't worry about getting to the 'what' or the big dumb choice early in the scene. Take some time to establish your platform. If the foundation is shaky, then the house probably won't stay up.

~

Seriously good stuff, gang. Mr Disyak said it best: You may not realize it, but you've come a long way. You're all becoming very confident improvisers. Keep it up!

Cheers,

Cliff

Del Close and the Harold

Hey improvisers

My suggestion is to take 10 minutes to watch this video. Del Close is Improv.



Also, thanks to the video, I now know where to eat lunch. I'll see you at Boloney's!

Cheers,

Cliff

Robert Bateman Improv Team - October 18th, 2010

Hello improvisers

Oh gosh, I am just the worst. If my Deal is 'Post Reflections really late' then by gum I'm succeeding. I am sorry for not updating sooner.

That being said, here are my thoughts on Monday's Improv session.

Warmups

A big thanks to the Captains for running KQPH! Be sure to thank them the next time you see them! (Thanks, Captains!)

My advice for this game is to try finding partners that you haven't worked with yet. KQPH is a great opportunity to meet new people and to build community! What a fantastic gift that the Captains have provided!

We also played Do Ron Ron and Coon-Jah. From what I was able to gather, everybody is becoming more familiar (read: having more fun!) with these games. I'm certain that everybody is finding their way with these games. Here are a couple points to help you along.

Do Ron Ron
 - Be Loud! You'll instantly improve your effectiveness as an improviser if you speak up! You'll enable the audience to forge a stronger connection while giving your teammates more ammunition for the scene.
 - Try to fill up the whole line! (e.g. "Well, I went to the store and I bought some snacks" instead of "I like snacks")

As a sidenote, your enthusiasm and skill while playing this game are remarkable. I'll explain why I'm making this observation. I recently attended a McMaster Improv Team practice. During the practice, Colin and Matt (who you now know!) were teaching Do Ron Ron. We were going around the circle, having a good time and making silly rhymes, when one gentleman decided to begin the next round of rhymes with the line 'This game sucks'. Talk about a mood-killer!

Now, there may be several reasons why he chose to say this line. I won't assume that he simply didn't like the game. Do Ron Ron is silly and goofy and fun, practically the shortform improviser's dream game (It's my personal favourite for just these reasons). It may not be everybody's cup 'o tea, but as an improviser, it's your job to say 'Yes' to everything. Perhaps he was nervous about his participation. Rather than admitting his nervousness and uncertainty, he elected to take the stance of 'aloof and disconnected coolness', which in actuality just killed the mood that Colin and Matt had established. Perhaps he viewed himself as being 'better' than the game, though I'm not certain why. Really, now that I think of it, I could be completely missing the mark here. I shouldn't make assumptions about his character. He's more than likely a great guy who is charming and funny and entertaining (just like all improvisers). The next time I see him, I'll ask him why he elected to make such a noticeably negative comment.

Anyway, my point is that I have never seen this sort of attitude with the Robert Bateman Improv Team. You have always been enthusiastic and happy and positive. Your attitude is what makes the RBIT such a wonderful community. Keep it up!

Coon-Jah
 - Again, volume! Be loud!
 - Be expressive! If it's your turn to Toki Toki, then fling your arms about wildly and dance! It will be more fun! Take a risk!

Two-Line Scenes

Players form two lines, running vertically along stage left and right. Two players (the downstage-most players) enter. One person says a line and the other person responds to it. Players then switch sides and move to the back of the line.

These scenes were wonderful. Everybody made strong decisions and heightened beautifully. Highlights include Jude's brilliant 'Door Contractor', who made appearances all throughout the game. Highlights also include Callum's impersonation of me. That was brilliant, Callum. Honestly, though, the whole game was wonderful. You all took to the game quickly and confidently.

Here are some tips:
 - Again, volume! Too often I see improvisers that are too quiet on stage. I have never seen an improviser who was too loud.
 - When you were the person responding to the first line, when did you feel most supported? When did you feel like you had a clear idea of your viewpoint? How can you make it so that your teammates experiences these same feelings of support?
 - When you were the person initiating the scene, when did you feel as though your scenes were successful? Was there something that you said or did that led to a more successful scene? What can you take away from this game?

I will do my best to provide you with advice on how to begin scenes. This advice is best communicated through practice, though. I will keep this in mind for the next time we meet.

Doublemint Twins

One person enters a scene as a person with certain characteristics. Another person enters the scene as a different character, with the exact same characteristics.

Basically, Doublemint Twins is an exercise in accepting viewpoints and heightening them. Ideally, it demonstrates that taking on similar viewpoints is not a poor choice, but more often than not a very entertaining one! Now, admittedly, having two characters who are exactly the same isn't realistic. You're not going to find a situation similar to Doublemint Twins in reality. (Well, maybe you will, but I don't feel like arguing probability). However, Doublemint Twins does not ask that your characters share the same opinions or ideas about everything. It merely asks that you accept the same characteristics. You could have a scene about two political candidates, both huffy and irritable (and with a characteristic tic each time they speak), who have entirely different stances on political issues. It's people with similar characteristics, but not necessarily similar ideas. Does that make sense?

Basically, just become the character that your teammate has established. If you're the second person in, when did you feel most supported? When did you feel as though you were in the 'zone'? What did your teammate do that made your role easier?

Say One Thing, Do Another

Two people act out a relatively simple or common task, all the while talking about anything but the task they are doing. For example, two Kindergarten teachers clean up a room while talking about the kids that they teach.

Who here has made a sandwich? I know I have! When you're making the sandwich, do you narrate everything that you're doing? Or do you make the sandwich while you talk about Baseball, or your plans for the day, or Minecraft? You'd be surprised how often improvisers run a scene with the entire focus being on the 'What' aspect. Put the 'What' aside. Focus on your relationship. Let the 'What' initiate the scene, but make a move towards exploring your relationship. In Improv, an honest and truthful human connection is always a worthwhile pursuit. I would hazard that this advice extends to reality, too. This game helps you to make the transition from single-dimension 'What'-driven scenes to truthful, fully-fledged, multi-dimensioned scenes about connections and relationships. That's definitely a transition worth making.

~

I believe that, unless I am mistaken, I have covered everything we did during Monday's session. I hope that it has made sense, at least in part. As always, if you post your comments or reflections, I will read and respond to them.

Thanks for a great session, gang.

Be on the ready,

Cliff

Robert Bateman Improv Team - October 15th, 2010

Hello improvisers

My apologies for updating so late. When the weekend began, I thought 'Dang, a whole weekend! Sweet deal!' Now, I wonder 'Hey...what happened to that weekend I was supposed to have?' Such is life, I guess.

On a less depressing note, here's my reflection.

Darling If You Love Me

...Won't you please, please smile? My gratitude to Graeme (I hope, now, I am spelling your name correctly) for suggesting and then running this game. It seemed like it was a great deal of fun for everybody!

Coon-Jah

I learned how to play this game not two days before running it. Everybody chants 'Coon-Jah, Coon-Jah' repeatedly. Somebody says 'Bunny Bunny, Bunny Bunny' while opening and closing their hands at themselves and then somebody else. When that person receives the 'Bunny Bunny', they begin their own 'Bunny Bunny', and so on. The two people next to a person saying 'Bunny Bunny' must yell 'Toki Toki Toki Toki' while waving their arms and jumping. During this game, at any given point, somebody is saying Coon-Jah, Bunny Bunny or Toki Toki.

Rather than put words in everybody's mouth (an action I am striving to do much less when coaching Improv), I will ask: What makes this game easier to play? When do you feel supported by your teammates?

I certainly have my own ideas. I am interested to hear your ideas!

Mirror

This exercise served two purposes. Primarily, it was to have everybody feel what it's like to directly lead and to direct follow. It's a good, tangible exercise for showing that certain actions and motions can make people feel more supported than others. (For example, I recall hearing that people found the exercise easier to follow when the movements were smoother.) Think about your experiences in the game. When did you feel as though you understood your partner's intentions?

The second purpose of the game was to switch up the partners, and to have everybody work with somebody new. Hence why Brian and I distributed cards at the beginning of the game!

Number Call

Six people go on stage, each with an assigned number. The host calls out two numbers at random, and those two corresponding people begin a scene.

I enjoyed this game a lot. Personally, I enjoyed the scenes when there were clearly defined viewpoints right from the beginning. Wink. Remember the example I gave, during which I kicked down the door only to yell 'Who are you?!' dramatically? That's a terrible way of beginning a scene because there is no real information given. There's much more (for the audience, your scene partner and you) in kicking down the door and shouting 'Dad, my car's been stolen!'

This example makes me think of the variation I introduced to Number Call:

No Questions

First, I must apologize. I asked everybody in the audience to scream when a question was asked. What I didn't anticipate was the volume of the screaming. Don't be concerned that I asked everybody to stop screaming. I should have realized that asking people to scream gets very loud. From now on, when I run this game (or a game like this game), I will take on the responsibility of politely reminding improvisers to stray away from asking questions.

Now then. I asked that Improvisers try doing scenes without asking questions. This request seems simple enough, but is very, very difficult in practice. And now I'll tell you why it's difficult.

Asking a question puts the decision-making responsibility on the other person in the scene. It's much less trying, thinking-wise, to ask 'What are you eating?' rather than simply stating 'I see you're eating KFC's Double Down sandwich.'*

When you are forbidden to ask questions, then you must make every decision that comes your way yourself. You can't toss the ball back at the pitcher if you didn't like the pitch. Rather, you have to hit every pitch that comes your way. That can be very, very tough. But it will also lead to some exceptionally entertaining Baseball games.

Clearly I don't understand enough about Baseball to keep this analogy from falling apart.

I remember once, I was playing this game (At the McMaster Improv Team, we used to call this game Statements Only) with Carson (you'll meet him if you come to the Workshop on Thursday!). The scene began with us building a house, but ended with us having an awkward encounter about our unspoken feelings for each other. The scene wasn't anything we could have planned for, but it was very entertaining. I would hazard that it was entertaining and unique because we continually forced ourselves to make decisions.

Admittedly, this game has some limits. Realistically, you can ask question in Improv. In life, people ask questions all the dang time. That's life, that's real. In good Improv scenes, improvisers will ask each other questions, and no one in the audience will bat an eyelash. Heck, you've probably scene wildly entertaining Improv scenes where improvisers do nothing but ask questions! (Remember the game Questions Only?) Asking questions becomes inappropriate when improvisers use them as a means to avoid making decisions. Hence why we practice getting out of that comfort zone by encouraging improvisers to avoid questions of any kind.

It's a tough skill to work on, but believe me when I say that the rewards will be plentiful. The quality of your scenes will sharply increase when everybody makes decisions.

~

I think that's just about everything that we did on Friday. Once again, I apologize for updating the improg so late after the fact.

Your homework, as always, is to Reflect and to become Inspired. Watch videos, read books! Check out the Improv Encyclopedia! (Found in the 'Links Awakening' section on the right-hand side of the improg.)

Thanks for a great session, gang. I look forward to seeing you all this week.

Cheers,

Cliff



*delicious

King Queen Princess Horse (KQPH) - Courtesy of Erin

Hello improvisers

Erin kindly posted a summary of KQPH on my October 7th reflection. Here is her explanation:

The game is called KQPH (King Queen Princess Horse). Basically, it is a physical game (obviously) and one person calls out either King, Queen, Princess or Horse however fast or ordered they want. The people on the floor have to do the corresponding actions to whatever the caller says. The caller then decides who is out of the game and you then proceed until there is a winner.

~

Thanks, Erin!

See you all soon!

Cheers,

Cliff

Robert Bateman Improv Team - October 7th, 2010

Hello improvisers

I hope that you'll all enjoying the long weekend!

Knights, Princesses, Kings and Queens

Big ups to Graham and Erin for running this game. It looked like a blast!

I'm not entirely certain what the rules are (or even what the name of the game is, to be honest), so here's what I'll suggest. Graham or Erin, if you post a summary of the game (and any tips or tricks, etc) in the comments section, then I will add it to the main site (i.e. I'll make a new entry for your game). Sound cool?

Beastie Boy

I had a good time with this game. It was fun to see everybody get into the music (Particularly Sahaj). Remember, attitude will get you through this game. Get into the music! Have fun with it! It'll get you moving and having a good time (which will make you less nervous) and it'll be entertaining for the audience.

Here's the version of Fight for your Right that we used:



Now you can practice making up lyrics in the comfort of your own home, car, or swimming pool!

Here are some tips for Beastie Boy:
- Fill up the whole line. Instead of saying "I like cats", try saying "You may like dogs, but I...like...cats!"
- If you're stuck for a rhyme, run through the alphabet. For example, with cat, try thinking "At, Bat, Cat, Drat, Fat", etc.
- Take care of your teammates! Although it might (or might not) get a laugh in the short run, 'claustrophobia' isn't the easiest word to rhyme with (for example). Take care of your teammates!

Now, as a heads up, the video may get pulled due to copyrights, or licensing, or something. In the 'Information' section, I made sure to specify that I didn't write the song (alas). Hopefully that will be enough to keep it up. I suppose we'll find out together.

Try it out!

Goalie

One person (the Goalie) stands downstage center. People enter the scene, one at a time, with a big character and a big offer. The Goalie accepts the offer and a short scene progresses. The person who entered the scene then finds a reason to leave and a different person immediately enters the scene as a different character with a different offer.

The key to this game? Say 'Yes' to everything. Accept the offers you're given. Accept, accept, accept. If you're coming into the scene, play with the goalie! Have a conversation! Explore the offer you're given or are giving!

We'll play this game some more in future sessions. It's a great way to enforce rapid acceptance of different ideas. I wonder how heightened the scenes can become in such a short amount of time?

~

I recently began reading Viola Spolin's Improvisation for the Theatre. Her techniques for teaching improvisation and training improvisers are markedly different from what I've experienced. Perhaps she's saying the same things that I've been told before, but in a way that makes more sense. In any case, I have a variety of new ideas for us to try during our next session.

As always, here is your homework:
1) Reflect! If you're not reflecting, you absolutely should be. Write down your thoughts, feelings, what you liked or disliked, what you were successful at, what you'll take away from each session, etc.
2) Watch videos!
3) Try this exercise: Imagine an object that you're familiar with using. Hold your hands in front of you, palms facing upward. Imagine that the object is placed on your palms. Feel its weight. How heavy is it? How do you hold it? How does your hand feel while holding it? Can you move it easily? How does it affect you? Mime using the object. Be as realistic as possible. Try picking up and using different mimed objects.

Thanks gang, I look forward to our next session!

Cheers,

Cliff