Would you?
Posted on November 16, 2018 by me - UCB Manual
- Have two improvisers take the stage.
- Do a series of two-person scenes where the suggestion must be an emotionally charged scenario (e.g., finding out you have cancer, being involved in a robbery, going on a first date, etc.).
- Video-record these scenes.
- As a group, watch each scene.
- Stop line by line and ask the improviser in the scene variations on the question, “Would you?…” in relation to their action and dialogue (e.g., “Would you have really reacted that way to a person in real life?”)
- Each answer should be an honest assessment of whether or not they were successful in giving their character realistic human behavior.
- Whenever the question is answered with some version of “No,” discuss other options this improviser had in that scene
Purpose
This exercise is a great way to consider how you are reacting in scenes.
Analyzing your scene work in the moment is extremely difficult. Watching scenes on videotape after the fact allows you to step outside of your own performance and really focus on your tendencies as a performer.