Applying Improv to Acting by Heather Burgess
Objective: Students will demonstrate their ability to take risks and follow impulses by using improv techniques in a minute to minute-and-thirty second monologue.
Class Level: Advanced
Main Concepts: Risk taking, following impulses, trusting yourself and others
1994 National Standards:
Content Standard 1: Script writing through improvising, writing, and refining scripts based on personal experience and heritage, imagination, literature, and history
Content Standard 2: Acting by developing, communicating, and sustaining characters in improvisations and informal or formal productions
Prior Experience:
Objective-tactic use, monologue form, fairly advanced scene work, body and voice work, characterization, listening to the room
Author's Notes:
This is a very hands-on unit. There will not be much lecture. Students will be discovering the improv principles through practice.
Often in this unit, students will do a scene with a partner, and everyone will be going at the same time. Then, they sometimes do it with their partner in front of the class. When this occurs, students can choose whether to continue with the same scene they were doing or start a new one.
Lesson Plans
Lesson 1: Lesson 1: Trust and Vulnerability
Students will demonstrate their ability to trust themselves and their classmates by participating in a vulnerability circle.
Lesson 2: Lesson 2: Trusting Impulses
Students will demonstrate their ability to trust their impulses by participating in a ring master scene.
Lesson 3: Lesson 3: Accepting and Adding
Students will demonstrate their ability to accept and add by participating in an approximately 2 minute improvised scene with a partner where they must accept and add.
Lesson 4: Lesson 4: Focus!
Students will demonstrate their ability to focus on their partner by mirroring them while improvising a scene.
Lesson 5: Lesson 5: Using Relationship and Status
The students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the use of status in relationships by doing an improvised scene with a partner in which they must switch status three times.
Lesson 6: Lesson 6: Choosing a Monologue
Students will choose a monologue to be performed as part of the final assessment of the unit.
Lesson 7: Lesson 7: Improv + Monologues = <3
Students will demonstrate their understanding of how to use improv in a monologue by using improv techniques in a minute to minute and a half monologue.
Lesson 8: Lesson 8: Final Performances
Students will perform their full monologues using improv techniques we have learned throughout the unit.
Lesson 1: Trust and Vulnerability
Objective
Students will demonstrate their ability to trust themselves and their classmates by participating in a vulnerability circle.
Materials Needed
Assessment Rubric
Lesson Directions
Anticipatory Set/Hook
HOOK: For the opening activity, ask the students to clear the room because we are going to play TAG!However, this isn’t just ordinary tag.Someone is chosen to be “it,” and when they tag someone, that person has to scream horribly.This activity intends to open everyone up and get them to work uninhibited.Continue playing this “scream” tag until everyone has had a turn to die. Encourage everyone to go full out and try not to hold back.You also should encourage them to be specific in their scream and ask themselves exactlywhythey’re screaming.
Instruction
Discussion: What did you like or not like about this activity?Was it difficult or not?Did anyone feel inhibited or embarrassed?Why or why not?Does anyone feel like they could have opened up more?Why?
Group Practice: Here we will work on emotion sculptures.This learning activity aims at getting the students to start tapping into their emotions, but with the reduced risk of a group setting.Students will get into a clump in the middle of the room.The instructor will say some sort of emotion, and they will have 12 seconds to create a non-human sculpture that embodies that emotion.Remember to tell students that you don’t want to see each student doing the physical human reaction to that emotion, but rather the bodies as a whole together should create a sculpture that represents that emotion.Example emotions range from happy, sad, scared, interested, curious, and guilty to more complex phrases like “I’m sorry,” “I miss you,” and “Why did you hurt me?”
Guided Practice: Continue to have the students do the emotion sculptures as a group, but start using more complex phrases like the latter ones mentioned before.After the sculpture is made, ask a student to begin a scene that revolves around that phrase.They don’t have to say the phrase if they don’t want to, but for example an “I’m sorry” scene would probably have someone apologizing for some reason.That person will step out of the sculpture, and another student will have to volunteer, step out of the sculpture, and create the scene with the student who first stepped out.If the students end the scene themselves, that’s fine, and if they keep the scene going the teacher may say “thank you” when they see fit for them to conclude.Do this until everyone has stepped out of the sculptures at some point.
Discussion/Check for Understanding: How did you feel during this activity?Did anyone feel inhibited by something?Did anyone see any good examples of classmates taking risks?What did you like or not like about doing this? How did the words and phrases effect the way you used your body?How did they guide the scenes?Why?
Guided Practice: Explain that for this activity, each student must start off with a partner.Each partnership will stare into each other’s eyes.While they are doing this walk around the room and ask questions and give statements like the following: What is the other person telling you through their eyes?Can you really see them?Do they have a wall up that you can see?Are they letting you in?Really try to open yourself to the other person.Let them in and give them something.Share something with them.If you have the impulse, go ahead and touch their hand.Grab it.Now, when you feel ready, break eye contact and switch partners.We will continue to do this as long as time permits.This exercise really starts opening the students up to be vulnerable to their classmates.It is amazing at establishing trust.
Discussion/Checking for Understanding: What did you guys feel during this activity?Was it difficult, yes or no?Why?What all did you notice?Was everyone giving the same, or did you come across people who were giving more than others?
Assessment
Assessment: For their assessment on trust and vulnerability, the students will participate in a vulnerability circle.Students will make a big circle in the middle of the room.One student will volunteer to begin, and he/she will walk across the circle to a classmate and say something positive such as “You are very talented,” or “You make me smile.”The goal is to walk completely openly.It is very obvious which students are allowing themselves to be open and vulnerable, and which ones are using different vices to keep themselves emotionally protected.They need to say their statement with complete honesty.They will then walk backwards, still openly, back to their spot.The person they went to will then walk back to them and say the same thing, and then walk backward back to their spot.They will then go and do the same to someone else, with a different statement.If you notice anyone who is clearly not walking openly,try to coach them and have them try it again. Remind the students that this is a chance for them to show you what they’ve learned, and to be focused and serious.We will do this until everyone has a turn.A simple rubric will be used to score each student out of 5 points.
VULNERABILITY CIRCLE ASSESSMENT RUBRIC
* Assessment will be out of 5 points.Scores of 4 or 2 may be given as needed.
EXPERT (5) / SKILLED (3) / NOVICE (1)- Clearly made a visible effort to be open and vulnerable.
- Said their positive statement with honesty and sincerity.
- Did not make the exercise a joke.Took it seriously.
- Overcame inhibitions.
- Was making an effort to be open.
- Still had some sort of inhibition.
- Possibly did not improve if asked to try again.
- Turned the exercise into a joke.
- Clearly refused to attempt openness and vulnerability.
Discussion/Closure: What did you feel during this?What was easy or difficult for you?What were some characteristics of people who allowed themselves to be completely open and vulnerable?Is vulnerability important in acting?What about improv specifically?Why or why not?Why is it important that we all trust each other in this class?Why is it important that we are able to really focus and pay attention?
Lesson 2: Trusting Impulses
Objective
Students will demonstrate their ability to trust their impulses by participating in a ring master scene.
Materials Needed
Blue (or any colored) towel
Assessment Rubric
Lesson Directions
Anticipatory Set/Hook
HOOK:Have the students form a circle standing up.Introduce them to the game “Samurai.”To play Samurai the person beginning the round will say “Samurai’s Unite” at this point all student in the circle must put their hands together, bow to the center, and make a Samurai sound (ahh, ommm, haaa, chaaa, etc.)After that, a person starts with hands together, cutting the air downward towards another person with a Samurai noise.The person accepts it by cutting up with their hands together and another noise and the people on either side must cut into the person, also making a noise.The game should have a clear beat, and when someone gets off or doesn’t react as they should, their out.This happens until 2-3 people are left.When students get out instruct them to still watch and cheer on the students still left in the game.Remind students that they should go as fast and as loud as they can.
Instruction
Discussion:Was this difficult?Why or why not? Was it fun?Did you feel anything inhibiting you?Did you find yourself thinking ahead of the game at all? Did you live in the moment?When did you do better at the game?How does this game relate to improvisation and acting?
Group Practice: The students will do the same scream tag we did last lesson with a twist.It’s normal tag, except that when someone gets tagged, they have to scream and this time fake a death.Again, they must be specific and try to add detail.Urge the students to really commit.Everyone wants to die on stage in acting, and now’s their chance!The aim of this activity is to get the students to really follow their impulses and then fully commit to them.I don’t want to see half-effort deaths. Remind them that this is an advanced class and you hope that they will really work on not being inhibited or embarrassed.
Guided Practice: Everyone will get a partner.(Hopefully everyone is panting and out of breath at this point) ask everyone to start a scene, but the catch is that before everything you say, you must move first.It can be any sort of movement, and it shouldn’t make any sense, just the first thing that comes to your mind.Let your body follow its impulses, and don’t apologize for them.Walk around the room observing and giving help and instruction where needed.When you see a group working well together, say “Freeze” and ask the rest of the class to freeze and watch the partnerships scene for a minute or so.Then let everyone go back to their scenes and work.Do this a few times as time permits.
Discussion: Have the groups come together.What was that activity like?What did the movement do to your scenes?Was it hard?Did it make it easier to follow your impulses?Did you really let yourself go?Why/Why not?Did it help or hinder you?
Group Practice: This is the blue (or any colored) towel exercise!Everyone must get into a large circle.One student must volunteer to be the drummer, while the other class members in the circle will create sound effects to go with the drumming.3-4 students will get in the middle of the circle with the blue towel.Instruct them to create, using the beat and music behind them, a non-human scene with the towel.Remind them to not over think anything, just use the towel and move as they see fit.Follow their impulses and let them flow into movement, using the towel together.Continue to do this until everyone has had a turn in the middle.
Discussion/Check for Understanding: What did you feel during this activity?What was difficult or easy for you?When did you see classmates following impulses and taking risks?Did you ever feel yourself over thinking things?Why do you think we do that?Were you tired doing all these in a row?What happened when you got tired and adrenaline kicked in?Did you stop thinking so much and justdowhen you were tired?
Assessment
Assessment: To see if the students have understood the concept of following their impulses and committing to them, they will do a ring master scene.A student volunteer will get up to go first, and the teacher will begin by giving them a circus idea.For example, “You are the ringmaster of the Prairie Dog Circus!”The student will then, for a full minute (or two depending on time) explain the different acts in their circus.The goal is not to stop to think.They must keep talking without needing to be prompted.When their turn is up, they will then sit down, another student will get up, and the previous student will then give them the theme for the circus.The clock will then start ticking.
*Scored of 4 or 2 may be given as needed.
RING MASTER ASSESSMENT RUBRIC
EXPERT (5) / SKILLED (3) / NOVICE (1)- Made a clear effort to trust their impulses.
- Did not stop to think about what to say next for more than a second or two.
- Committed to their impulses.
- Didn’t try to be clever, but rather went with the first thing that came to mind.
- Made an effort to trust their impulses.
- Possibly had to be prompted to continue because he/she stopped and said they couldn’t think of anything more.
- Possibly did not commit fully to their choices/impulses.
- Had to be prompted several times to continue talking.
- Did not make a real effort.
- Simply laughed or refused to take the exercise seriously.
Discussion/Closure: What inhibits us from trusting our impulses?Does freedom in acting come from trusting impulses and committing to them?Why or why not?What is something new you discovered today?Did anyone feel like they improved in this area?Did it feel good to just try and stop over thinking things?How can you use this in your acting?
Lesson 3: Accepting and Adding
Objective
Students will demonstrate their ability to accept and add by participating in an approximately 2 minute improvised scene with a partner where they must accept and add.
Materials Needed
Assessment Rubric
Lesson Directions
Anticipatory Set/Hook
HOOK: Ask the students about any improv they’ve seen.What makes the improv funny?What makes it not funny?Create a list together of things that could possibly kill an improv scene. (Too much violence, asking yes or no questions, not accepting what someone give you, no dialogue, pauses, etc.)
Instruction
Transition: Ok, so let’s practicenotdoing these types of things by creating scenes.
Group Practice: This is called a Humina Ha scene.Students will get into two or three groups (depending on class size).Each group will huddle together in a circle with their arms interlacing, like a football huddle.Each group will stomp their feet while looking at the ground and chant “HUMINA HUMINAHUMINA HA!”On the “HA,” everyone looks straight into the eyes of someone else.If you find yourself staring at someone who is staring straight back at you, the two of you will break out of the huddle and start an argument scene.Ask the students to remember to try and add to the scene and not kill it with the things we came up with in the previous discussion.
Instruction: Ok, so who found themselves doing some of the improv no-no’s?There’s a concept in improv that makes avoiding these bad examples easier.It’s called accepting and adding.When your partner says something to you, you first say something back that acknowledges or accepts what they have said, and then add to it.Whatever they say goes.If they say it happened, you accept it, and then add something.This keeps the scene moving and helps you avoid killing the scene.