Creating an Original Ensemble Piece

The reason that I'm writing this is because for the past two weeks Mock Turtle Soup has been creating an original long-form to perform at the North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival (NCCAF). It's called The Sillyad and is an improvised EPIC QUEST! It has been a really eye opening experience, and I though that I would put down some of my thoughts. The thoughts are specifically for creating a new form, but I believe they apply to a troupe trying a form that they have never done before. Basically everyone is a blank slate.

First off everyone has to be on board with the form. The great thing about a good improviser is that they will never say no to a form, so this is generally not a problem.

Once you have established the basic game plan / structure just do it. Don't talk about doing it too much, just do it. This first time, and probably the second or third, are probably not gonna go very smoothly. After a few times as a director you can see what some of the fundamental problems are, and most of the troupe sees them too.

Creating a Past

I am currently reading a very nice little improv book called Long-form Improvisation & the Art of Zen by Jason Chin, and though this book is full of really insightful stuff, there is one section that really caught my eye. Its all about creating a past for the characters in the scene. A theme that is repeated throughout the book is that the scene should be about the relationship of the two characters not what is actually happening. And how can you have a relationship without a past?

"Friends for Life"

This is kind of a Harold-variant that we came up with for a 10-15 minute slot, but can obviously be adjusted for length.

The premise is that we follow a long-term friendship (given by the audience, or to avoid playing 'brother sister' every time, take what the audience suggests and do a little pattern web until you stumble upon a new relationship like carnies, etc.) in 6 scenes, the form of these scenes is:

The F.I.T. and the T.I.T.

One day, there were 4 of us at an optional practice and we were tired. We were tired of playing short form games and didn't feel like just messing around with scenes, so we decided to make up a form.

What elements should it have? Scene painting (something we hadn't done before), maybe a follow the leaver element where a character carries over to the next scene, and start and end with a group scene.

So we were Four Improvisers, Tired of shortform, which gave us the name, the F.I.T. You get an object from the audience and build your scene around that, putting in doors and describing where your group scenes will take place (something usually became a bar, or a vfw post, or an apartment). Those 4 characters that the four of you come out as (for ease we'll name them 1, 2, 3, and 4) all have a very close relationship, as any scene partners should.

After that Scene are 4 scenes each highlighting the outside life of one of those first 4 characters (1 and his wife, 2 and his doctor,. etc. Sometimes you have a 1 with 4 in one scene and in the 4th scene 4 and 1 are still together, but try to highlight one character over another as far as foiling).

The College Improv Resource

Welcome to the College Improv Resource. The goal is for this to be a place where college improvisers and former college improvisers can come together and give advice, describe forms, describe workshops, share ideas, rant, and just educate and be educated about the art-form they've decided or are thinking about doing.

My hope is that other improvisers from troupes all across the Southeast and across the nation will not only be helped by the wisdom shared here, but themselves become contributors.

Contributors will be by invitation, but all you've got to do is email collegeimprovresource@gmail.com and we'll add you.

Some ground rules:

-This is not a place for bashing other improvisers, but I'm not going to have a 0 criticism rule. If you hate something, say it in a way that proves that you're an educated being capable of righteous hate, not an ignorant lump who gets his jollies from upsetting other people.

-I would prefer this not just be a place where people plead and spam for festivals, shows, tours, or whatever. If you do a lot of it, you might get dropped, just for the sake of the whole. If you want to start a blog for spamming other improvisers about your improv, I will join you, but I don't want it here.

-Please categorize your posts with labels, like who it's for (Directors, Players, Player-Directors), what it's about (Workshop, General Directing, Basic Improv, The Rules, Starting Scenes), whether or not it's a rant, just a game, or just a funny story (Rant, Warm-up Game, Long-form, Short-form Game, Anecdote). Don't feel constricted to just these labels, but the more common labels we use, the easier it is to search through, the more your post will get read.

-Other issues will be addressed as they come up and this welcome-post may change accordingly

I'm going to try to set up a links page so if you want in on some of that sweet stuff let me know as well.

Welcome to the blog.