Introductions
Warm Ups
Step in game--to help people find things in common. Stand in a circle, one person steps into the center and says a true statement about themselves others step in if it is true for them too
Bonita Circle-- to help with names and to connect your body to your emotions/being honest with how you feel. State your name and do a gesture of how you feel with everyone repeating
Hand out guidelines and code of conduct: highlight these key facts:
- Focus on yes anding
- React honestly
- Be a team player
- This is a safe space. Don't touch anyone inappropriately Bring up any concerns to the leaders immediately or over email
Mini Lecture
The yes and... concept. In improv we are saying yes to the reality we are given from our partners and adding more information. Saying yes isn't enough. You need to AND, which is adding information, otherwise, one person will be doing all the work.
Exercises:
- Vacation—to practice adding details and yes anding. Get a suggestion of where to vacation work in partners and take turns recalling the vacation by starting each person’s line with “yes and…”
- Yes and drills—practice sharing and collaborating on a story together. Divide the group into two lines. Do three line scenes where you establish the who/what/where. This will teach us to avoid vagueness in scenes and make specific choices. This is just an exercise and all scenes don't actually have to follow this format.
- Heck yeah—teaching how to avoid no’s and buts and to practice slowing down and really processing what was said to you so your scene work builds line by line. Partner says a line and other partner says “heck yeah” and repeats the line they heard from their scene partner and then says their line.
Two people at a time will perform in front of the group.
- Improv scenes—have two people go up at a time to do 3 minute scenes. Perhaps use a timer. Give them simple scenarios. Have them play the scenes.
Homework:
Make a list of emotions and write a memory associated with that emotion. It should be a fairly strong association. In scene work, when there is a situation closely tied to that emotion, we can recall a memory to get to that emotional state, but letting the story go and focus on what is going on in the scene. In the next class, students will discuss what the process was like, but they don’t need to share the details of their memories.
Email instructors if you have questions or are confused.