MonkeysPiratesRobots

My working title is "The Practicing Improvisor". Or maybe "Monkeys, Pirates, and Robots"

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Design notes

• PrincipiaImproStudentAgenda

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Boilerplate

Contents

Foreword

Audience

Purpose of book

Credits and Acknowledgements

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Introduction

What's improvisation?

• How does it differ from stand-up comedy, sketch comedy, traditional theatre?

Historical roots (Commedia dell'Arte, Compass, Second City, Johnstone; need some research here)

Theoretical landscape

• Chicago School (Del Close, Paul Sills, Viola Spolin, Second City)
• Calgary School (Keith Johnstone, Theatresports)
• Commedia dell'Arte

What good is it? (Why improvise?)

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Starting out

• Clarify and condense Johnstone's "Impro for Storytellers", Spolin's "Improvisation for the Theater"
• Limit the number of games and concentrate on theory.
• Keep this section short and use it mainly to provide references to beginner's resources.

Positivity and acceptance

Connection, leading, following, listening, eye contact

Physicality and verbality (verbosity) - show, don't tell

CROWE

Relationships (status, ...)

Tilts

Transitions, buttons, and endings

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Problem-solving (fixing your own problems)

Basic problems (this should be a short section because performance-level people should know this already)

Blocking

Bridging

Joining

Hedging

Gossiping

Intermediate problems

Discussion of fear

How fear manifests itself as playing on the back wall, speed, gagging, negativity, vulgarity

Panic (what to do with an empty head)

Zero inspiration (what to do when you can't connect to the scene)

Doldrums (my play is stagnating; I feel I've forgotten everything I've learned)

Editing

Playing safe

Killing scenes

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Playing well with others ("Problem" Players)

The enemy is us.

The need for mutual support, acceptance, and positivity on stage and off

Professional conduct

Specifics

Hams

Drivers

Gaggers

Bulletproof players

Undirectable players

Roughnecks

Letches

Commenters (those who comment excessively on the performance of others within a scene)

"Take the note."

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Troupe Dynamics (Dangerous Stuff)

Overview

Sources of friction

Affairs of the heart

Politics, Religion

Credit, Billing, and Ego

Money

Deciding when a situation is untenable - see "Moving on" below

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Feedback

Audience feedback (applause, silence, heckling)

Side coaching

Notes

Classroom setting

Self-analysis

How to manage all of these without driving yourself insane

Rejection

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Styles and Formats

Styles

Barprov

Short form

Long form

Thematic

Formats

Notes on directed and undirected formats

Gamey

• Focus is on games, energy, gagging
• Little or no spacework, scenework
• Examples: Comedysportz/NCT, barprov

Games and scenes

• Examples: Micetro, Theatresports

Long-form

• Examples: Six Degrees, The Harold

Themed shows

• Big, Big Talk Show
• A Song Time Ago (ImprovOlympic show; musical version of Star Wars)
• One Night Band

Other

• Assscat!

Notes on intellectual property and proprietary formats

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Warming up

Energy

Rhythm

Vocal

Spacework

Connection

Scene starts

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Performance

Projection

Bench support

Respect

for the audience

for other players

for the directors

Transitions

Endings

Flashbacks and flashforwards

Stage combat

Lighting

Sound and musical improvisation

Scenography

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Directing

Setups

Tilts

When things go awry

Pimping

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Production

From concept to proposal

Cast size

Auditions

Writers vs performers

Rehearsal schedule

Promotion

Venues

Filthy lucre and the business end

Taking the show on the road (dealing with new venues)

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Moving on (I'm not sure about this; I may delete it)

Chicago, New York, Los Angeles: Selling your soul

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Tools and Resources

Tools

Index cards

Diaries

Electronica: Lists, boards, blogs, and wikis

Resources (should this be in a bibliography section?)

Books

Websites (warning: this will be obsolete as soon as we write it)

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Glossary

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Index