Teaching Game 2: Heighten And Explore

what to do with game

heighten goes up, explore goes across

Last week I wrote about teaching game of the scene.

Game is the idea that we are looking for unusual things in our improv scenes to play with. We learn this so we can distinguish “funny” things from “plot” things.

We went over a basic vocabulary:

• base reality: the who / what / where

• unusual thing: whatever is interesting to you, the person doing the scene

• framing: characters letting each other know they find something unusual / interesting

• heighten and explore: what to do with the unusual thing

Today we’ll talk a bit more about heightening and exploring and also the phrase if this is true what else is true.

Unusual Thing: Now What?

Once you’ve introduced the idea of finding “unusual things” to a group, the natural next question from them is “what are supposed to do once we’ve found them?”

The answer is “heighten and explore.” That’s how you “play the game.”

• Heighten means to “do it again but more.”

• Explore means “tell me the story of this thing.”

Like all improv advice, these answers are simplified and incomplete. They are not the final answer. This is a starter kit.

I give very specific ways to play game. These are not the only ways and they don’t always work. But I find it’s better to teach a very narrow repeatable solution to start. We can give them more freedom later.

Heightening Exercise: Join Team Fool

It’s easier to heighten a scene with walk-ons. So we start there.

Get 6 or so people up. Give a suggestion. Two people should start a scene. They have two jobs:

1. establish a clear where

2. yes-and until they have found an unusual thing

Once we have an unusual thing, people from the back line should enter and “join Team Fool.”

“Team Fool” means to be on the side of the unusual thing. Everyone who enters the scene either also does the same behavior or is in favor of it.

Let’s say a husband and wife are in their living room and the husband confesses that he’s thrown out his iPhone. The wife think that sounds a little extreme (framing). Then the husband heightens by saying he’s disconnected the cable.

Here are some possible walk-ons:

• Their child enters the scene: they’ve thrown out their video game system

• Phone rings, it’s a friend who wanted to visit but has thrown out his phone and is lost and needs directions.

• A telegram arrives. It’s their neighbor, inviting them to a game night.

These moves will not be very realistic. That is okay for now. Let them know “try any ideas you have —- later we’ll get more picky about what makes emotional sense for the situation.”

Make sure the back line doesn’t enter too soon. Let the first two people have a generous amount of time to build a scene.

“Joining Team Fool” does not always work. It’s not a thing that has to happen. It’s just a common way to heighten.

Exploring Exercise: Tell Me Why You Do This

The best way to start exploring is for characters to ask each other “why do you do that?” It’s natural, it makes emotional sense, and it’s interesting.

This is a two-at-a-time exercise.

Two people up. Get a suggestion. One of them starts the scene by asking the other one to explain some kind of weird behavior. A little weird, a lot weird. Some examples:

• Can you tell me why you always wear your shoes on your hands?

• Boy, you really like to eat your lunch fast. Why is that?

• Did I see you taking a nap on top of your desk today?

• Are you dotting your i’s with little hearts?

The other person simply has to explain why they do it. It’s better not to try and make a joke. Try and give emotionally true answers. Although at first, I let people give any answer.

Do a few rounds of it. Notice that the explanation of their behavior tells us more about them than the behavior itself. The explanation is the exploration.

If the class is taking to the exercise, I’ll point out that “internal” whys (philosophies, emotions) are more interesting answers then “external” whys (“my boss makes me,” “That’s how I was raised”).

But for beginners I will accept anything. All I’m focused on is teaching the mechanics of asking why and getting an answer.

More Advanced: “If This Is True, What Else Is True?”

Some people will really take to the words “heighten” and “explore.” But others will not.

So after I do the above exercises I’ll introduce the improv mantra “If this is true, then what else is true.”

“Heighten” and “Explore” are techniques. But “if this is true, what else is true” is a PRINCIPLE. It’s a truth. You don’t HAVE to “heighten” or “explore” but you will always be doing “if this is true what else is true.”

To practice: Get 6 or so people up. Give a suggestion. 2 people start. Then the back-line tries to do walk-ons that are inspired by “if this is true what else is true.”

This is less proscribed than “heighten” and “explore.” They are more on their own. So they’ll be slower to start. Give them time. Once they start making moves they will feel more ownership than they did with just “heighten” and explore.”

Notes

From this point on, I will be using the phrases “heighten” “explore” and “if this is true, what else is true” a lot in my notes. These are the phrases that will guide them into playing game.

“heighten” and “explore” are a bit more micro. This is your starter kit.

“if this is true, then what else is true” is more general, more macro. But it is the only principle they students will need once they’ get a feel for game.

It’s Just “Yes And” All The Way Down

“If this is true, what else is true” is really the same as “yes, and.” You’re building a choice off of an existing choice. “Yes and” applies to scenic things and “if this then what” applies to comedic things.

They are interchangeable. Someone makes a choice and you “yes and” it or you “if this then what” it.

We’ll continue this next week. Things to come:

• exercises for game of the scene

• common notes

• pulling premises from an opening

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