Why Is Game Of The Scene So Hard?
stop discovering, start repeating
NOTE: this is a rambling post! I get to the main point about halfway through this essay. I’m not saying that’s a great way to write a post, I’m just saying that’s what has happened.
Amsterdam
I’m in Amsterdam making an indie movie with friends. Sounds glamorous, and you know what? It is. But technology has made such things possible. Stand-ups record their hour shows and release them worldwide via streaming services. Improvisers get together and make features. This is the THIRD indie movie I’m working on this year.
Did Improv Used To Start Later?
Last night, we visited the Leidsbuurt section of the city, which is the bar/club/party area. Besides feeling 1000 years old around all these young Dutch people flirting and dancing and vaping, I was struck by how hard they were going at 11:30pm at night.
Los Angeles closes so early. My improv theater has trouble getting people to host a show at 9pm because it’s “too late to get an audience.” Is this just LA? Or did Covid lockdowns get us all used to early bedtimes? Or is improv just something old people do and we’re all tired?
BACK IN MY DAY (the 2000s) Cagematch in NYC was an 11pm show. Sketch “open mics” happened at midnight. We did tech rehearsals for shows after the regular shows ended, i.e. at midnight or later.
The new version of “doing things late” is “doing a huge volume of things.” People won’t do shows after 9pm, but they’ll do a 3 hour podcast every week, plus a bonus 4 hour episode for subscribers. The terrific twitch comedy Everything Now Show runs FIVE NIGHTS A WEEK for multiple hours at a shot.
(By the way, I passionately recommend Everything Now’s sketch What If The Social Network Was Wet? and the behind the scenes follow up).
Tik Tok Improv Correction
I may have lost my mind. Yesterday I made a TikTok correcting someone who described a Harold Structure incorrectly.
See, this very nice user Maxipadawan was comparing the recent terrific movie Weapons to a Harold structure. I liked his comments on the movie, but he described the Harold very wrong. My friends here laughed at how much I was harping on it and told me to make a reply video, correcting the info. So I did that, and now I feel insane. Of course, Maxipadawan was very gracious in his response, making me deservedly look even crazier!
Also, my response is wrong! I compare Weapons to a “Close Quarters” form and that is… not right! I almost made another video correcting myself but I restrained myself.
I blame jet lag. And also my stupid personality.
Why Is Game Of The Scene So Hard?
One of the crew here did improv comedy at iO first and then studied at UCB. He was discussing the frustrations of learning “game” when you were already comfortable doing improv without that term.
He’s not alone — I’ve heard many iO stalwarts say they dislike UCB style.
On one hand, it’s surprising — UCB has a ton in common with iO. The UCB themselves of course learned improv at the iO theater and based their theater on iO!
But I get it. I can think of two main reasons why veteran improviser don’t like game.
Game Asks You To Think More
Game wants you to have patterns. And it wants you to prioritize “unusual” choices. This introduces self-conscious thinking into improv.
Without game, you can just “yes-and” freely. As long as you are being fully present and accepting your partner’s choice you’re doing great.
The trouble is if either you have TOO MANY unusual things in your scene or NOT ENOUGH.
Too many: every single line is a new crazy thing, new crazy choice. We don’t explore any, we just make new choices recklessly.
Not enough: We get stuck in mundane fights or planning logistics and nothing fun happens.
A game class will make you defend your choices: was this truly unusual to you? Why did you ignore this weird thing?
It’s kinda… no fun.
Everyone teaches game differently
This is the real reason people hate learning game. Everyone who teaches game has a different barometer of what it means to do game well.
Some make it all about the initiation.
Some make it all about tag-outs and walk-ons.
Some want there to be a big loud “voice of reason” in every scene, “calling things out.”
Others demand you have an explicit justification/philosophy.
Others want big emotional reactions.
So you take a level 2 class at UCB and your teacher is all about “justification.” So, even though it feels artificial, you start saying a “why” in every scene.
But then you go to level 3 and they don’t seem to care about that. All they want is you to initiate a full premise.
And one day you have a sub and all they seem to care about is having a ton of tag-outs “Come on guys, get off the back line!”
And then your next level is all about emotional reality. “Would you REALLY say that?” they challenge you. And you want to say “Hey, I wouldn’t say ANY of this — I’m trying to please my last three teachers in my head!”
And then you take a Will Hines class and he’s ranting about how there’s too much voice of reason in improv these days.
And it’s very frustrating! You never get the feelings that you’re doing it “right.” Can’t we just “say yes” and enjoy our stupid lives?
Game Is Ultimately Simple
This will be of little consolation to folks new at game, but it ends up being pretty simple. You yes-and each other — and as you come upon unusual things — you repeat and explore them.
Say yes, repeat and explore.
The hard part is initiating premises, or when you and your scene partners are not fully committing to the same base reality.
Okay, yeah, this is a bigger topic.
I have to go bicycle to my AirBnb now.
Plugs
The World’s Greatest Improv School: The improv school I run with Jim Woods and Sarah Claspell. We’ve got classes online, in LA and even a few in NYC!
How to Be The Greatest Improviser On Earth - My improv book, available at Amazon. Kindle or print (also on my web site for more if you don’t want to buy from Amazon). It’s a hodge-podge of advice I wrote in 2016 about doing improv. If you’re broke and want a free PDF version just email me and I’ll send it over.
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Game of the scene is just whatever the one naturally funny person in class is doing.
UCB: Don't think. Also, our philosophy of improv asks you think more!