This is a list of tips for improv comedy, improvised drama, or tabletop RPG gaming. You can also use them for other collaborative writing.
- Listen and respond.
- A great conversation has both invitations and inspirations.
- An invitation is a statement that directly invites a response, like an open-ended question. They indicate that it is somebody else’s turn to talk. They’re useful if the scene seems to be slowing, and you need to give it some more structure, but you shouldn’t use them too much.
- An inspiration is a statement that shares something, and makes the listener want to share something to, but doesn’t obligate them. These statements are useful in improv because your improv partner can respond to them in a variety of ways, or you can continue naturally if they’re stumped.
- Listen for inspirations and respond to them to keep the scene going.
- Yes, and
- React positively to what others are saying
- Build on what is presented instead of merely accepting it
- Don’t try to undo new information
- This does mean that the players are working together. This does not mean that characters won’t be in conflict
- Avoid blocking (do not try to “play it safe” or minimize the impact of new information)
- Ask yourself “If this is true, what else is true?”
- avoid asking questions unless you’re also adding information.
- unlike in real conversations, leading questions are great for improv
- instead of “Are you ready to go to the Moon?” try “Your training is finally going to pay off. We’re taking back the Moon.” or “Honey, I’m worried. Isn’t this the third time you’ve been to the Moon this month?”
- instead of “Is the ship ready to go?” try “Did you get rid of those ghost sailors yet?”
- Follow your first instinct to maintain momentum
- what comes naturally to you might never have occurred to somebody else
- sometimes things that “merely make sense” help the scene feel a little more real …which makes the comedy funnier
- Be honest with emotions
- Even in absurd situations, your characters are people and they will have feelings, desires, fears, a history
- Avoid turning them into “clever writing” machines
- Characters must experience some type of change
- Stasis is the everyday; storytelling focuses on the exceptional
- at the minimum, a character will make a choice and experience the ramifications of that choice
- this is true for every scene
- The Location is Not an Empty Stage
- A scene happens at a place and time
- In stage improv you can establish a place in merely a couple lines of dialog without breaking the scene
- In tabletop RPGs this is partly covered by narration, but players can enhance it with their words too
- Specifics are the Spice
- (Spice-ifics)
- More detail = more important
- Establishing a detail gives you something to follow up on later in the scene
- Be colorful and very specific
- Drama and Comedy
- Drama: The easiest way to make a scene dramatic is to focus on the relationship of the characters on stage. Holding tense moments with silence and focusing on each shift in emotions will also emphasize drama.
- Comedy: focus on character’s choices, actions, and objects. Make characters double-down on their previous choices and act boldly, larger than life. You can also use irony, miscommunication, wordplay, etc, if they don’t break the character.
- In longer form improv, you will want to balance these types of scenes. Too much drama will wear an audience down and get them to put their guard up. Too much comedy will make them see the characters as flat and fake.
- Focus on the present
- Who is in the scene? What is each of them doing right now? Why did they use that tone, that word, that facial expression? What does your character feel about that?
- If things flow correctly moment to moment, the scene will feel more coherent
- Be silly, but don’t tell jokes
- A joke is a short story consisting of a setup and a punchline, where the funniness culminates in the final sentence.
- Avoid them at all costs in improv. For that matter, they’re not great for most comedy writing. The climax of the joke kills the momentum of the scene, and its humor rarely derives from the characters involved. It’s also hard for other people to build on the joke. Save it for the stand-up comedians.
- Instead, be silly. Deliver your dialog in a funny-sounding way. Adopt peculiar mannerisms or choose odd words. Follow the tips for comedy. This will create a lighthearted, inviting tone that still invites the other players to contribute.
- Relax and have fun!
Further Reading
https://www.pantheater.com/rules-of-improv.html
the Harold method for long-term improv