Improv Glossary - AndAlso Improv

Yes And (Accept and Build)

A core concept of improvisation, 'yes and' is the process of taking the idea you partner has given you and adding something to it. This may be the next line of a scene, story or song, but it may also be the next move in a physical piece or a reaction to what is being said.

Yes But

Not quite the opposite of 'yes and', a 'yes but' appears to accept an idea, but undermines or corrects it. While using 'yes but' is absolutely necessary in some contexts, it can hamper improvisation.

Offer

A very broad term, an offer is something that you add to a piece of improvisation. It could be a line of dialogue, an emotional reaction, a physical move or anything else. Sometimes even doing nothing at all is a very big offer.

Suggestion/Call Out/Ask for/Get

Something that you get from the audience to inspire your improv. A suggestion might be a relationship (parent and child), a location (a barn) or just any word. How you are inspired is normally up to you, but audiences love to see their ideas being used.

Initiation

The first idea in a scene. An initiation might identify the relationship or emotional state of the characters. It might be physical, verbal or musical and might describe where the characters are or what they are doing, or what has just happened. An initiation can be anything. It is just the very first part of the scene. An initiation does not create or control the scene. It is just the seed from which the scene grows.

Scene

A scene is a part of an improv show where some characters pretend to do something in a place which is not the room you are playing in. Just like on film or TV! Scenes may have any number of people in them, may have words or not and can be any length. they are the core building block of improv shows and the heart of our level two syllabus:

Edit

An edit is where a scene ends. The teacher or director may say 'scene' or the technical improviser may turn ff the lights (a blackout'). Often the end of a scene comes at a change, a climax or a laugh. As your skills develop, you will start to edit the scenes yourself. There are many different ways to do this.

Black Out

A blackout is when the lights go out to indicate the end of a scene.

Character

A character is the person who you are in the scene. A character has a different name to you, and may move or speak differently or have different opinions, experiences and aims in life.

Short Form

'Shortform' refers to the kind of set improv games and scenes many people will know from the TV show 'Whose Line is it Anyway?' Shortform games have set structures and patterns which make them consistently entertaining to the audience, no matter the skills of the players. Some examples include 'New choice', 'Three-headed expert' and 'Alphabet'

Peas in a pod scene (General agreement)

In a 'Peas in a Pod' scene, we see two (or more) characters who behave and think exactly like each other. They may appear to be two of the same person. These scenes are not tests of acting ability. However hard two improvisers try to seem the same, their differences will come out and this will be the fun.

Platform and Tilt

A platform is a stable set of expectations or rules at the start of a scene or show. Once a platform has been established, a tilt will change the context, story or emotion. A simple platform: two characters are making dinner and discussing what to watch on television. The tilt: the tv is broken, what do we do now? .

Escalation/Heightening

Escalation is an increase in the intensity or frequency of what is happening in the scene. An angry character might get more angry, a slow-moving character might move slower and slower. whatever is going on, it happens more and more. Audiences find escalation satisfying because they understand the behaviour they are seeing and enjoy seeing it get bigger to the point of absurdity. How and what to escalate is a major improv skill and area of study.

Status

Status is a way of looking at interactions between characters through the lens of interpersonal power. By looking at speech, physicality and eye contact, we can interpret who is in charge, even if it is not who we would expect. Changing and inverting status are very fun techniques to use in an improv scene. Status is discussed in Keith Johnstone's book Impro.

Game of the Scene

Game of the scene is a repeated, usually escalated pattern of behaviour in a character or scene. While not the only way to improvise, game produces extremely satisfying and funny scenes, reminiscent of sketch. Some people find Game of the Scene (or just 'Game') to be a wonderfully simple and powerful tool while improvising. Others find it to be restrictive and repetitive. More information on game can be found in the UCB manual (Roberts, Walsh anb Besser).

Space Work/Object Work

A very unappealing pair of terms, space work is how improvisers refer to the creation of environments and objects through mime.

Scene painting

A technique in which players will describe visual elements of a scene verbally. For example: ‘There is sun streaming through the window in this corner of the room’ or ‘this character has jam all over his face’. This technique allows offstage players to support what is happening onstage and other element.

Tag Out

In a two person scene, a third player may enter the stage, 'tagging out' one of the original players and creating a completely new scene. The person who remains will keep the same character. Tag outs are often used to show the cause or consequence of an event, or to place a strong character in a context, where their behaviour is funny or striking.

Callback

Reusing an idea, word, character or anything else from earlier. Call backs are very satisfying for audiencs. It makes them feel special and 'in on the joke'.

Longform

Longform is a form of improvisation where the games, patterns and parameters are less fixed. Although longform may be

Monologue

In theatre, a monologue is a part of the play where only one character is talking. In improv (especially in the 'Armando'), it refers to one of the players talking truthfully to the audience (ie not in character). These stories, pet theories, musings and ideas are then used as the inspiration for scenes.

Theme

Theme is what a scene or show is about. Not the details of the character, action and setting, but the ideas. Examples of themes are love, time, family and loyalty. A god test of a theme is 'Is this something that everybody in the world would have an opinion on?'

Flashback/Flashforward

A jump within a scene to a time later or earlier, often which will give context, explanation or ironic commentary on the scene we are watching. For example: We are watching a firefighter putting himself in extreme danger to save a cat. Then there is a flashback that shows the firefighter as a child, unable to save his own cat from a fire. We come back to the original scene with a better understanding of why he is trying so hard.

Opening

In longform, group mind is the feeling of losing yourself in the activity that you are doing and in the group that you are doing it with. Group mind is a state of collective flow where no individual is leading. Ideas are built collectively and can seem to come from nowhere.

The Armando

Named after friend of AndAlso, Armando Diaz, the Armando is a simple, flexible show format consisting of true 'monologues', interspersed with scenes which play with and comment on them. The Armando is the first longform format taught on the AndAlso course pathway and introduces how to work with more complex inspiration and create variety of pitch and tone in a show.

The Harold

The Harold is a show format composed of an opening and three sets of three scenes interspersed with group games. Challenging at first, over time the Harold becomes instinctive. It teaches core skills of reincorporation, connection, theme and character. Formalised in Chicago at IO (then Improv Olympic) in the 80’s, the Harold is a core aspect of AndAlso’s training for its flexibility to include many different styles of player. For a detailed examination, see Truth in Comedy by Charna Halpern, Del Close and Kim 'Howard' Johnson. .

Monoscene

The Monoscene is an improv form where the action all takes place in a single location and in real time, just like a one-act play. While the original monoscene had a structure of group and two person scenes based on the Harold, it is often used to refer to something looser.

Montage

A montage is a group of scenes inspired by each other, but without a specific structure. Sometimes scenes will recur and combine, sometimes each scene will simply be inspired by the one before, making a 'chain'. Although a montage may seem to be an appealing and flexible form, its lack of structure can make it tough to navigate for newer players.

Sweep edit

In a sweep edit. a player runs across the front of the stage to end the scene, like a curtain being drawn across the stage. Normally, another scene will start immediately, sometimes initiated by the player who swept. The sweep is often the first edit you will learn in a longform class. It is quick, simple and effective, though somewhat lacking in subtlety.

Group Game

In longform, group mind is the feeling of losing yourself in the activity that you are doing and in the group that you are doing it with. Group mind is a state of collective flow where no individual is leading. Ideas are built collectively and can seem to come from nowhere.

The Deconstruction

Another Harold-based form, the deconstruction (or 'Decon') replaces the

Longform

In longform, group mind is the feeling of losing yourself in the activity that you are doing and in the group that you are doing it with. Group mind is a state of collective flow where no individual is leading. Ideas are built collectively and can seem to come from nowhere.

Beat

The word 'beat' has several meanings, all related to the division of shows or scenes into sections. In fact, there is a myth that the origin of the word is a mis-transcription of a Russian theatre teacher using the word 'bit'. 1) Beat (part of scene). A section of a scene which is held together by mood, emotion or character intention. 2) Beat (moment of change). The moment where a scene changes significantly. 3) Beat (part of a Harold). A section of three scenes between the openings and group games.

Stream

Group Game

Ocurring between each beat each beat in a Harold, a group game is an opportunity for the whole team to come back onstage and create something together. A group game comments on, expands and re-examines what has happened in the show so far. It may be a pre-decided structure, or it may be 'organic'.

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