Giuseppe: DSI's premier High School Team

Motivate A Character! (Part 3)

Initiations

What makes an initiation different than any other line in the scene? How do you convey to your scene partner what scenario you’re setting up? How can you balance having an idea and respecting the ideas of your scene partner?

These are all huge pieces of the improv experience.  Too many times we watch a scene play out as 10 useless “Hi, how are you doing” type lines before we finally find out the firemen are challenging the policemen to a game of Red Rover.  Obviously, we’d much rather get to Red Rover right away.  So when WE start a scene, we cut to the chase; our initiations will have a motivation driving them.

I Feel, I Think, I Want (circle)

Part of solid initiations is setting up your mindset.  This might not be said out loud every time, but if you do, think how clear your scene offer will be.  In this warmup exercise, each player around the circle is given a character concept (“You are a lazy doctor” or “You are a theoretical botanist”) and then the player will complete the following sentence AS that character: “I feel _____ because I think  _____, so I want _____.”

EXAMPLE:

• “You are a lazy doctor.” “I feel worried because I think I just killed a patient while dozing at the operating table, so I want you to check up on my malpractice insurance for me.”
• “You are a theoretical botanist.” “I feel empowered because I think plants are real and therefore they are, so I want to theorize that I have a paying job.”

Three Through The Door

One player is the Receptionist at a location given by the audience (black hole, Denny’s, yard sale). The other player is the Walker who will come into the scene three times, trying to get into that location. The initiating line from the Walker will introduce who she is and why she wants into the location. The Receptionist will give a reason why he’ll grant or deny the Walker entry, and then the Walker will leave and reenter as a completely different character to repeat the process with a new reason to get into that same location. Repeat once more, and then the Walker becomes the Receptionist for a new Walker in a new location.

Secret Want

What does your character WANT? This exercise gives you that want (written on a piece of paper) and your driving motivation throughout the scene is to go after that desire.  “I want you to appreciate me.” “I want to know who’s outside.” “I want to look like a million bucks.” If you ever achieve your want, the scene’s over, so strive for it, but know that you’re never going to get what you want…and that’s okay.

Improv is NOT about winning. We don’t eliminate people in Story and Do Run to find out who on the team is the best at the game; we do it so the game can end on a high note.  It’s as if we’re saying to the audience “We’ve eliminated all but two people; who will be left???” and the audience loves the game all the more for it.  But WE, the players onstage, know that it’s just a game, and you’ve won it, and I’ve won it, and she’s won it…and we’re not sure when who won what because WE DON’T KEEP SCORE.

Just like with motivations: we don’t play with motivations to win; we play with them to show the journey TOWARD winning.

DISCUSSION POSSIBILITIES (comment on this post): How do you initiate scenes? What is your mental process for getting from a suggestion to a character? Do you feel competitive during elimination games?