Its so much fun UNIT 5 IMPROVISATION ITS

It’s so much fun! UNIT 5: IMPROVISATION

IT’S MAGIC Improvisation is like magic. It makes something out of nothing…

IMPROVISATION DEFINITION To create and perform without any preparation To act, dance, or sing on the spur of the moment

NO SCRIPT

NO REHEARSAL

IMPROVISATION Requires toes! you to think on your

IMPROVISATION IS REALLY FUNNY!

AND ENTERTAINING

COPY THE DIRECTOR Students make a circle standing in the mingle zone. The director will make a strange sound and movement which will travel across the circle. The rest of the class will follow suit, copying the sound and movement. Pay attention to the details. The director will hire the best actor.

DRAMA NOTES Seven rules to good improv…

#1 - WORK AS A TEAM The key to entertaining improv is to play as a team member. Listen carefully to the developing scene, and do not go off in your own direction! Always react to the lines spoken just before it is your turn. That way, the scene flows together and does not become confusing to the audience!

#2 – EVERYONE IS A GENIUS There are NO WRONG ANSWERS in improv. In other words, to do a good job at improv, you must treat every comment, no matter how strange, as if it were the most brilliant thing you have ever heard. In improv, it is important to support your fellow actors; they in turn will do the same for you.

# 3 – DEPEND ON EACH OTHER TO BE FUNNY All actors on the stage must absolutely work together in any comedy that is happening. If an actor sees something funny developing, he or she must help the other actors in pulling the humor together. Support each other’s jokes and silliness.

#4 - DON’T ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS What do you want to do? I don’t know, what do you want to do? I’m not sure. What do you think? It’s up to you. What do you want to do? UG!!! Questions can be boring in improv. It is better to answer any question with an interesting statement that can carry the scene in the right direction.

#5 NO CLIPPING Clipping is taking another beginning actor so much by surprise, that he or she could not possibly come up with a response on his or her own. “Hey, we just got a letter from the president, read it. ” This clipping is unfair and makes your teammate look unprepared. You of course, would NEVER want to do this in improv. Improv is all about supporting each other!

#6 - STAY ON TOPIC Once a topic or scene has been established, it is important to stay on that specific scene. Otherwise, the scene becomes too jumbled and confusing to watch. If the scene is set on a farm by another actor, don’t come on stage and say, “I thought we were going to the beach today. ”

#7 - NEVER SAY NO OR DENY! THE YES RULE! This the MOST IMPORTANT rule in improv! “Why do you have a duck on your head? ” Never say - “I don’t have a duck on my head. ” Instead say, “Yes, Sorry, I forget I left him up there. He’s cute, isn’t he? ” Just go with your teammate’s ideas and always say, YES AND….

PARTNER PRACTICE Say hello to your home base partner. Decide who is A and who is B. A will ask B why he or she has a duck on his or head, and B will explain all about the duck. If you get stuck, think of the detail prompters: who, what, where, when, why, how, etc. Now switch.

QUIZ REVIEW You will have a quiz Wednesday on the seven rules of improvisation. Let’s practice. 1. Brainstorm with your neighbor the seven rules without looking at your notes.

EXPLAIN EACH: PARTNER PRACTICE A -Work as a team

B - Everyone is a genius

A- Depend on each other to be funny

B- Don’t ask a lot of questions

A- No clipping

B - Stay on topic

Both- deny Never say no or

WARM UP: PARK WALK Students will mingle about the mingle zone normally as if they are walking in a park. Students will select ONE student of whom they are terrified another whom they absolutely cherish. This will remain an absolute secret. Each time a student passes the student they find scary, they react strongly, until they are in a safer space, away from the student whom they find scary. Each time a student passes the student whom they adore, they react as well, trying to become closer to that student… https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=4 x 35 hqk. G 3 bo

ACTIVITY: DOORBELL A door will be placed on the ‘stage’. One student will answer the door, one student will ring the doorbell. Each student must think of a character. Examples: a hyper-active child, a older person hard of hearing, a crazy person. The student ringing the doorbell, must be invited into the home. The game ends when this happens. Do not be too stubborn! Let’s review the improv rules

JIMMY FALLON WORD SNEAK Two students will take the stage Each student will be given a card with a word written on it The student will incorporate the word into dialogue The audience will see the word as well Let’s take a look https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=9 n. BBg. D 0 q 6 r. A

WARM UP BALL TOSS 1. The teacher will throw a “ball” to someone in the circle. 2. The ball will have a specific quality: squeaky, sticky, noisy, etc. The actor who catches the ball, must catch it in the same way it was thrown. Once caught, the actor must change the quality and throw it in a whole new way.

EXAGGERATION ACTIVITY Students wills stand in a circle in the mingle zone. One student will begin with a small expression, like a mild cough. The next student will take it up a notch. The third student will take it up even more, and the cough will grow and grow as it travels around the circle.

PERSONALITY TAXI Using four chairs, we will make a taxi. � One driver will be established. � One actor will enter the taxi with an extreme personality or attitude (a 10) : shy, hyper, anxious, etc… � The driver will pull over every few moments to pick up a new rider. The new rider will also have an extreme personality or attitude. The original passengers will always assume the newest personality or attitude. � Actors are constantly moving in and out of the taxi. � Be careful not to get into a shouting match. The audience will quickly lose interest…. � We will then count off in threes so everyone can �

EXAMPLE OF ATTITUDES/PERSONALITIES Anxious, apologetic, athletic, paranoid, too cool, creepy, depressed, ditzy, embarrassed, tired, picky, flirtatious, hateful, heart-broken, hyper, jealous, jolly, lazy, kind, confused, shy, supportive, whiny. NEVER act as if you are a specific race or religion. This can be very insulting.

QUIZ Define the word improvisation Please write the seven rules of improvisation and carefully explain each. Write in complete sentences. The rules do not need to be in order. Each rule should be about 3 sentences long.

OBJECT CIRCLE WARM-UP Students will make a circle in the mingle zone. An object will be passed around the circle. Each actor will develop a specific way the object can be used that is creative and unique. Do not copy another student; think on your toes and be prepared.

OBSTACLES For this game, three actors will go to the stage. One actor will be chased (IN PLACE) by the other two. As the actor runs away, he or she creates obstacles that the chasers must encounter: tunnels, stairs, hurdles, tightropes, etc… Let’s take a look…

OBSTACLES EXAMPLE http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=y. Ea. Aj. Jj. K 5 Sw

WALKING WARM UP Students will mingle about the classroom in a neutral state. The teacher will call out a ‘way’ to specifically walk. Actors will walk in such a way that demonstrates the description from the teacher. Pg. 165

PASS THE OBJECT WARM UP Actors sit in a circle. An object will be passed around the circle. The object will take on different qualities. As it is received, the actors must respond, acting out the qualities in the best way they can! For example, it’s hot, it’s heavy, it’s muddy…

SUPER HEROES For the next activity we are going to advance to superheroes; we will watch an example on the popular show, “Whose Line is it Anyway? ”. In one scene you will watch, there is a reference to a famous choreographer, Bob Fosse. Let’s take a look.

SUPERHEROES Magnet man Mesmerized by moving objects man Bob Fosse Kid Chain Saw massacre boy…

BOB FOSSE

EXAMPLE OF SUPERHEROES Magnet Man http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=ks 2 d. Xs. M 9 Is 4&feature=related Cut out a bit early. http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=29 ux. LWU Ow. Ew

RULES TO SUPERHEROES Four students will be selected for each scene. The audience will call out a crisis, then the name of a random superhero. Superhero #1 will enter the stage, facing the designated crisis. He/she will act a few moments before calling upon a superhero friend. The first superhero names the second superhero and so on. Remember – always be appropriate. No mention of body types, race, religion, bathroom words, etc. . Follow the 7 rules of improv for a great scene!

QUESTIONS ONLY Two students will perform a scene, but the hitch is that they may only speak to each other in QUESTIONS! If a player makes a statement, that is not a question, he or she is out, and a new player will replace him or her. For example…

EXAMPLES FOR QUESTIONS ONLY Did you see that crazy bird? Why are you asking me about a bird? Won’t you just answer my question? Where was the bird? Were you standing near the tree? Why would I be standing near a tree? Do you like arbor day? Have you ever planted a tree? Did you know Christmas trees are

TALK OR DROP Six students will stand in a row. A topic will be established by the audience. The class will think of a topic. Race, violence, religion are off limits. When the teacher points to a student in the row, he or she must talk about the topic without stopping. The teacher will call out freeze and point to a new student in the row. The new student may not repeat the words of the first student, nor may he/she pause or hesitate.

Freeze Tag (This is advanced) Four students, after being put into positions by the teacher, will begin to act, using much physical movement; suddenly, the teacher will call out “freeze!” Each member of the group freezes in place, and may not move a muscle. Four new actors enter the scene, taking the exact positions of four original members. The four new students must act out a whole different scene, from the same ending point as the first four actors. Again, the teacher will call out freeze!

SONG CIRCLE WARM-UP Actors will stand in a circle in the mingle zone. One actor will step forward and sing a few lines from a song EVERYONE knows. When the actor begins to struggle, another actor jumps into the circle and sings a different song. Again, when the actor begins to struggle, a third actor will jump in to help out….

SONG CIRCLE EXAMPLE http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=TCzu. C 9 Q ku 9 E

LITTLE VOICE One actor will take the stage. Another actor will sit off stage and take on the voice of an object within the scene. A member of the audience will suggest a setting. The two actors will interact with one another to create a scene within the suggested setting. Actors will then break into partners to act out 2 teacher designated settings. https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=0 OX 626_l. Af. U

ALIEN, TIGER, COW WARM-UP For this warm up actors will stand in a circle. Each actor will demonstrate one of the following characters: Alien, tiger, or cow. This will be demonstrated with a specific gesture. The teacher will count off, “ 3, 2, 1!” Each actor will gesture at the same time. The game is won when the entire class does the same character…

EXAMPLE OF ALIEN, TIGER, COW https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Ue. UUHd 4 b. QBQ

REVIEW We have been working on accepting suggestions from teammates and working together to develop improv scenes. Please tell your home base partner the #1 rule in improv acting and how it works exactly.

WARM UP PRESENTS Actors will stand in a circle in the mingle zone. The first actor will pantomime an object and give it to the next actor. The actor who receives the object, while making eye contact, will say, “Oh a _____. Thank you. ” The same actor will then pantomime a new object and give in to the next actor in the circle and so on. This is a great way to practice the improv

WARM UP PRESENTS http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=w. Y 1 i. W 0 ih z. WI

THE YEARBOOK GAME Divide into teams of 4 -5. Actors think of the name of a unique school club. Actors have a few minutes to prepare a stilllife photo of their club picture. Actors will pose, frozen in a tableau, for their club picture. The picture must express the personality of the club. Vary gestures, facial expressions, body-

IDEAS FOR CLUBS Safari Club, Cooking Club, Bad Hair Day Club, Grandmother Appreciation Club, Wanna-Be Club, Anti. Social Club, Goth Club, Anger -Management Club, Lion Lovers Club, Detention Club.

DOING CHORES – WARM UP Actors will stand in a circle the mingle zone One actor will enter the circle and perform a recognizable task in pantomime: washing dishes, sweeping, etc. . Another actor who understands the scene, will join in to help perform the task A third and fourth actor will join in to help perform the task, for a maximum of 4. At the end, a small group of actors will all be acting out the same activity working as a team and accepting roles and ideas. Several groups will perform for the class.

PARTNER ACTIVITY 15 POINTS You and your partner will come up with three improv activities, five points each. Follow these instructions: A. Write out the objective for each B. Name the game with a title C. Explain the rules of the game in 5 sentences D. Keep the improv rules in mind E. Due at the end of class

TODAY 1. Revisit your 3 improv games 2. Present all 3 ideas to your partnering group 3. Partnering group will select their favorite 4. The favorite will be presented to the class. Give your paper to the teacher after presenting. 5. The teacher will choose the best of the class

TYPEWRITER One student will be the typewriter/narrator, typing the ‘script’ and narrating what is happening. Four students will perform exactly what the typist/narrator describes. There will be a simple conflict/resolution. Scenes will last about 60 seconds. The best stories are fairy-tale like. Follow the 7 rules of improv and accept all suggestions. Remember- If Disney doesn’t do it, we don’t do it.

HOME BASE PARTNER WRAP-UP Please reflect on the following questions 1. How does an activity like typewriter improve acting skills. Think of 3 specific ideas. 2. What is the value of accepting suggestions (even though you feel you may have a better idea). 3. When should an actor attempt to change up a scene or situation in improv? Is it ever helpful?

COMBINING OBJECTS EXTENSION Students will make a circle in the mingle zone. Several objects will be placed in the center. The teacher will call on students to enter the circle and use two or more objects TOGETHER in a creative way. New students will enter the circle, using improvisation to act out how different objects can be used.

NO HANDS Two actors work together on the stage Actor A is designated as the speaker; the speaker must hide his or her hands behind his or her back. Actor B hides behind actor A, with his or her hands sticking out and visible. The audience selects a topic for a story, and the speaker tells the story to the audience. Actor B gestures the entire story as it is being told.

NO HANDS – YOUTUBE TUTORIAL One actor will sit in a chair describing a stage make-up routine. The tutorial will explain each step of the make-up application. The actor sitting behind will apply the makeup based on the description throughout the tutorial. Hair can also be styled if there is time… Now let’s watch an example

STAGE MAKE UP EXAMPLE: YOUTUBE https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Jjk 9 g. DS 8 rxg

RUMORS WARM - UP Actors will stand in a circle. One actor will start by asking the actor directly to the right if he or she has heard a specific rumor. The rumor will be topic appropriate. The actor receiving the question will ACCEPT (rule #7) the rumor and will build onto it with more detail. Then the same actor starts a new rumor that will also move to the right….

RUMORS EXAMPLE https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=uekq. IDS n 1 CE

FOUR CORNERS ASSESSMENT Actors will organize a group of four. Each pair of actors standing in the front, will be given a scene by the audience. The actors will incorporate the seven rules of improvisation as they perform a scene. When the teacher calls out ‘rotate’, new students will move to the front, acting out a brand new scene.

RUBRIC: 40 POINTS Follows the 7 rules of improv Cheating Out Focus and Concentration Articulation and projection Notes: Total /40 /10 /10

LET’S ANALYZE Now that you have seen a model for how to perform the four corners, let’s discuss what improvements could be made. With your partner, discuss: 1. Did each team member accept suggestions? What improvements could have been made? 2. Did each partnership follow the 7 rules to help build the scenes? If not, how could the scenes be improved?

ASSESSMENT PRACTICE We are going to break into groups of four and practice our assessment of four corners. Please rotate through the square and practice the following scenes. Your actual assessment will be audience suggestions.

GROUP A RUBRIC PRACTICE Old folks home going on a field trip Eating a hot pepper Getting ready to jump from a plane Giving CPR to a dying lizard

GROUP PRACTICE Doing the Beanboozle challenge Two cowboys visiting a big city for the first time Two grandpas playing golf Teaching a nervous turtle how to run in a race

ASSESSMENT Student is focused, quiet, and ready at all times Student is in character at all times Student smiles while performing Student knows his or her lines very well

PERIOD 7 1. Crystal ball 17. Make Do not Feed Birds sign 2. Sew and paint sails 3. Headpieces 4. Ursula Make Up 5. Mersister Make Up 6. Embellish Flounder 7. Trident 9. Embellish Ship 10. Embellish Mersisters 11. Design poor unfortunate souls 12. Sew two long waves 13. Jelly fish 14. Cover rocks with moss 15. Sort out chef/sailor costumes/accessories

PLAN 1. Mrs. Rerucha cleans up issues in ACT 2. Gabe and Natalie understudies. 2. Mrs. Weimer works with Troy and Bill vocals. Also works on grassland skirts 3. Crew finishes blackout process 4. Mrs. Mead works with Cullen for Mourning Song