Improvising is inventing and creating content spontaneously. It's a great way to generate new ideas and for creating and developing characters, using a variety of useful techniques.
Watch this clip from the BBC improvisational comedy show, Fast and Loose. Answer the questions then check your responses against the sample answers.
Question
What has to happen before the improvised game can begin?
Before the game begins, the host has to give the actors a scenario to perform. In this case they are given a location which is a booby-trapped tomb, characters who are Indiana Jones and his sidekick, and a situation which is a confrontation with a giant zombie.
Question
If you had to give the actors the scenario, which genres or styles could you have asked them to use in their improvisation?
There are many styles and genres the actors could have been asked to use. They could have chosen a horror genre as the zombie is a common motif in these kinds of stories. Comedy is also an obvious choice when using monsters or fictional characters in a piece. They could also have played it as a slapstick silent movie scene or even as a Musical theatre piece, completely in song.
Question
Which skills do the ‘rewind’ and ‘forward’ exercises help develop in an actor?
The ‘rewind’ and ‘forward’ exercises help with physical and vocal recall. They also help improve precision and continuity skills so the actor can remember sequences and do the same thing again and again in the same way.
Question
How does this game help the actor develop a rapport with the other performers?
The game helps develop listening and responding skills as well as helping the actor to be supportive to the other performers.
