Improvising successfully
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Never âblockâ. This means if another actor throws you an idea, donât refuse it, but explore by reacting to it in role. A key to successful improvisation is for all actors to accept rather than block the ideas of others.
You may have a different idea about where you would like the scene to go, but if you can respond to new ideas and react in the moment, you may discover something interesting that you hadnât thought of before.
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Stay open. Experiment, play, and respond generously in role to the ideas of others.
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Let go. Try to turn off the part of your brain which might judge yourself negatively. There is no right or wrong when exploring spontaneously. If you can be imaginative and enjoy the process then creativity will be the result. Itâs a time to try out new ideas, however strange or outlandish they may seem! Some of the best ideas come from âmistakes.â
The National Theatre used improvisation in rehearsals for the award winning show, One Man, Two Guvnors, even though they were working from a script. This clip shows actor, Daniel Rigby improvising from the script in rehearsals. Note the freedom which is given to explore new ideas (subtitles are available).
Practise your improvisation skills
Answer the question then check your response against the sample answer.
Question
Take one of the ideas suggested earlier and think about an improvisation piece based on a group of characters discussing the poor rates they are paid. They decide to do something about it. Put that statement at the centre of a simple diagram and think of different ways that you could develop an improvisation.