Just as in any physical activity involving teamwork, it helps to warm up before performing improv. There are a lot of reasons for this, which run the gamut from settling nerves to boosting energy to getting everyone on the same page. This last one is really important for an ensemble, especially when the various actors haven't worked much with each other.
There are dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of warm-ups used by improv troupes, theater groups, and others before practice and shows. And luckily for improvisers around the world, many improv games focus directly on getting participants on the same page mentally. One such game is "7 Things."
7 Things is a game in which one team member requests another team member confidently decalre 7 "truthful" things about a given subject. It is important to note that everything declared in improv is true, especially in a game like this. No matter what is said, even if it doesn't make any sense at all, the rest of the group acts like it is the most genius thing they've heard. Between each statement, every claps once and counts the number out loud.
It goes something like this:
Alice: Bob, tell me 7 things you know about icicles.
Bob: They're cold!
Everyone: *CLAPS* One!
Bob: They're pointy!
Everyone: *CLAPS* Two!
Bob: I like to eat them.
Everyone: *CLAPS* Three!
Bob: They make great weapons.
Everyone: *CLAPS* Four!
Bob: If you kill someone with one, you'll get away with it because the cops'll never find the murder weapon!
Everyone: *CLAPS* Five!
Bob: I don't recommend killing anyone.
Everyone: *CLAPS* Six!
Bob: Life is precious and shouldn't be squandered away so flippantly. Damn you icicle! Damn you!
Everyone: *CLAPS* Seven!
At this point, Bob would select a new teammate and choose a new word. More on that in a second.
First, let's talk about the Priming Effect.
In cognitive psychology, the word priming can mean a number of things. For the purposes of this blog, I am focused on the wide notion of priming as the introduction of stimuli producing specific patterns in memory. In particular, semantic priming, in which one word is quickly triggered from a similar or related stimulus word, feeds into much of what we do in improv. For example, the word dog is much more quickly when primed with cat than with car, sky is triggered from blue rather than yellow (which triggers banana more quickly than blue).
Why is this important?
In improv, patterns emerge. When a team is really in sync, there are patterns all over the place and good improvisers know how to capitalize on key moments to create something magical.
Improvisers are often taught to think A to C. That is, A makes me think of B, which makes me think of C. So, when an audience member shouts, "BANANA!" for a one word suggestion, the ensemble isn't doing three scenes about a banana, a monkey, and a monkey with a banana. Rather, an improviser is trained to think, "Banana makes me think of monkeys, which makes me think of getting picked on in school for having big ears." Another might think, "Banana makes me think of a large penis, which makes me think of how I can never audition to be in porn." And yet another may think, "Banana makes me think of something yellow with brown spots, which makes me think of going on an African safari tour." Now the audience gets to see 3 drastically different scenes all from a single suggestion.
And in some cases, especially in improv, you see repeats of primed ideas crop up over and over.
Let's go back to our scene and see for ourselves. This time, it's Bob's turn to pick someone new:
Bob: Carl, tell me 7 things you know about cheese.
Carl: It's cold!
Everyone: *CLAPS* One!
Carl: It's pointy!
Everyone: *CLAPS* Two!
Carl: I like to eat it.
Everyone: *CLAPS* Three!
Carl: It makes a great toothpaste.
Everyone: *CLAPS* Four!
Carl: If you brush your teeth with cheese, you'll get away anything because no one will want to talk to you.
Everyone: *CLAPS* Five!
Carl: I don't recommend brushing your teeth with cheese.
Everyone: *CLAPS* Six!
Carl: Your teeth are nice and shouldn't be treated so poorly, damn it!
Everyone: *CLAPS* Seven!
As you can see, Carl paid close attention and some clear patterns emerged. Ok, ok. I know I forced this one a bit, but priming does create patterns in improv because the brain is already prepped (er... primed) to connect the dots between like funny ideas. If Carl chooses a new word for Dee, and she comes out with "It's cold," and "I like to eat it," the team is really in sync and sure to a great show.
There are dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of warm-ups used by improv troupes, theater groups, and others before practice and shows. And luckily for improvisers around the world, many improv games focus directly on getting participants on the same page mentally. One such game is "7 Things."
7 Things is a game in which one team member requests another team member confidently decalre 7 "truthful" things about a given subject. It is important to note that everything declared in improv is true, especially in a game like this. No matter what is said, even if it doesn't make any sense at all, the rest of the group acts like it is the most genius thing they've heard. Between each statement, every claps once and counts the number out loud.
It goes something like this:
Alice: Bob, tell me 7 things you know about icicles.
Bob: They're cold!
Everyone: *CLAPS* One!
Bob: They're pointy!
Everyone: *CLAPS* Two!
Bob: I like to eat them.
Everyone: *CLAPS* Three!
Bob: They make great weapons.
Everyone: *CLAPS* Four!
Bob: If you kill someone with one, you'll get away with it because the cops'll never find the murder weapon!
Everyone: *CLAPS* Five!
Bob: I don't recommend killing anyone.
Everyone: *CLAPS* Six!
Bob: Life is precious and shouldn't be squandered away so flippantly. Damn you icicle! Damn you!
Everyone: *CLAPS* Seven!
At this point, Bob would select a new teammate and choose a new word. More on that in a second.
First, let's talk about the Priming Effect.
In cognitive psychology, the word priming can mean a number of things. For the purposes of this blog, I am focused on the wide notion of priming as the introduction of stimuli producing specific patterns in memory. In particular, semantic priming, in which one word is quickly triggered from a similar or related stimulus word, feeds into much of what we do in improv. For example, the word dog is much more quickly when primed with cat than with car, sky is triggered from blue rather than yellow (which triggers banana more quickly than blue).
Why is this important?
In improv, patterns emerge. When a team is really in sync, there are patterns all over the place and good improvisers know how to capitalize on key moments to create something magical.
Improvisers are often taught to think A to C. That is, A makes me think of B, which makes me think of C. So, when an audience member shouts, "BANANA!" for a one word suggestion, the ensemble isn't doing three scenes about a banana, a monkey, and a monkey with a banana. Rather, an improviser is trained to think, "Banana makes me think of monkeys, which makes me think of getting picked on in school for having big ears." Another might think, "Banana makes me think of a large penis, which makes me think of how I can never audition to be in porn." And yet another may think, "Banana makes me think of something yellow with brown spots, which makes me think of going on an African safari tour." Now the audience gets to see 3 drastically different scenes all from a single suggestion.
And in some cases, especially in improv, you see repeats of primed ideas crop up over and over.
Let's go back to our scene and see for ourselves. This time, it's Bob's turn to pick someone new:
Bob: Carl, tell me 7 things you know about cheese.
Carl: It's cold!
Everyone: *CLAPS* One!
Carl: It's pointy!
Everyone: *CLAPS* Two!
Carl: I like to eat it.
Everyone: *CLAPS* Three!
Carl: It makes a great toothpaste.
Everyone: *CLAPS* Four!
Carl: If you brush your teeth with cheese, you'll get away anything because no one will want to talk to you.
Everyone: *CLAPS* Five!
Carl: I don't recommend brushing your teeth with cheese.
Everyone: *CLAPS* Six!
Carl: Your teeth are nice and shouldn't be treated so poorly, damn it!
Everyone: *CLAPS* Seven!
As you can see, Carl paid close attention and some clear patterns emerged. Ok, ok. I know I forced this one a bit, but priming does create patterns in improv because the brain is already prepped (er... primed) to connect the dots between like funny ideas. If Carl chooses a new word for Dee, and she comes out with "It's cold," and "I like to eat it," the team is really in sync and sure to a great show.
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