As improvisers, we learn that having things in our head when we step off the backline into a scene is a bad thing. It’s something we’re taught when we begin to improvise because for the beginner who is looking for a safety line on stage, a preconceived idea or thought can derail the teamwork critical in improvisation.
An improviser who walks into a scene with an unbendable agenda will always bowl over his/her scene partners and often create a big mess. The problem, however, isn’t that they have walked into the scene with an idea or a preconceived thought… it is that they are not listening, not reacting, and not paying attention to what’s happening around them.
When you step off the backline and into a scene, there are two things that can help you tremendously and give you and your scene partners power: character and point of view, or a simple motivation. Regardless of anything else, knowing your character and their motivation or point of view from before a word is spoken will give you tremendous power and presence in a scene. How many scenes have we sat through or been in where everything in the scene is timid and uncertain? It’s painful to watch and feels like you can’t breath when it’s your scene. But if you KNOW what you want, if you KNOW who your character is, what their motivation is, what makes them cry or laugh, or run, then you have tools to react to anything that happens.
Recently I had this happen to me in a scene in Dark Matter at Go Comedy! I made a strong choice at the top of a scene that my character would not talk. He was a musical savant of some sort and words weren’t as powerful as music. The scene was going well and then I altered the character, spoke, and felt the scene take a change that was less strong than sticking with my first choice. My scene partner, the amazing Matt Naas, and I worked the scene out… but the choice of character was strong at the top and gave me a place to react to whatever Matt gave me, and gave him something to react to and build upon.
When you come off the line with perspective, and with power, you can react to anything that happens and fill it with motivation, purpose and direction. It gives you and your scene partners power in a scene and provides additional framework for relationships, circumstances, and dialogue. It’s not clinging to an agenda or a topic, or an idea, it’s clinging to a character, a motivation, and perspective that makes you a stronger improviser off the back line. And don’t be afraid of silence, quietness, and stillness. Power doesn’t mean loud and angry. Making the decision to REALLY BE something or someone… loud and verbose or quite and mousy… gives you strength on stage, and if you have that sense of strength, your partner and the audience will be with you.
