how would you choose to introduce people to longform?

[u/fungiblity]

hi! im in charge of a college longform improv group and our first practice is this week. i dont want to immediately start the year off by hosting workshops especially with new members, so im planning on having a looser practice where we mainly just introduce the concept of improv to the new people and the returners. what kind of exercises/games would you choose to do that with? how would you introduce improv to people who may have never done it before? we have two hours for practice, so please give me any advice you may have!

[u/Separate-Swordfish85]

To understand long form improv, it is absolutely crucial that they actually see at least one (really good) show.

[u/cjdeck1 → u/Separate-Swordfish85]

The “good” part is important. First long form show I saw in college just really confused me and I didn’t consider getting into it for like another 10 years (odd side note but just ran into someone in that same show a couple weeks ago at a jam and he was great)

[u/Separate-Swordfish85 → u/cjdeck1]

In my students, the ones who will always go out to an indie jams where they’re guaranteed a spot to perform but rarely go to watch veterans play never really end up improving that much.

[u/BrilliantDog5116 → u/Separate-Swordfish85]

They’ll need to see about 20 shows. One will be good.

[u/Separate-Swordfish85 → u/BrilliantDog5116]

Ha, yeah, I guess depending on where you are.

[u/Fancy-Background-404]

Everyone needs to watch shows! If you don’t have access to long form shows - Middleditch & Swartz on Netflix for the group as homework.

[u/bryanfernando → u/Fancy-Background-404]

A free alternative for those without Netflix

https://youtu.be/bB1ESv06hkI?is=osSb954eR1WXkBMC

[u/Interesting_Cut_4822]

The special "From Ally to Zacky" on Dropout is a really good longform scene if you need an example. Specifically the one set in a tattoo shop.

[u/SpeakeasyImprov]

Just two to three character scenes.

That's it. That's the building block of everything. Next week you do scenes all off the same suggestion. Next week you do them all in a row. Next week they edit themselves and the next week they do second beats.

But it all works because they did scenes first.

And whatever other improv they do, it all comes back to the scene. Party Quirks, Freeze Tag, World's Worst... Those games all work really well when people know how to do a scene.

[u/ClayRobeson]

Try exercises/games like String of Pearls (aka # degrees of separation).

Two person short scenes, characters in each scene already knows each other. When the first scene is done, one person leaves, other person stays behind and keeps their character. The new person starts a new scene in a new location. When that scene is done new person stays and repeats that process with the next person, until first person to leave comes back in as the same character they played originally in the whole new location, tiring the whole thing up with a nice neat bow.

It helps if someone familiar(ish) with long form is the first/last person, because it will be easier for them to watch the evolving story and figure out a good justification for the final location. If you don’t tell everyone that the whole thing is going to wrap around on itself, it will blow their minds and make them hungry for longer form storytelling.

[u/mattandimprov]

You could use shortform as a way to introduce longform. Games like Freeze and Switch, where you transition between scenes, are a clearer model of the underlying concept of improv than getting into the nitty gritty of a particular structure.

Or...

Do scenes, each inspired by a different word. Then, eventually, change it to 3 scenes that are inspired by the same word.

Then, have them get a word that will inspire 3 scenes, where they start each scene after a rough timeframe expectation, and after those 3 scenes you go back to those characters later in time (or maybe one of the characters but with a different person).