Tag Archives: chaos

Dec 1

Zoom In On Hey Everybody

“Hey, Everybody,” we say as our initiation in some form. Maybe it’s “Team, take a knee,” “Soldiers. Attention!,” or the Zhubin Parang special, “People, people, [important person] is ready for your questions.”

The potential for trouble in a “Hey Everybody, get out here” initiation is high. Players may rush out on stage to support the initiation with disparate reactions that then battle for dominance; chaos ensues and awkwardness follows. Or, though players may rush out on stage to support the initiation, they await to take their cues from the initiator who becomes the facilitator in a stiff and slow series of interactions that typically revolves more around thinking and problem solving than feeling.  Hey Everybody game mechanics allow a group to quickly build a focused direction out of disparate parts.

The Keys to success following a “Hey Everybody” initiation are:

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Dec 29

Macaroni Lovers Anonymous Hey Everybody group game

Don’t solve problems in improv. If there’s a fire on stage we want to throw gas on it, not water.

A lot of group games start with problem statements. “We need to…” “Let’s figure out…” “Brainstorm time!” The problem with problems is that when we’re focused on working up a solution we too often deprioritize emotional in-the-moment reactions which in improv are always more powerful that clever dialogue.

Hey Everybody mechanics keep us focused on heightening patterns of emotional behavior, helping us to exacerbate problems instead of alleviating them. 

Want proof? Watch this.


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May 1

1.7 – Hey Everybody Games

HEY EVERYBODY!

How do you focus a Ten Person game?

Step right up. Step right up.
I want to ride the roller coaster.
You’re too short to ride this ride.
See the two-headed boy for two dollars.
I’m afraid of clowns.
I ate too much cotton candy.
Where can I buy beer?
I’m on mushrooms.
Don’t miss Smash Mouth at the amphitheater.
Hey, baby, want me to win that whale for you?
I’m pregnant.

We have ten different perspectives. We didn’t build with collective agreement to focus ten players into a One, Two or Three Person scene.

We have ten different perspectives on ten different things. While we’ve expanded the environment of a carnival, we Continue reading →

Jan 27

Hey Everybody Game exercise

Hey Everybody Games:  The potential for trouble in a “Hey Everybody, get out here” initiation is high. Players may rush out on stage to support the initiation with disparate reactions that then battle for dominance; chaos ensues and awkwardness follows. Or, though players may rush out on stage to support the initiation, they await to take their cues from the initiator who becomes the facilitator in a stiff and slow series of interactions that typically revolves more around thinking than feeling.  Hey Everybody game mechanics allow a group to quickly build a focused direction out of disparate parts.

Suggested Exercises:

HEY EVERYBODY – A player initiates to bring a crowd on stage; “Team, take a knee.”  Players join and players make choices quickly in succession – reacting, agreeing, emoting – to establish the sequence of contribution.  The initiating player restarts the next sequence by heightening through the filter of their initiation.  Players contribute in the order of the initiating sequence, heightening through their personal filter.

Lessons:

  • Don’t wait; react – wait and nothing will happen or you’ll be stuck negotiating.  The sooner a player reacts, the sooner they’re taken care of, and there’s one less player to “figure out.”
  • Facilitate, don’t dictate – the game’s facilitator is just another player, who happened to start the scene.  The facilitator can and should find a personal filter and not feel the need to speak any more than anyone else.
  • Play your part – trust that if you continue heightening through your personal filter at your established place in the group’s sequence then an edit will be found.  You may not be “the funny one” this time, but your consistency will allow what is funny to pop.

Variations:

  • For more than contrived scenes – any scene where a group needs to focus chaos can be aided by Hey Everybody dynamics.  Have one player initiate a scene with a Self Contained Emotional Statement and have a crowd join that scene quickly, and quickly establishing a sequence of contributions.  Restarting and repeating a sequence of contributions can focus even the most disparate parts.