Not a super fan of a scene? Don’t sweep it under the rug – you may want to forget about it but the audience may not be able to. Better then to double down on it. Use the Help Desk dynamic to heighten the interaction and turn a “not great” initial scene into the base of a beautiful run of collaborative pattern play.
That’s what The Johnsons do.
Boldly choose. Boldly commit. Accept everything your scene partner says and does. Accepting doesn’t mean you have to like it, but you have to allow it to happen – and to repeat.
Commit. Push forward. And you’ll find yourself on the other end.
Stopping forward momentum to discuss, argue or otherwise conflict will kill you as all your scene’s (and the audience’s) focus is on “what do we not understand.”
Commit. Believe and see. And you’ll kill it (rather than the other way around).
Tertiary Player Good Faith Mantra – I will only enter a scene in progress to serve what has already been established.
If you’re entering a scene in progress, that scene is not about you. If you Walk On, you should only do so to heighten a reaction already perceived in the scene – feed a character’s personal game or characters’ scenic game.
And if there’s one Walk On, one should be looking to do more. Be sure to find the rhythm of entering – don’t rush to be the 2nd Walk On, wait for the heigtening of the moment that proceeded the 1st. Make each other look good.
That’s what The Johnsons do.
Don’t let why keep you from following how. You don’t have to decipher what you just saw, you just have to repeat and heighten it.
And I so love when The Johnson’s do something like this that I have to showcase it even if the video cuts off the width of the stage show. I’m sorry – it’s improv; you had to be there.
On a smaller scale…
effortless…
purer(?)
Click and Watch This: Kids Boldly Following
I (and the audience) loved this show from The Johnsons. It’s a terrific showcase for their ability to find and build scenes together as an ensemble.
The Johnsons are: Scott Beckett, Shawn Hambright, Townsend Hart, John Hilowitz, Jonathan Nelson, Lauren Serpa and Alan Vollmer
Exercise for practicing building organic group games collaboratively and ensuring everyone steps up to participate. Continue reading
MY THREE RULES – Everyone in a circle. Here are my three rules.
Have a player start with one of the rules. Guaranteed, the first time they play, they’ll use “my rules” but will not be thinking at all about establishing any rules for when to deploy each move. Continue reading
Want to see a Pivot in action? Watch this Organic Group Game from the Johnsons.