ACCEPTING Embracing the offers made by other players i
n order to advance the scene.
ACTION The physica
l element to a scene.
ADVANCING The process of
moving the scene forwards.
ASK FOR The request f
or a suggestion or a question asked of the audience in orde
r to start a scene.
ASSHOLE 1) Any former male m
ember of the group who left on bad terms. 2) Anyone disl
iked by the group at that particular moment.
AUDIENT 1) A single member of the audience. 2) A volunteer f
or a scene which involves the person to be on stage.
BAD HABITS Things to avoid. Bad habits are too innumera
ble to list. They are easy to fall into as a beginner and c
an be stopped by the experienced members of the group helpin
g you.
BEAT 1) A unit of action in a scene. A sc
ene is made up of a series of beats. 2) The pause befor
e a punchline.
BIT An individual piece usually p
re-existing which is incorporated into a scene. Bad when ju
st playing scenes, good when working on skits through improv
and the players know it's coming.
BLANK When you
cease to function on stage. Not a good thing to happen to yo
u. You'll know the look on others when it happens to them.
BLOCKING Rejecting information or ideas offered by
another player. One of the most common problems experienced b
y new improvisers.
BREAKING THE ROUTINE Interrupt
ing an action with another action in order to advance the sc
ene.
BURN On-stage cutting down of a fellow playe
r who is getting arrogant, not carrying their own weight with
in the group, or just being a general butt-head. This incl
udes giving them quasi-embarrassing suggestions, overly phys
ical scenes, or just verbally destroying them. It's the equ
ivalent of a public spanking. Don't overdo it or you wil
l run the player off.
CANCELING Making a previo
us action irrelevant. Once an action has been canceled, it's
as if it hadn't happened at all. Usually a bad idea.
C
HARM The quality that makes an audience enjoy watching a pl
ayer.
COMMENTING Stepping out of the reality of the
scene by saying or doing something that refers to the fact th
at it's a scene being played. Also refers to "playing" an emo
tion rather than feeling it. Should be avoided, though used s
paringly it can sometimes be effective.
COMPLEMENTING
OFFER An offer that meshes well with what's already gone be
fore (and usually enhances it in some way).
CONDUCTING
When the Host sits at the lip of the stage and points at th
e players when it's their turn. i.e. Story Story Die, Pet
Peeve Symphony.
CONFLICT Many (but not all!) scenes
are about a conflict of some sort. If there's no conflict, th
e scene may still be truthful but somewhat dull.
CONTE
XT The broader setting for the scene (political, social, et
c).
CRACK UP To break up laughing while playing a s
cene. Usually not a good thing to do.
DAZZLE Doing
something on-stage which impresses the other players.
DENIAL See "blocking".
DICK See 'Asshole'.
DING The ringing of the bell.
DRIVING Taking ov
er a scene and not letting other performers influence its dire
ction. Makes you an unpopular improviser and an asshole.
ENDOWING Assigning attributes to another performer's ch
aracter.
ESTABLISHING AN ENVIRONMENT The creation o
f the scene environment through physical movement and verbaliz
ation.
EXPLORE AND HEIGHTEN To take an idea and see
where it leads, exploring its natural consequences while
simultaneously raising the stakes.
EXTENDING Taking
an idea and letting it become the central theme of the scene.
FOCUS The audience's attention should only be in one
place at any given time; that place (or person) is the "focus"
of the scene. If more than one thing is going on simultaneously,
the focus is split. Experienced improvisers will smoothly share
focus, less experienced improvisers often steal or
reject focus.
GAGGING Trying to make a joke
or do something funny that doesn't flow naturally from
the scene. Always a bad idea.
GIBBERISH A nonsense
language.
GIG A booked show.
GOSSIP Talking about things instead of doing them within a scene.
Also, talking about things that are offstage or in the past or future.
HANDLE The premise for a scene or game.
HEDGING Making small talk instead of engaging in action.
HOST The Host(s) choose what games are being played, who plays them, does the setups, and conducts . Use two or three during a show.
IMPROV ZONE, THE A state of mind which transcends the traditional improv mindset. Instinct takes over and you kick ass in everything you do. Because you are "in the moment", it is common to have little or no recollection of shows performed while in The Zone. This is what improvisers seek to attain. Similar to The Force.
INCORPORATE Adopting mid-scene host suggestions into the scene.
INFORMATION OVERLOAD Introducing too much information into the scene, making it difficult or impossible to ever find a satisfying ending that resolves everything.
INSTANT TROUBLE Making an offer that introduces a problem or conflict but that doesn't relate to the narrative of the scene prior to that point (see "Offer from space").
INTERACTIVE THEATRE Any form of theatre in which the audience is not a passive performer. Encompasses a range of different styles, ranging from "spot" improv to loosely-scripted stories such as murder mysteries or faux events (e.g. Tony and Tina's Wedding).
IN-THE-MOMENT In tuned with the scene with zero preconceived thoughts. Very good.
MAKING THE SAVE When an endowment scene is coming to a grinding halt, an actor does a quick walk-on to provide a hint or end the scene on a high note, thus "making the save".
MASKING (Theatre term: Blocking) Standing in a place where you can't be seen properly, or in such a way that you're hiding someone else or some important action. Should be avoided.
MC The person(s) who does the show's intros and closings.
MECHANICS The basic components and sequences which comprise the basic games. Master these and you can play anything.
MIMING The physical acting out of an action which uses imaginary objects
MINDSET A performance mode of thinking which relies on instinct, energy, skill, and craft rather than conventional thought.
MOVEMENT Exaggerated physicalization for scenes which require them, i.e. Freeze Tag.
MUGGING Making silly faces instead of reacting truthfully. Generally frowned upon.
NAILED IT Playing a scene correctly with excellent results.
NAMING Identifying characters, objects, places and so forth in the scene.
NARRATIVE The story told by a scene. Scenes should have a clear beginning, middle and end.
NEGATIVES See: Blocking, Canceling, Crack up, Denial, Driving, Gagging, Hedging, Information overload, Instant trouble, Masking, Mugging, Offer from space, Petering out, Refusing, Shelving, Stealing, Thinking, Waffling, Wanking, Wimping. If you do any of the above excessively, you may get tortured, burned, and/or considered an asshole during a show. Also, fellow improvisers will not want to play with you and eventually grow to hate you. This gets you kicked out of the group.
OBJECTIVE The thing that a character in a scene is trying to achieve.
OFFER Any dialog or action which advances the scene. Offers should be accepted.
OFFER FROM SPACE Dialog or action that is bizarre and that appears to come from nowhere.
OPEN SPACE A scene played out with no restrictions other than the parameters of the suggestion.
OPEN SUGGESTION Any Ask For the Host wants for a particular game.
PETERING OUT Allowing a game to come to a painful, grinding halt. Very bad.
PHYSICALIZATION Turning intent into action and movement.
PIMPING Playfully getting another performer to do something difficult or unpleasant which you probably wouldn't do yourself. Used sparingly, can be quite entertaining. Best strategy is to choose things the other performer does well.
PLANT Installing someone in the audience to help give suggestions when an audience is dead. Can also lead the audience into giving suggestions.
PLATEAU A period during which a scene is not advancing. Usually a bad thing.
PLATFORM The who, what and where of a scene. The success of a scene often depends on having a solid platform.
PLAY 1) Working with other actors. 2) Doing a scene.
PLAYER An actor.
PLAYLIST The list of handles and/or ask-fors to be used in a show. Also called a "running order".
POINT OF CONCENTRATION What the scene is about.
POST-SHOW Discussion of the show by the performers and crew after the performance, in order to identify problem areas that may have arisen as well as things that worked particularly well. Usually involves food and/or alcohol.
PRE-PLANNING Working out the Playlist with the other hosts before the actual show. This will keep the show flowing better with no lulls in energy due to a host figuring out what to do next. Never, ever allow the players to see the Playlist.
PREP Pre-show preparation. Host pre-planning, stage preparation, placing of any props, audience space preparation (programs, suggestion slips, pens, etc.) and group warm-ups,
PSYCHO BITCH 1) Any former female member of the group who left on bad terms. 2) Any female disliked by the group at that particular moment.
RAISING THE STAKES Making the events of the scene have greater consequences for the characters. One technique for advancing.
RECAP Having the players repeat their Ask Fors, i.e. Party Quirks, Dating Game, Etc.
REFUSING Refusing to play a scene or take a suggestion during a show. It is damaging to the credibility of the group. Very bad.
REHEARSAL The informal playing of games. They are not like conventional theatrical rehearsals. They can be done anywhere or anytime. They are for the purpose of making players comfortable with game playing, working on skills, and learning new games. They are NOT designed for the working out of material which will be performed under the guise of "improv".
REINCORPORATION Bringing back an idea from earlier in the scene, or from a previous scene in the show, or even from a previous performance. Stand-up comedians refer to this as a "callback". Always fun, but not something to over-do.
RULE OF THREES Things are funnier when they come in threes. Three Dings, third choice, three beats. 3.
RUNNING ORDER See "Playlist".
SCENE The verbal and physical performing of a game.
SETUP Explaining the handle of the scene to the audience before the scene starts. Also involves doing an ask-for. The performer who does the setup shouldn't play the scene as well.
SHELVING Acknowledging an offer but not doing anything with it, with the intent of using it later. Of course, later never comes.
SPACE-OBJECT An object that's used in the scene but which doesn't really exist. A mimed object. In general, anything that doesn't support weight (like a chair) should be a space object.
STARTS Turns or lines for a player. Example: The ABC game has 26 starts.
STATUS A character's sense of self-worth. Many scenes are built around status transfers, in which one character's status drops while another's rises. Physical environments and objects also have status.
STEALING Consciously performing a bit which was performed by another in a previous show. This is a cowardly offense.
STEERING When the Host moves the focus or direction of the scene.
STEPPING OUT Breaking the reality of the scene. See "Commenting".
SUGGESTIONS Ideas and topics taken from the audience via Ask-Fors.
SUGGESTION SLIPS Pieces of paper placed in the audience space for them to write suggestions and phrases on.
SYNTHESIS Combining two dissimilar ideas into one, such as hearing two suggestions from the audience and combining them into a single idea that gets used in the scene. Can be fun.
TAG OUT Taping a player on the shoulder during a scene, thus removing them. You assume their position.
TALKING HEADS A scene that involves a lot of standing (or worse yet, sitting) around talking rather than engaging in physical action.
THINKING Something to avoid when performing. "Don't think, just do!" This is the trap of trying to be clever. A scene is ruined by a player pausing, trying to think of something funny. The problem with this is it usually isn't and the pace, rhythm and timing of a scene is shattered.
TRANSFORMATION Turning something into something else (one character into another, one object into another, one environment into another).
TUMMELING Bantering with the audience during setups. Try to avoid excessive tummeling.
TUNE THEM UP A device used in Conducted games. Just before the game starts, the Conductor leads the players in a few seconds of rambling. The game begins immediately after the Conductor cuts the players off.
TToaSTNBW The Title of a Story That's Never Been Written
UBER-MIME Overly elaborate mime that's so detailed as to be hard to follow.
WAFFLING Failing to make decisions. Talking about what you're going to do instead of doing it.
WALK-ON (or Walk-through) The act of entering a scene, making a strong offer that advances the scene, and then exiting. Use sparingly.
WANKING Doing something cute and silly that makes the audience laugh but doesn't do anything to advance the scene. Very annoying for the other improvisers.
WIMPING Accepting an offer but failing to act on it.
WRAP-UP Bringing the game to a fitting conclusion. Finish the story. Hopefully, quickly and funny.
ZINGER A great closing line or the signal to the light person that the scene is over.
