Want to learn the improv techniques that helped Mike Myers, Chris Farley, John Belushi, and many others along the road to TV and film stardom? Then let two esteemed founders of long-form improvisational theatre, Del Close and Charna Halpern, teach you the "Harold." This groundbreaking acting exercise emphasizes pattern recognition and subversion of the audience s expectations, which are important factors for making people laugh without ever telling a joke. It involves six to seven players and many kinds of scenes: games, monologues, songs, skits and more, all of which are bound to keep both actors and audience members guessing. The Harold is non-linear entertainment that remembers everything and wastes nothing the key to successful improvising and has become a standard in comedy clubs and improv theatres around the globe.
Truth in Comedy - The Manual for Improvisation
Charna Halpern, Del Close, Kim Howard Johnson
Chapter One: *Be honest. *Don't go for the jokes. *There's nothing funnier than the truth. Chapter Two: *Don't make jokes. *Let humor arise out of the situation. *Take the scene seriously. *Agreement is the only rule that cannot be broken. *Connections cannot be avoided; don't force them. Chapter Three: *Respect choices made by others. *There are no bad ideas. *There are no mistakes. Everything is justified. *Treat others as if they are poets, geniuses and artists, and they will be. *The best way to look good is to make your fellow players look good. Chapter Four: *Yes, and ... Accept and build. Chapter Five: *Make assumptions — don't ask questions. *Look for the game within your scene and play it. *Listen and remember. *Listen for the whole idea in a statement. *Avoid preconceived notions. Chapter Six: *Stay in the moment. What is happening now will be the key to discovery. *Nothing is ignored. Follow the unexpected twist. *There is no such thing as a mistake. Chapter Seven: *Keep it simple. Less is more. *Avoid exposition. *Start scenes in the middle. *Take the active choice to forward action. *Be specific. Avoid generalities. *Listen for the game move. *Welcome the silences. There is action in thought. Chapter Eight: *Take the unusual choice. *Listen to your inner voice. *Reflect each other's ideas. Chapter Nine: *Commit to the physical. *Let your environment affect you. *Be specific with your objects. *Reveal yourself through your character. Chapter Ten: *Find your function or role in every game. Chapter Eleven: *The suggestion is the inspiration to discover the theme. "If we want to see where we wrong We needn't look to far For where we'll be and where we've been Is always where we are And everything that comes your way Is something you once gave Somebody feels the water Every time you make a wave." "The truth is funny. Honest discovery, observation, and reaction is better than contrived invention." "A truly funny scene is not the result of someone trying to steal laughs at the expense of his partner, but of generosity - of trying to make the other person (and his ideas) look as good as possible. Real humor does not come from sacrificing the reality of a moment in order to crack a cheap joke, but in finding the joke in the reality of the moment" "achieve something more beautiful, honest, and truthful, something that has far more to do with the theatre - which puts your attention on what is important about being a human in a community - as opposed to television entertainment, which is designed to take your mind off what is more important about your lives." "Is what we're doing comedy? Probably not. Is it funny? Probably yes. Where do the really best laughs come from? Terrific connections made intellectually or terrific revelations made emotionally?" "Jokes are not necessary; they are a complete waste of time and energy that is better spent developing a scene. Get the point? Chances are if you're concentrating on telling a joke, you're not looking for the connections in a scene. And the connections will draw much bigger laughs than any joke." "The master weaver incorporated the mistakes of his students into a larger pattern." "The only star in improv is the ensemble itself; if everyone is doing his job well, then no one should stand out." "When performers truly commit to a scene, they take care of each other. Whenever someone makes what appears to be a mistake on stage, the others will immediately justify it and weave it into the pattern of the entire work." "follow the fear and trust that something will come for me" "If the group treats each of its players as creative genius, they will be." "Hamlet the first modern play, because the conflict is not so much between characters as within the characters." "Denying the reality that is created on stage ends the progression of the scene, and destroys any chance of achieving a group consciousness." "Being a good team player means having ethics." "For example, a boxing match is not conflict. It is a fight, but it's actually a game played under a agreed-upon set of rules. Conflict in a scene between the characters may be used, but the conflict between the players must be avoided." "Conflict is merely the starting point, which leads the players to discover what the scene is about. It is the relationship between the players that makes the scene." "He who gives information is a gift-giver; he who asks questions is a thief. Questions - asking other players for information - are an unnecessary evil for improvisers. Instead of providing fellow actors with facts, questions place the burden of invention upon the other players." "Berne's book Games People Play deals with more subtle, psychological, interpersonal games that people play to get what they want out of a specific relationship." "When an actor discovers what his fellow improviser wants, he should, by all means, give it to him!" "When an improviser finds the game within a scene, he's found the scene, and that's why it's so important to pick up on any possible game moves." "If a player takes the time to consider what the other speakers means, than his response is more intelligent than the knee-jerk response" "After all, a scene is almost never about what the players think it's going to be about." "Once underway, the actors follow the scene along, but they shouldn't try to control it. The scene is the result of the relationship between the characters, and the relationship that grows from those explored moments. Nothing is ignored. Nothing is forgotten. And nothing is a mistake." "I'm Vague-man! I work! Where? At a store! I do things! I've got to go someplace now! I'm Vague-man!" "The verbal and the visual levels of a scene must be kept separate, so they can connect later." "Create an object, say a line: This is a simple exercise, in which two players begin a scene. Before each of them speaks a line of dialog, however, they must create and use an object." "describe it, talk to it, worship it." "There is a difference between getting in the way and lending a helping hand." "Moves which offer information allow a fellow player to react and justify. Reaction and justification lead to an exciting discovery process between the players, which is our goal. Pimping or asking questions, dumps the burden onto one player, coercing him into dull, forced invention (and probably makes him look bad in the process - another serious improv crime!)." "They aren't concerned with answering questions, only exploring possibilities." "For the actors, the opening is the information sharing process. It is where the players discover each other's points of view on the theme, and the place where the group mind must begin to develop." "Out of chaos comes order is a law of physics that also applies to improv."
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