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Guideline #3-Take The Active Choice

This document provides instructions for an improvisation class session focused on taking active choices. The session includes a writing prompt, discussions about active choices, partner warmups involving mimed activities, followed by quiet scenes with dialogue. Students are asked to reflect on how well they followed the guideline of taking active choices. The session aims to teach students to move scenes forward through actions and avoid just standing and talking without activities.

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Monica Hopkins
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58 views

Guideline #3-Take The Active Choice

This document provides instructions for an improvisation class session focused on taking active choices. The session includes a writing prompt, discussions about active choices, partner warmups involving mimed activities, followed by quiet scenes with dialogue. Students are asked to reflect on how well they followed the guideline of taking active choices. The session aims to teach students to move scenes forward through actions and avoid just standing and talking without activities.

Uploaded by

Monica Hopkins
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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IMPROVISATION

INSTRUCTION: SESSION 3
Guideline #3: Take the Active Choice
1. Journal/Writing Assignment
• When students enter class, have them respond to the following in their journals: What makes
a good improv? What makes a good improvisor?
2. Discussion
• Ask the students what they think it means to take the active choice. Answers could include:
to move around or to do an activity.
• Ask the students to suggest actions that could happen in a scene: building a sandcastle,
robbing a bank, etc.
• There’s an improv term called “talking heads” that refers to scenes that don’t have a lot of
action or activity. It’s just two people standing there talking about something. Remind your
students that actions and active choices will help to move the scene forward and make it
more interesting. Frequently remind them to “show, don’t tell.” When an improviser makes
an active choice, information is being brought to the scene.
• You could even suggest that if a student is stuck about how to start a scene, they could start
it with an action and no dialogue.
3. Warmup: Group Activity
• Have the students stand facing the stage/performance space.
• Select one student to start.
• The student goes up to the performance space and begins an activity of some kind (panto-
mime only - no speaking or sound effects). For example, they start to play basketball.
• Have the students who are watching take a moment to really understand what the person is
doing.
• When another student is ready (you might have to call on a student), have them go up and
join them in that environment. They don’t have to do the same activity, but they should be
part of that environment. Slowly add students (one by one) to this environment. Example:
Student 1 plays basketball, student 2 plays against them, student 3 is the referee, student 4
joins one team, student 5 joins the other team, student 6 is a fan cheering, student 7 is a hot
dog vendor at the game, etc.
• Keep going until all of the students are involved in the activity and environment.
4. Follow-Up Discussion
• How did it feel to be a part of the group activity/environment?
• Did you connect with anyone during the warmup? How?
• Did you come up with an idea for becoming part of the activity/environment quickly? What
inspired you to do what you did during the scene?
• If you could do the exercise again, what would you do differently and what would you do the
same?
• Is an exercise like this helpful for improv? Why or why not?

Drama Teacher © Karen Loftus 2016 1


ACADEMY
5. Exercise: Low Risk Quiet Scenes
• Have your students partner up the way they’ve done before: walk around the room, freeze,
partner up with the person closest to them. Do “rocks, paper, scissors.”
• Whoever wins is (A). (A) will start the scene by acting out a simple activity (all mime - no dia-
logue). Examples: digging a hole, washing a car, folding laundry, etc.
• (B) will then join in the activity/environment in some way. They can do the same thing or they
can do what they think is appropriate for that environment. For example, they could help dig
or they could rinse off the car as the other person is washing it.
• After the pairs have explored the activity, call out “speak.”
• (A) starts by saying one line. (B) replies with one line.
• Have them repeat the exercise with multiple partners: (A) starts an activity. Then when “speak”
is called out, (B) joins in. (A) says a line and (B) responds with one line of dialogue.
6. Follow-Up Discussion
• What was the most surprising thing about your scenes? Answers could include that (B) thought
(A) was doing something different than they were. That’s a good lead into a discussion about
mime/pantomime, to make sure students are clear on how to hold and use imaginary objects.
• What was the easiest thing about this exercise? What was the hardest?
• Compare and contrast this exercise to the 4-line endowment scene.
7. Reflection
• Explain the guideline in your own words. Give examples of when you stuck to the guideline
today and when you didn’t. Do you agree with the guideline? Why or why not?

ASSESSMENT
• Journal: How do students respond to the prompt?
• Discussions & Observation of Exercises: who is participating? What is their effort?
• Students hand in their Reflection either at the end of class (if you have extra time), or at the
beginning of the next class. See the blank Reflection Sheet at the end of Session One.

Drama Teacher © Karen Loftus 2016 2


ACADEMY

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