by Gary Schwartz | Feb 12, 2019 | Games, Refining Awareness, Sensory Awareness
Blind Games Materials Needed: Blindfolds, an abundance of real props and set pieces plus a stationary telephone (not cell phone). This may seem dated but it allows players to hunt for where the phone is. Once you get a Who, What and Where (one with the opportunity to...
by Gary Schwartz | Feb 12, 2019 | Refining Awareness, Warm Up Games
Relating an Incident – Adding Color Active Listening This is a good warm-up to the exercise VERBALIZING THE WHERE. In this exercise, Player A narrates a simple story. I.e., “I was walking down the street and saw a parked car, blocking the house on the...
by Gary Schwartz | Feb 11, 2019 | Blog
This post is an esoteric one, but an important one. I am always at a loss when I send out a side-coach and, in the words of Viola Spolin, it doesn’t penetrate. My first thought is to say it again or louder, but if it makes no sense to the players, I am only referring...
by Gary Schwartz | Jan 7, 2019 | Blog
Do this, don’t do that! Like this! Here’s how I want it! That’s better! That’s rotten! That’s not funny! Now that was FUNNY! That’s what I want! – spoken by a director at a recent improv workshop I attended. If you teach or direct,...
by Gary Schwartz | Oct 18, 2018 | Improv Games, Lecture / Explanation, The Where
Quick Selection for Where The Where In setting up a scene, the group will benefit from being able to quickly agree on basic set pieces in the Where. During play, more may emerge, but everyone needs a door, a window, something to sit on, etc. More than one room for...
