Storytelling Improv Games to Improve Actor Skills

Storytelling Improv Games to Improve Actor Skills Most theater games are improv-based. Theyre intended to give actors an opportunity to expand and stretch their skills in a low-risk, no-stress, collegial situation. At the end of a session, however, actors will have improved their ability to imagine themselves in new situations and respond appropriately. Some improvisational exercises focus on a performers ability tell stories off-the-cuff. These activities are often stationary theater games, meaning the actors are not required to move about very much. With this in mind, a   story-telling improv game might not be as entertaining as other more physically dynamic games but is  still an excellent way to sharpen ones imagination. Here are a few easy-to-perform story-telling improv games, each one ideal for a class activity or a warm-up exercise at rehearsal: Story-story Known by many other names, Story-story is a circle game for all ages. Many ​grade school teachers use this as an in-class activity, but it can be just as fun for adult performers. The group of performers sits or stands in a circle. A moderator stands in the middle and provides a setting for the story. She then points to a person in the circle and he begins telling a story. After the first storyteller has described the beginning of the story, the moderator points to another person. The story continues on; the new person picks up from the last word and tries to continue the narrative. Every performer should get several turns to add to the story. Usually the moderator suggests when the story comes to a conclusion; however, more advanced performers will be able to conclude their story on their own. Best/Worst In this improv activity, one person creates an instant monologue, telling a story about an experience (either based upon real-life or based upon pure imagination). The person begins the story in a positive way, focusing on terrific events and circumstances. Then, someone rings a bell. Once the bell sound, the storyteller continues the story, but now only negative things occur in the plot. Each time the bell ring, the storyteller shifts the narrative back and forth, from the best events to the worst events. As the story progresses, the bell should ring more quickly. (Make that storyteller work for it!) Nouns From a Hat There are many improv games which involve slips of papers with random words, phrases or quotes written on them. Usually, these phrases have been invented by audience members. Nouns from a Hat is one of these types of games. Audience members (or the moderators) write nouns on a slip of paper. Proper nouns are acceptable. In fact, the stranger the noun, the more entertaining this improv will be. Once all of the nouns have been collected into a hat (or some other container), a scene begins between two improv performers. About every thirty seconds or so, as they establish their storyline, the performers will reach a point in their dialogue when they are about to say an important noun. Thats when they reach into the hat and grab a noun. The word is then incorporated into the scene, and the results can be wonderfully silly. For example: BILL: I went to the unemployment office today. They offered me a job as a... (reads noun from the hat) penguin.SALLY: Well, that doesnt sound too promising. Does it pay well?BILL: Two buckets of sardines a week.SALLY: Maybe you could work for my uncle. He owns a... (reads nouns from the hat) footprint.BILL: How can you run a business with a footprint?SALLY: Its a Sasquatch footprint. Oh yeah, its been a tourist attraction for years. Nouns from a Hat can involve more actors, as long as there are enough slips of paper. Or, in the same manner as Best/Worst, it can be delivered as an improvisational monologue.