Essay Example on Elements of improv are the same as their counterparts in stage Acting

These elements of improv are the same as their counterparts in stage acting They have different names because there are those who focus solely on one or the other By receiving a script you are receiving a prompt which contains the basis of what you will perform It gives you your base reality your game and your status The script just takes away the freedom of what you say Improv as an acting tool is designed to help the creation and development of a character it helps to nurture the ability to make bigger bolder choices and it helps actors quickly analyze what is going on in a scene In improv the three elements listed above help set the scene up The scene takes place in the base reality be it on the moon under the sea or downstairs in the basement The base reality starts out assumed to be exactly like our current reality until a new piece of information is introduced that alters the reality The game of the scene refers to what the action is centered around What the characters are trying to do or focusing on is the game The last one status refers to the relationship of the characters to each other Whether they are master servant student teacher or friends their status is determined by how they act with each other 

The first two are likely to be given to the performers as a prompt and the third is created by the actors themselves as they enter the scene to give everyone more information If just the base reality is given as a prompt the performers have to quickly come up with a game to play to continue the scene as well as their relationship to each other 9 Since improv is a subset of acting and usually used to teach young actors how to react quickly and think within a scene these three basic elements are very translatable to the world of scripted acting The biggest difference is that the scene is scripted and these three elements are given to you The base reality is called the setting in a scene This defines the space of the scene and informs the actors about anything that may need to be altered in order for them to fit into the scene accents posture etc The game is commonly referred to as the conflict of the scene This helps actors determine what tactics to use and choices they need to make in the scene to try and achieve their goal Finally the status is called relationship This helps inform the movement and tone of the actors It helps them understand their place in the environment society of the play and informs the characters that they are creating For the audience when the maid enters with two empty wine glasses and an empty bottle of wine and everything goes crashing and shattering across the stage it can be rather comical For the actor who realizes that those glasses were supposed to be used in a few lines and that there is now shattered glass everywhere it can be terrifying 

Two options pop up Continue Stop Do you continue the performance and keep the audience in the dark about how that was not supposed to happen or do you stop the show clean up the dangerous shards of glass and apologize to the audience for the delay Personally I am going to continue on unless the stage manager comes on stage or there is a policy set in place to stop the performance and this is where I start wishing I was better at improv Since the status and base reality have not changed they continue to remain constant The game has changed though and this is where you need to think on your feet literally How your character reacts and what they say has to stay in line with the rest of the show otherwise the gig is up You have to quickly analyze the scene the characters on stage and the available choices that your character has Then you try 10 and start the new scene you have just found yourself in while also listening to what the other characters have to say after all they have done the same quick work you have That is the exact same thing as the improv games that actors play Improv as an acting tool is invaluable Not only can it help in a critical moment on stage after something has gone awry like a prop breaking or lines being forgotten but it helps feed the creative side of the actor's brain by reprogramming it to say yes and and if then This can help the creation and development of a character in a cold first read it can lead to bigger bolder actions and it helps actors point out what is going on in the scene so that they may make more and better choices