Improv's Missing Piece?
The stagecraft of improv is relatively undefined compared to scripted theatre
Stagecraft isn’t drilled in improv as much as it is in scripted theatre. This is not a new observation but it’s one worth bringing up again. When people bring up stagecraft for improvisers it’s often about learning from how people stage things in scripted theatre and how to “play out to the audience”. Some of that is useful, but I’ve been wondering lately about improv-specific stagecraft.
I was in Toronto last week and had the pleasure of spending time with Dave Raitt (author of the excellent book The Improv Illusionist). We talked about how improvised theatre differs from scripted theatre in more ways than just lack of text. The staging of something improvised needs unique consideration too.
Stagecraft in improv needs to be different because there are things you just can’t do in improv that you can do in scripted theatre (and vice versa of course!). For example, in productions of Julius Caesar, the actor playing Caesar typically cannot see behind them when being stabbed in the back. This is achieved through carefully choreographed stagecraft to create the illusion of surprise. Try doing that in improv with an object work knife and you are likely to get a very different reaction. The actor in a scripted production knows when someone is doing something behind their back, even if the character doesn’t. In improv the character and the actor share the same visual perspective.
In scripted theatre, the players “play out” to the audience a lot more. In improv, however, we are often trained to look at each other and read the subtle cues our scene partners are giving us. While it is also important to give the audience a good view of the action, we need to stay connected in order to build a scene together. We have a conflict here of serving the scene (by checking in with each other) and serving the audience’s need to feel engaged (by facing out to them).
Perhaps, in part, this explains the number of 11 scenes we get, where the two improvisers stand on stage next to each other, looking like the number 11. Also, maybe this Is this why a lot of people say that improv works “better” in smaller spaces or spaces with thrust stages.
Old UCB New York space was good for this. The space in Chelsea underneath a supermarket was not an ideal space in a lot of ways. It was down a flight of stairs (no lift) and you could hear the plumbing regularly during a show but you had the audience on three sides. The action happened in the middle of everything, and the audience felt close. When UCB moved to a theatre where the entire audience were facing the stage, it felt less connected. There are probably a lot of reasons for that, but given the improvisers need to be connected to each other as well as the audience, the former space allowed for that more than the latter.
I’m not saying scripted theatre requires no connection between the actors, it absolutely does, but the difference is one of timing. Scripted theatre builds connection before the show; improv builds it during. So maybe a question worth asking is: what would a stagecraft tradition look like if it had been developed by improvisers, for improv? I don’t think we’re there yet, but conversations like the one I had with Dave in Toronto make me think it’s worth working towards.
Stuff I’m Doing
Robin Hood International Improv Festival:
We are back for our fifth year, and it’s bigger than ever. Incredible workshops and shows over seven days; 31st August - 6th September. Yesterday the workshops went on sale and five are already sold out… plus several others only have a few spaces left. Want to see the lineup of workshops this year? Check them out here
Shows:
Excited to be at Liverpool Improv Festival this week with ImprompTwo & Co on Friday 8th May - tickets
Plus on Saturday this week I’m in Sheffield with Improvision (an improvised Eurovision Song Contest) - tickets
If you’ve read this far - thank you. If you know an improviser who might enjoy this week’s post, feel free to forward it.
Have a great week!
Lloydie
Thanks, Lloydie! It was a pleasure to have you.
More on stagecraft:
https://improvillusionist.com/stagecraft-book-news-march-2023/
>we are often trained to look at each other
We are, but it isn't necessarily right. If you play an absurd character in straight/absurd dynamic, facing out helps you avoid or get out of arguments. But if you need to play the voice of reason, looking at your partner is indeed important and also helpful.