The Improvisation Book by John Abbott

Author:John Abbott
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi, epub
Publisher: Nick Hern Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Exercises

Supermarket

Set up some chairs in the room so they represent three or four aisles in a supermarket and ask the whole group to go shopping. At this stage each person should be shopping on their own, although the rest of the group will all be in the supermarket, shopping at the same time. Each person must know whether they are pushing a trolley or carrying a basket. They must know what they want to buy and whether or not they know where to find it. They must know what is on the shelves, and they must also know what they can or cannot afford. They must know what they are taking off the shelves and what they are putting in their trolley or basket. They must know how much the basket weighs or how easy it is to push the trolley. (I usually let them start ‘shopping’, and then talk them through these things during the exercise.) As they shop they can have conversations with other shoppers if they need to, but only as much as they would if they were shopping for real. Everyone in the improvisation should be a shopper, no one should work for the supermarket, and no one should finish their shopping and go to the check-out.

When the group have been shopping for a few minutes, ask them to choose one of the other people in the group and think of a reason they want to avoid that person. Maybe it is an ex-boyfriend. Maybe it is someone they owe money to, but, whatever it is, they must try never to be in the same aisle as that person.

Of course, they have to continue shopping.

When that is established, tell them that they spot someone up the other end of the aisle that they fancy and that they want to try to get close to that person. (I usually tell them that gender is not an issue in this exercise. Of course they can fancy someone from the opposite sex if they want to, but boys can also fancy boys and girls can fancy girls.) They still have to avoid the first person that they picked out, but now they have to try to get close to the second person at the same time.

And they can talk.

And they have to keep on shopping.

As time ticks by they have to think of a way they could initiate a conversation with the person they fancy.

And they still have to avoid the first person.

And they still have to keep shopping.

Once they have established contact with the person they fancy, they then have to see if they can get a date. They still have to shop and they still have to try to avoid the first person, but they have to try to get a date.

This can become mayhem, but it’s worth letting it continue for a while to see if anyone achieves their objective.

(As I said, you can talk them through this exercise as they do it. Once they start

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