Resources

• Avoid focusing on the fact (or even bringing up in the scene) that the expert has two heads. The joy of the game is the two performers trying to work together to create the sentences. Rather, treat them as a normal person with one head and let the fun of the two performers trying to be on the same wavelength bring the fun.

• Following the previous point, the 2 Headed Expert should refer to themselves in the singular I rather than the plural we - it is a single person after all.

• Making the setup of the scene a television or live presentation with an audience opens more opportunities to play out and acknowledge the actual audience. It is possible however to also perform it in a more scenic fashion where the two are alone in some location conducting the interview.

• When playing the 2 Headed Expert:

• When speaking in one voice, neither player should lead or follow - often easier in theory than in practice, but the key is to try and achieve it.

• Avoid trying to dictate the speech and instead trying to figure out where both you and your scene partner are trying to say. This method will lead to more “group mind” moments, where it seems like magic that the two know just what to say.

• Tip of the Tongue techniques can be really useful here to find the next word together

• Be sure to vary the tone, pacing and manner in which you speak; this is a 2 Headed person, not a monosyllabic robot. Emotion, pausing, volume, intonation, there is a lot to work with so use it to the fullest.

• Eye contact is really useful between the players portraying the 2 Headed Expert to check in and help find what to say next, but try to avoid spending the entire scene looking into each others eyes (plenty of time for that after the show).

• The 2 Headed Expert can also be physical: stand up, walk around, dance, and more. One player doing an action on the other (e.g. one player scratching the others chin) is also immensely enjoyable. Just be mindful of your scene partners comfort levels when it comes to physical activity and types of physical contact.

• For the Interviewer:

• With the field of study known, consider what your role is: are you a television host (if so, what is the title of it and what is it about)? Are you a reporter for someone? Why are you interested in interviewing this expert (note - scene more enjoyable if your character wants to interview this expert)? What information about the topic is important or useful for people to know?

• Be sure to ask some personal questions of the expert: how they got into their field of study, anything that has been “reported” recently about them, aspects of their history or work they have produced.

• Often the answers produced might not be clear or unusual (a lot of the fun of the scene); be comfortable clarifying any answers given to help your scene partner, but look for and have fun with any opportunities for unusual facts or ideas that emerge in the answers and follow them.

• If a show format for the scene, consider throwing questions to the “audience” (either the improv show audience or other performers in your group situated around the room).

• A nice end for the scene is to allow the expert to share a final, succinct quote for people to always remember in relation to their field. For this, be sure to use the answer given during the scene as reference to draw inspiration.

• Avoid focusing on the fact (or even bringing up in the scene) that the expert has two heads. The joy of the game is the two performers trying to work together to create the sentences. Rather, treat them as a normal person with one head and let the fun of the two performers trying to be on the same wavelength bring the fun.

• Following the previous point, the 2 Headed Expert should refer to themselves in the singular I rather than the plural we - it is a single person after all.

• Making the setup of the scene a television or live presentation with an audience opens more opportunities to play out and acknowledge the actual audience. It is possible however to also perform it in a more scenic fashion where the two are alone in some location conducting the interview.

• When playing the 2 Headed Expert:

• Try to avoid getting a cheap laugh or trying to “win” by intentionally saying a word that doesn’t make sense in context of the previous or makes saying the next word difficult for your scene partner. Not only will this make the scene difficult for your partner and less enjoyable, but makes it difficult to build a scene that can last more than a minute, and can often be less enjoyable to watch. Instead, sincerely try to say a word that makes sense: you will look like geniuses with magical abilities if it makes sense, and if it doesn’t then the audience can see you really tried and it just didn’t work (which they will love).

• Be sure to vary the tone, pacing and manner in which you speak; this is a 2 Headed person, not a monosyllabic robot. Emotion, pausing, volume, intonation, there is a lot to work with so use it to the fullest.

• Eye contact is really useful between the players portraying the 2 Headed Expert to check in and help find what to say next, but try to avoid spending the entire scene looking into each others eyes (plenty of time for that after the show).

• The 2 Headed Expert can also be physical: stand up, walk around, dance, and more. One player doing an action on the other (e.g. one player scratching the others chin) is also immensely enjoyable. Just be mindful of your scene partners comfort levels when it comes to physical activity and types of physical contact.

• For the Interviewer:

• With the field of study known, consider what your role is: are you a television host (if so, what is the title of it and what is it about)? Are you a reporter for someone? Why are you interested in interviewing this expert (note - scene more enjoyable if your character wants to interview this expert)? What information about the topic is important or useful for people to know?

• Be sure to ask some personal questions of the expert: how they got into their field of study, anything that has been “reported” recently about them, aspects of their history or work they have produced.

• Often the answers produced might not be clear or unusual (a lot of the fun of the scene); be comfortable clarifying any answers given to help your scene partner, but look for and have fun with any opportunities for unusual facts or ideas that emerge in the answers and follow them.

• If a show format for the scene, consider throwing questions to the “audience” (either the improv show audience or other performers in your group situated around the room).

• A nice end for the scene is to allow the expert to share a final, succinct quote for people to always remember in relation to their field. For this, be sure to use the answer given during the scene as reference to draw inspiration.

• Avoid focusing on the fact (or even bringing up in the scene) that the people have two heads. The joy of the game is the two performers trying to work together to create the sentences. Rather, treat them as a normal person with one head and let the fun of the two performers trying to be on the same wavelength bring the fun.

• Following the previous point, the 2 Headed people should refer to themselves in the singular I rather than the plural we - it is a single person after all.

• Work together when writing the letter physically: type, write with a quill, whatever makes sense.

• The people are in two different locations. Avoid eye contact with the other pair when they are writing their letter. Instead, be reading the letter and react to what’s being said as if reading it for the first time.

• Physicality and facial expressions always fun, play with them to show your feelings in the letter you’re writing or reading.

• In general the letters sent will be:

• First: initial complaint letter

• Second: response to the complaint letter

• Third: response to the response to the complaint letter

• Fourth: response to the response to the response to the complaint letter

• (Fifth and sixth letters may be written if host feels energy is high)

• Be emotional but honest in the letters: we can be silly and exaggerated in our letters while also basing on the reality of what people do/would write in these types of letters.

• When playing a 2 Headed Person:

• Try to avoid getting a cheap laugh or trying to “win” by intentionally saying a word that doesn’t make sense in context of the previous or makes saying the next word difficult for your scene partner. Not only will this make the scene difficult for your partner and less enjoyable, but makes it difficult to build a scene that can last more than a minute, and can often be less enjoyable to watch. Instead, sincerely try to say a word that makes sense: you will look like geniuses with magical abilities if it makes sense, and if it doesn’t then the audience can see you really tried and it just didn’t work (which they will love).

• Be sure to vary the tone, pacing and manner in which you speak; this is a 2 Headed person, not a monosyllabic robot. Emotion, pausing, volume, intonation, there is a lot to work with so use it to the fullest.

• Eye contact is really useful between the players portraying a 2 Headed person to check in and help find what to say next, but try to avoid spending the entire scene looking into each others eyes (plenty of time for that after the show).

• A 2 Headed person can also be physical: stand up, walk around, dance, and more. One player doing an action on the other (e.g. one player scratching the others chin) is also immensely enjoyable. Just be mindful of your scene partners comfort levels when it comes to physical activity and types of physical contact.

• For the Customer:

• Consider what has gone wrong with the product, how should it be used and why is it not fulfilling its function?

• Address how this has affected you emotionally and in your daily life

• Feel free to be silly but keep sound grounded reality (e.g. screwdriver you bought probably wasn’t meant to be used to eat cornflakes, but it not working may have meant you couldn’t put up a bookcase which your book loving partner decided was the final straw and left you).

• For the Company Person:

• Be aware of how this complaint might look on you: you don’t need to agree with the complaint, but you may be willing to placate to avoid bad publicity.

• KNOW YOUR ALPHABET - it’s okay if you struggle with the alphabet for whatever reason, but if you are uncomfortable knowing what letter is next it is best to practice before performing this game. The occasionally slip up - missing a letter, repeating - will be forgiven by the audience and will often add to the fun, but done too often it can come across as either intentionally avoiding letters or that you are struggling.

• Focus on the scene as two people interacting doing an activity - it is far too easy to let the scene become about two people saying random words with the next letter in the alphabet that starts. The dialogue should relate to the people, their situation, relationship, activity etc.

• Really listen to what is being said and respond to that, just makes sure you start with the next letter in the alphabet

• Breathe - while the game shouldn’t take 20 minutes, try to avoid panicking feeling you need to snappily respond instantly. The audience will allow you a few seconds to respond. Look at doing something physical during a quiet point to draw attention while you find your response.

• Tip of the Tongue techniques can be useful here: you may not know the next word but you know the letter, so start making the sound of the letter and allow your brain to find the word for you.

• Using the first letter for a sound effect can be fun (e.g. “*buzz* oh, that’ll be the phone for me!”), though make sure not to over use it.

• There is a temptation to cheat (e.g. for X “eXperts say...”) or to say something tangental to the scene (e.g. “Xylophones are nice. But back to what we were doing...”). While occasionally fun, audiences will feel the players have not really tried to find a word (which can come across as lazy) and it can feel less rewarding for players. Instead, always try to use a word that starts with that letter; if it is initially tangental, find a way to justify it in your scene (e.g. “Working late into the evening I see” “Xylophones aren’t going to test themselves, and you know I take pride in my craft”)

• X and Z are difficult. If you get one in the scene, you’ll get the other. Become familiar with lots X and Z words (and names) to pull out in the scene; there aren’t too many, and when you use them you will look like the poet and the genius you are!

• Number of Performers Required: 3-4 (2 Commentators, 1-2 athletes)

• Easier with one athlete, but if there are two then it can be fun to have them as rival athletes and play with the competitive element (just don’t forget to remember that you’re both still trying to “win” the event by completing the task).

• As this is a sporting event, the commentators can call for things which are common in that presentation format: action replays, close-up shots, slowdown. While being cautious to not overuse, throwing some of these in can make the performance even more fun.

• During a cut-aways, the action is still technically happening, bear in this in mind when returning to the athlete in the current state: what have they been up to? have they been affected in any way when away from action?

• For the Athlete:

• Think of the real-world version of the task you are doing the event for and use that as inspiration. What are the items, equipment, clothing, people, subtasks/steps involved in completing the task?

• Make sure to really try and do the activity. While it will be an exaggerated version of the normal task, the audience should still be able to see the connection in what you are doing to it.

• An athlete warms up before competing, consider how you would warm-up to do the task (e.g. what pre steps are required?)

• The rule of 3 is useful here: to help focus the mind, think of 3 components of the task and ways you could do them.

• Injuries are often fun (at least, mimed improv ones are). Look for opportunities while doing any part which could be “dangerous” (even if in the real world they would not be). How would that injury appear? What effect would it have on the performance? How would you address it to allow you to continue?

• Use the space as much as possible - run around, have different parts of the stage correspond to different parts of the task, play with height for added (pretend) danger!

• Throughout, go for BIG exaggerate physicality: facial expression, body movements, actions, scale of parts of the task or objects within.

• Feel free to make task/subtasks more dangerous and complex

• Be sure to listen to the commentators and incorporate where possible, though avoid appearing to listen (as the athletes don’t normally hear the commentary)

• For the Commentators:

• Commentators are characters in the scene, with a history and point-of-view. They also have some form of relationship with each other as they work together. In addition to calling the action, feel free to explore that in the dialogue.

• Often commentary teams of two have one who is an expert but never performed and another a retired professional of the sport.

• Commentary can talk about the athlete - their background, their history/journey, personality etc - so play with it.

• Commentators should, however, avoid focusing too much on talking to each other and ignoring the athlete. If too focused on their relationship and back-and-forth, the player performing as the athlete can easily feel abandoned as their actions being ignored give the impression that it is not interesting (which is obviously not true). Balance between focusing on your fellow commentator and the action so that nothing is missed.

• Be sure to watch what the athlete does and justify what you see - what are they doing, what does it mean and was it successful?

• The Commentators will indicate when the event has ended - either calling it due to time or noting when the athlete appears to have completed the task. They then decide if the athlete won or not, and can even throw it out to the audience by, for example, asking three members as “countries” to give a score.

• Number of Performers Required: 3-4 (1 As If Conductor, 2-3 Performers)

• Establish your Base Reality. The key to the this game (and similarly ) is for the performers to build up strong characters with points-of-view, relationships, objects and tasks, which will either be directly affected by - or reinterpreted by - the “as if” suggestion.

• The game gets very silly very quickly with the “as if” element. As such, it is easier and more enjoyable to create a very normal Base Reality to begin (and have a very normal opening offer to start) as it is easier to heighten unusual from normal and the difference will be more greatly emphasised.

• As If Conductor - give performers space to establish their Base Reality (who where what) before calling first “as if”.

• When the "as if" involves a significant change (e.g. going from humans to animals, changing time period, genre of film), look at the continued scene as a new interpretation of the story you're telling - you’re telling the same story, just with a slightly different context.

• e.g. The Lion King is Hamlet as if they performers were animals in Africa in a Disney film

• Think of how characters like Sherlock, Robin Hood and more have been reinterpreted in new settings and for different audiences

• If an aspect the Base Reality was altered for an “as if” (e.g. the task being done, vehicle used) and the next “as if” would work with either the original or updated version, then performers can use either, though the most recent can make things easier for the audience. If the new “as if” means the item no longer makes sense, returning to the original Base Reality version should be the default unless, again, it doesn’t make sense and needs to be reimagined.

• Can be a lot trickier than it seems at first, as it is easy to get caught up focusing on each “as if” and forgetting the characters or story established. Focusing on just the "as if" and not the characters/relationships/stories created can lead to each “as if” feeling unconnected and fall into cliché territory

• Often easier to get the “as if” list before the start of the scene, though some groups opt to freeze and get the “as if” at that point to emphasise the lack of pre-preparation

• A good idea to get a varied list of “as if” items (e.g. genres, emotions, locations)

• Multiple “as if” items suggested by the audience can be combined together to enhance. Use this technique sparingly however and avoid combining very different ideas into one (as this can overwhelm the scene).

• When stating the next “as if”, the conductor can decide whether the previous one should be dropped (default), or kept and added to. If adding, be sure to clearly state if the next “as if” involves dropping the previous ones or not.

• Play with the length of time an “as if” is played for: some will really just be a one line joke, others might have a good 30-60 seconds in them. Ideally new “as if” ideas should still be fairly frequent (2-3 every minute).

• Number of Performers Required: All (either in two teams or out to the audience)

• Think of a rhyming word then justify - sometimes a simple “it is this thing” can be helpful.

• The setups don’t have to form a cohesive narrative or be connected except by the words rhyming - though, if your team is good at the game, that is an optional next step.

• Have fun with physical actions and playing the character of The Beastie Boys.

• Energy is key here: in your rapping, in your excitement of others raps, in the in-between song. If you provide the energy, the audience will feed on that and send it back, which will in turn feed the shows energy.

• For the Celebrity, while there are no definitive rules, it is useful to consider the following

• Some suggestions will be contentious figures a performer might not be comfortable playing and the audience less comfortable watching a scene about.

• A person the majority of the room know can be more enjoyable as they will better understand the clues. The naive person does not need to be familiar with them.

• The location and rider request should be unrelated to each other and the celebrity, this allows for two things:

• It’s not as easy to guess one from the other.

• There will be more ideas put into the world of the scene and more opportunities for interesting combinations.

• For location/rider request: detail is wonderful! Although one should be cautious about too much detail, the specificity for these items (e.g. exact location within a building, material rider request item made from) can add to the fun.

• A great joy from this (and many comedic scenes) is a contrast; bringing together two opposing or very different ideas for something unique. If the naive person comes in as a strong character (physicality, voice, POV) that is vastly different to the celebrity they are this can be hilarious. Once they know whom they are, the person can choose to either keep the character they brought in or act more like the celebrity (the latter making sense if they can do that impression well and will be a source of fun).

• For the Celebrity Manager:

• To help build the scene, consider why the celebrity is on location here.

• You are familiar with the Celebrity: you already know and work with them. Your job depends on them being happy.

• For the rider request item: you know this is something they always ask for, but were you able to source it or not? What does it mean if you were not able to?

• As always with naive games, though the player is guessing who they are, the character is not naive and knows the who, where, what. When something said is “incorrect” it is correct (or understandable) in the world of the scene, so be sure to find an in world justification for all incorrect guesses.

• When giving hints:

• GO ONE ITEM AT A TIME! Naive games have a lot of spinning plates and it can become easily confusing if giving hints for all the items at the same time. Instead, focus on each of the items to be guessed on their own and avoid moving on until the person has guessed that one correctly. You can of course refer back to something that had been guessed correctly.

• Subtlety is key - start with gentle hints that the audience will understand that will likely go over the naive person’s head and slowly ramp up to more obvious hints

• Avoid clues that are completely unrelated to the scene and are designed just to say the item being guessed. While this can be a good technique if a player is struggling to guess - even going so far as to break down the syllables - when done too early and/or too often it can remove the audience from the scene itself and focus instead on just the guessing aspect.

• Outside players can and should come in to help give hints during the scene, so always be ready to jump in. Be sure to have any hints complement the reality of the scene. It can however become a cacophony of hints if too much outside help happens, so use sparingly.

• Number of Performers Required: All (two-person scenes)

• Classic final game in an Absolute Improv! show.

• NO SPOKEN LANGUAGE UNTIL THE VERY END.

• A naive game where it’s about people being physical to give clues.

• A matter of personal preference, but sometimes fun not to mention the murder part of the game until we see it happen for the first time, as the surprise adds to the fun for the audience.

• Make sure the location, occupation and object are completely unrelated - helps to avoid scenes looking similar and for things to be easily guessed.

• Details can be fun and should definitely be considered for the location, occupation and object. There is a balance though, as obviously too much detail is likely to not be passed down the line successfully or easy to communicate. While some lose of detail is fun, if too much is put at the start it can come across to the audience as unrealistic to achieve and so the game is redundant; the audience should believe there is a chance the performers can “succeed”.

• Have a scene, with characters and objectives. Guesser, join in where you can and have the interaction. This will bring life and engagement to the scene, while making the whole experience more enjoyable.

• Eye-contact important, especially because there is no talking. Check in with your scene partner to make sure that they are following (if you’re providing clues) and that you don’t miss anything (if you’re trying to guess).

• A thumbs-up can be used to communicate when the guesser thinks they know what the item is, so make sure to both acknowledge this before moving on to avoid confusion.

• In general, when someone is guessing and has given the thumbs up, as the person giving the clues it is best to just accept and move on even when you think they haven’t got it, as a no can cause the scene to drag.

• As the guesser, try sincerely to figure out what the item being communicated is. Misinterpretation is part of the game and an enjoyable part, but wilfully misinterpreting comes across not caring about the game and just “trying” to be funny.

• Allow your gibberish and physicality be influenced by the specific thing you are giving/ receiving clues on. Communicate the emotions, intentions characters through them. It can often be easier to think of each item guess being its own “mini-scene”.

• Vary your mimes and clues, try to find a new way of representing the location, occupation or object. If the exact same mimes are seen then this will become less engaging for the audience.

• The length of time for each two-player scene should decrease over time (e.g. first two players have 2 minutes, next one 1 minute, next only 30 seconds etc). This keeps the pace and energy of the game and avoids any drag that could happen.

• When going through the items at the end, often best to go one at a time (starting with the last person in to the first player), as it is easier to see where changes happened and in what way.

• When guessing, feel free to add details you genuinely thought were there, though avoid adding things to “be funny”.

• AVOID BAD SINGING FOR COMICAL EFFECT. A classic move for those who are less comfortable with regards to their vocal abilities, rather than coming across humorous it can be grating for an audience and come across as not trying. If you try your best - even if you’re not an expert singer - the audience will enjoy and appreciate it more. Let the comedy come in the lyrics you sing.

• I generally, avoid clicking fingers, as it’s easy for that to get out of sync or (far worse) be on the 1 and 3 counts.

• Movement as a group is good, although make sure deliberate and in sync where possible. Random sways or shuffles not to the rhythm can become distracting.

• Energy and fun is the key - this is a fun, silly song so be sure to make eye contact with your fellow players and enjoy yourself.

• Rhyming structure does not need to be strict (especially if starting out) as timing and melodic sound will be more noticeable. However, for those who are ready, a rhyme structure of A A B B A or A A B B B can work well.

• If doing the version based on an audience member:

• Be polite and patient with them where getting information, avoiding pushing them to reveal anything they are not comfortable with. At the same time, make sure to keep control as it is your show and not theirs.

• It is also important to be respectful of the person when singing: it might be fun to make out they are a horrible person who commits atrocious acts in the context of the song, but remember there is still a real person there that this is being sung about. There will of course be opportunities to be slightly tongue-in-cheek (an no doubt the audience member will enjoy the joke), just remember not to take things too far.

• Number of Performers Required: 3 (2 Debaters, 1 Moderator)

• For the topic, choose something that a person can clearly be for or against. This makes it much easier and clearer to see the opposing ideas.

• Avoid genuine, high-profile real world problems. Aside from serious topics potentially causing uncomfortableness in the room, the fun of the game comes from taking tribal topics and treating them with the sincerity and importance of actual real-world issues.

• Treat the topic as serious, no matter how silly or trivial it really is: in the world of the scene, this topic is as genuine a big. Think about the precedents, problems, positives and how this affects people, animals or the environment. Feel free to map an actual topic that would be a matter for debate and some of the arguments that are made in that.

• The Debaters are characters, consider their jobs, history, family, social life, point-of-view, hobbies, scandals, accomplishments when playing as and playing opposite; this extra detail is not only fun to play but easily adds depth to the debate, their reasons for their point of view, and the relationship between them during the scene.

• Number of Performers Required: 4 (2 Actors, 2 Directors)

• Directors:

• In general, want to have at most three cuts in a scene.

• Give space at the start for the players to establish a Base Reality before the first cut. Later cuts can be quicker but time should still be given for the actors to do the scene.

• Avoid spending more than 30 seconds per Director/Actor interaction; longer than this can cause the game to drag.

• Remember that while the other Director/Actor interaction is happening to remain “in the moment”: avoid just dropping character and staring at them, instead continue your “conversation" but in silence.

• Be a character, this a great opportunity to have a little fun as a type of director.

• When giving directions, remember it is to the “actor" and not the player

• Generally directions will start with “Play the scene more like/with a...” and can compliment what has been said, an unused idea, a running joke in the show or something left-field.

• Listen to what the other Director offers to their actor. While your directions do not need to match or compliment, it is good to still be aware of what is happening and opportunities to enhance.

• Add/remove/tweak previous advice in each cut.

• Be sure to have a dialogue with the actor - you are they personal director so know them well and worked with that actor before.

• Avoid suggestions the actor do something that could fall into inappropriate territory. Remember this is still a comedy show where all the players work together and you are supporting your fellow partners.

• Know the player as a particular talent or skill (e.g. physicality, rapping)? Feel free to direct them to do that in the scene - it will make them look good and in turn everyone else.

• Equally, avoid forcing someone to do something you know they’re uncomfortable with - that’s not smart or cool.

• Make sure to take turns who calls “cut”.

• Actors

• You’re playing not one but two characters in this scene: the actor and the character in the film being made. For added fun, having these characters being distinct with their own voice, physicality and mannerism is wonderful.

• As a character, you also have a point-of-view, history and personality - let this come out in when talking to your director.

• Try sincerely to do the instructions that your director gives you; even if you struggle, the audience will appreciate the effort and enjoy the attempt (especially if you “fail” - audiences can be cruel!).

• Director who calls “cut” will generally call “action”. They should also specify whether the actors are to redo a scene or move on to a different one (giving some details of what that is).

• For scene energy, often good to go to a pivotal point of the film. Feel free to jump to a scene with high action or emotion.

• For the final scene of the game, often ideal to jump to the “final scene” of the film for a sense of closure.

Choose words unrelated to each other, or the scene offer.

• Number of Performers Required: 4+ performers (2 performers as the couple) 2 audience members (couple)

• Before starting the game, you can have a practice using an obvious example of truth for the couple to try using the Bell (and similar obvious lie for the horn).

• The performers who play the couple should only play those characters in the scene, as it makes things simpler for the audience couple to know who to Bell/Horn. Other performers can, and should, play multiple characters.

• Make strong assertions about the people: what they like/dislike, what they think of the other person, where they are, what they are doing, their thoughts and opinions, opinions on relationships, their dating history etc. The key is STATEMENTS!

• Game has multiple scenes, with performers changing scenes with “meanwhile...”, “cut to...”, or “[time period] later...”

• Useful to have two separate scenes at the start introducing the of the couple separately before having their first meet. This is an opportunity for us to make a lot of assertions and to discover more about each person.

• Tip: more responsibility on translator / poet be as physical as possible but pause for translation

• The host needs to be a master at dropping hints, setting up scenes, and maintaining energy without giving everything away too soon.

• The contestant must fully commit to their character's confusion and journey of discovery, genuinely trying to figure things out.

• Assistant is the supportive glue that holds it all together!

• Listen to the Genre: Fully commit to the genre called out. Don't just tack on a word; embody the character and style.

• Listen to the Scene: While genre is king, try to keep the core of the scene's content or relationship loosely connected.

• Be Bold with Choices: When calling a genre, pick something distinct and inspiring. When playing, dive headfirst into the new persona.

• Physicality Matters: Don't just change your voice; let your body react to the new genre (e.g., rigid for horror, sweeping for musical).

• TBC

• TBC

• One word suggestion

• Number of Performers Required: 2 performers 2 audience members

• On audience members: this game can be problematic with certain audience members who might not have the performers’ safety, well-being or considerations in mind. Avoid selecting people who might put performers into problematic positions. This is difficult to do and comes with practice and filing the room, but certainly any audience member making any inappropriate suggestion throughout the show should not be selected.

• As a puppet

• Justify every position. You are in this position because your character has chosen it, so say why you are in this position (e.g. “time for yoga!”)

• Avoid “describing” the position (e.g. “I am looking down”) but justify why you’re doing the action (“Look at that spider! I’m terrified of spiders!”)

• You can give clues as to how you “want” to move (e.g. “I wish I could look at you”) but be prepared to justify if not doing it (e.g. “Nope, I can’t, I can’t look at you because of the shame you brought on my family”)

• Be aware of your physicality, the position you are in and where your scene partner is. While the “game” is that you’re not in control, don’t feel you need to do something that will put yourself or someone else into harms way (e.g. don’t do the splits of you cannot).

• Remember that audiences are not trained improvisers, as be prepared to justify moves that might seem counter to the story you’ve been telling.

• Be prepared for three types of audience members: those who move you constantly; those that occasionally move you; those that seem to have forgotten that they are moving you. Throughout, justify the position you are in.

• On top of all this, keep in mind the reason the two characters are in this scene: a task, a relationship, a revelation. All the character, emotional and stonework we do in any scene still applies here.

• For the audience members, get their names and make a big deal about their helping out (e.g. “round of applause for John and Jill!”). At the end of the scene ask the audience to show their appreciation again for the audience members.

• As always with naive games, though the player is guessing who they are, the character is not naive and knows the who, where, what. When something said is “incorrect” it is correct (or understandable) in the world of the scene, so be sure to find an in world justification for all incorrect guesses.

• When giving hints:

• GO ONE ITEM AT A TIME! Naive games have a lot of spinning plates and it can become easily confusing if giving hints for all the items at the same time. Instead, focus on each of the items to be guessed on their own and avoid moving on until the person has guessed that one correctly. You can of course refer back to something that had been guessed correctly.

• Subtlety is key - start with gentle hints that the audience will understand that will likely go over the naive person’s head and slowly ramp up to more obvious hints

• Avoid clues that are completely unrelated to the scene and are designed just to say the item being guessed. While this can be a good technique if a player is struggling to guess - even going so far as to break down the syllables - when done too early and/or too often it can remove the audience from the scene itself and focus instead on just the guessing aspect.

• Outside players can and should come in to help give hints during the scene, so always be ready to jump in. Be sure to have any hints complement the reality of the scene. It can however become a cacophony of hints if too much outside help happens, so use sparingly.

• First, practice tune with “La” and having teacher conduct students

• Really getting into character can help

• Do it either about a person in the audience (get name, occupation, hobby something from past) or each person given a topic to sing about

• Number of Performers RequiredFor the Activity: 4 (1 Late Worker, 1 Manager, 2 Co-Workers)

• Choose an activity that is appropriate for the audience and the performers are comfortable discussing as one they took part in (as the character)

• The activity can be mundane (e.g. missed the bus) but the more esoteric a suggestion might be more fun to play (e.g. defeating the dragon Smaug)

• Remember this is not a game of “New Choice” or “Should’ve Said”: the action or dialogue is not being changed but more elaborated on (e.g. “I have a shirt” can become “I have a blue shirt”/“I have a blue Oasis shirt that’s covered in tears” but not “I do not have a shirt”).

• Pace you more specific: you may get “More Specific” several times so make sure you have somewhere to go.

• Rule of 3 useful if being told “More Specific”:

• 1st time add a little (e.g. “I have a shirt” can become “I have a blue shirt”)

• 2nd time add a bit more detail (e.g. “I have a blue shirt” becomes “I have a blue Oasis shirt that’s covered in tears”)

• 3rd time have fun and add lots of detail (e.g.“I have a blue Oasis shirt that’s covered in tears” becomes “I have a blue Oasis shirt I got at a concert in ’94 with a lot of tears because I didn’t realise it was a blur concert and got into a fight with a 6’7” die hard Blur fan who smelled a lot like carrots for some reason”)

• Be prepared that, if you effectively deliver a minute long monologue, the audience will likely give a “More Specific”. Feel free to momentarily break character to acknowledge ad have fun with the fact the audience is making you do it at this point:

• Facial expression to show disbelief

• Allow speed to come into delivery

• Mock fatigue and/or frustration

• If your scene partner is being “More Specific” a lot, feel free to quickly jump in a response once they have delivered a line of dialogue – now if the audience shouts it’s you who will need to give more detail.

• TBC

• TBC

• Tip: try varying tempo and rhythm

• Tip: in gibberish, but have an idea what you are singing

• Tip: physicalise to help tell story

• Tip: know the key you’re comfortable in (soprano, tenor, baritone)

• Key to this scene:

• Remember starting offer/number etc

• Remembering what was happening in your scene

• The idea of action happening while away - person who is the numbered one should initiate

• Opening Offer:

• unusual first date / a great discovery / a secret to be revealed / advice

• moral support (one person offering support to another - what and why?) / race to the finish (task needs to be finished - what and why?) / the fallout (something has happened and watching the fallout - what?) / the talk (2 people somewhere, someone needs to discuss something with the other - what?)

• TBC

• Number of Performers Required: 2 performers 2 audience members

• On audience members: this game can be problematic with certain audience members who might not have the performers’ best interests in mind. Avoid selecting people who might say problematic phrases. This is difficult to do and comes with practice and filing the room, but certainly any audience member making inappropriate suggestion throughout the show should not be selected.

• As a a performer, you do not need to comment that the character has “forgotten” the word, simply do a setup then gesture and integrate into the scene (e.g. “For dinner tonight I made some...” gesture “pizza” “I made some pizza because I know it’s your favourite”)

• Balance is key:

• Initially, give more setup to help the audience member an idea of what to say

• Maybe gesture once every one or two sentences to start, but can be more frequent when the scene goes on

• Depending on the comfort level of the audience member, can gesture for multiple words in a sentence and without too much setup

• Avoid long gaps without gesturing to an audience member, otherwise why are they there?

• When gesturing to an audience member, shyness is very common – remember, these are not trained performers. As such:

• Give space for them to come up with a word, and be friendly with the word they suggest

• Avoid being “annoyed” with a suggestion, as it could shut them down

• Repeat the word loud and clearly so the whole room hears

• Some audience members might feel intimidated of a performer standing over them throughout, so feel free to crouch and be at their level when getting a word

• The occasional response of “I have nothing to say” when you get silence is okay, but avoid jumping too quickly to this or using it too often.

• Some audience members may give non sequesters or the “wrong” word; remember to not chastise but embrace.

• Justify every word suggested. You said that word because your character has chosen it as it was correct (e.g. “for our anniversary you got me as a present a...” “box” “a box, you know how much I love storing things in boxes! That’s why you took me to a box factory on our first date.”)

• Avoid the “this is another word/slang for” trap (e.g. “Let me put on a pair of...” “spaghetti” “spaghetti, which is of course slang for Italian shoes”). This is an easy get out for a word that is tricky to make sense but is really just disregarding the suggestion given. The challenge to justify the word is the fun, dismissing it as another word ruins it.

• Generally each audience member will be assigned a player to provide words for. Stick to this audience member for the first few minutes of the scene them feel free to gesture to the other audience member on occasion. Try to balance though so one person isn’t providing the majority of words.

• Be aware: for offensives words and terms you do not need to use or repeat them.

• On top of all this, keep in mind the reason the two characters are in this scene: a task, a relationship, a revelation. All the character, emotional and stonework we do in any scene still applies here.

• For the audience members, get their names and make a big deal about their helping out (e.g. “round of applause for John and Jill!”). At the end of the scene ask the audience to show their appreciation again for the audience members.

• As always with naive games, though the player is guessing who they are, the character is not naive and knows the who, where, what. When something said is “incorrect” it is correct (or understandable) in the world of the scene, so be sure to find an in world justification for all incorrect guesses.

• When giving hints:

• GO ONE ITEM AT A TIME! Naive games have a lot of spinning plates and it can become easily confusing if giving hints for all the items at the same time. Instead, focus on each of the items to be guessed on their own and avoid moving on until the person has guessed that one correctly. You can of course refer back to something that had been guessed correctly.

• Subtlety is key - start with gentle hints that the audience will understand that will likely go over the naive person’s head and slowly ramp up to more obvious hints

• Avoid clues that are completely unrelated to the scene and are designed just to say the item being guessed. While this can be a good technique if a player is struggling to guess - even going so far as to break down the syllables - when done too early and/or too often it can remove the audience from the scene itself and focus instead on just the guessing aspect.

• Outside players can and should come in to help give hints during the scene, so always be ready to jump in. Be sure to have any hints complement the reality of the scene. It can however become a cacophony of hints if too much outside help happens, so use sparingly.

• Number of Performers Required: 2 (1 Explorer, 1 Explorer’s Guide) Note - other players should be on hand to step in with hints when needed

• For location/threat/solution request:

• Detail is wonderful! Although one should be cautious about too much detail, the specificity for these items (e.g. exact location within a building, material solution item made from) can add to the fun.

• Some suggestions may be contentious and/or might not be comfortable for the performers to play and the audience less comfortable watching a scene about (i.e. avoid cheap stereotypes)

• The three requests should be unrelated to each other, this allows for two things:

• It’s not as easy to guess one from the other.

• There will be more ideas put into the world of the scene and more opportunities for interesting combinations.

• THE THREAT IS A GENUINE THREAT! Although the suggestion chosen can be silly (e.g. swarm of bees with nuclear missiles attached) it should be played as a sincere threat. Equally, the item used to defeat the threat, no matter how ridiculous it would be to solve the issue, is a genuine solution (e.g. harmonica “Blues music causes bees to be introspective and learn the errors of their ways, which causes them to dismantle weapons of war”).

• For Explorer:

• A big strong character (physicality, voice, POV) is always fun, especially one who has been on many adventures before. This can help with “wrong” guesses, as they can be references to previous trips.

• A great joy from this (and many comedic scenes) is a contrast; bringing together two opposing or very different ideas for something unique. If the naive person comes in has a strong emotional response to the location and the threat before knowing and it is in conflict with the reality this can be hilarious (e.g. “what a bright, beautiful, lush oasis!” when the location is actually an underground car park).

• For the Guide:

• Your character can either already know the Explorer (always fun) or the first time they’ve met, but you know everything about the land, the threat and the item to defeat the threat.

• To help build the scene, consider why the Explorer is visiting this location.

• For incorrect solutions, feel free to provide justifications as well (e.g. “this does look similar to Glasgow city centre where we visited last week, but we’re far far away from there now!”)

• Have fun playing characters – Explorer, Guide and walk-ons – in this world.

• As always with naive games, though the player is guessing who they are, the character is not naive and knows the who, where, what. When something said is “incorrect” it is correct (or understandable) in the world of the scene, so be sure to find an in world justification for all incorrect guesses.

• When giving hints:

• GO ONE ITEM AT A TIME! Naive games have a lot of spinning plates and it can become easily confusing if giving hints for all the items at the same time. Instead, focus on each of the items to be guessed on their own and avoid moving on until the person has guessed that one correctly. You can of course refer back to something that had been guessed correctly.

• Subtlety is key - start with gentle hints that the audience will understand that will likely go over the naive person’s head and slowly ramp up to more obvious hints

• Avoid clues that are completely unrelated to the scene and are designed just to say the item being guessed. While this can be a good technique if a player is struggling to guess - even going so far as to break down the syllables - when done too early and/or too often it can remove the audience from the scene itself and focus instead on just the guessing aspect.

• Outside players can and should come in to help give hints during the scene, so always be ready to jump in. Be sure to have any hints complement the reality of the scene. It can however become a cacophony of hints if too much outside help happens, so use sparingly.

• Rule of 3 - make first 2 changes minor (e.g. “I ate ham” “I ate cheese” “I ate bread”) and, if audience want third change, make it drastic (e.g. “I know i’m adopted”) - this constant should’ve said-ing is a sign they want a big change

• Once something has been changed, the previous version no longer exists and the new reality accepted (e.g. “I have ham” “I have cheese” shouldn’t be followed by “Where did the ham you had go?”)

• If your scene partner is being Should’ve Said a lot, feel free to quickly jump in a response once they have delivered a line of dialogue – now if the audience shouts it’s you who will need to change dialogue line

• TBC

• TBC

• TBC

• Scenic Mime/Physicality - Stunt Doubles (Tip: for people doing physicality, make actions exaggerated/larger than normal / make simple tasks more complex and dangerous / incur injuries and fix) (People being physical are in full control)

• Remember starting offer and scene numbers. To make it easier have the suggestion be a single word.

• Probably want to see each “channel” 3 times, though can call before when running short on time or an especially big laugh happens (but try to visit each channel twice).

• Very similar to a training wheels Harold:

• First time performing the scene establishes something (e.g. Game of the Scene, Today’s The Day, Revelation). This scene might be brief if clear quickly what the joke is.

• Second time performing is either picking up exactly where last scene left off or a time dash later. Very possibly a little longer to play if deep scene or brief if very Game heavy and joke made clear.

• Third scene likely to be very brief (a button), such as a big Game of the Scene move or a massive declaration/revelation.

• Remember what was happening in your scene and channel number!

• Common Scene Types that might play out on the channels:

• Game of The Scene

• One or both of the characters have an unusual pattern of behaviour due to an uncommon point of view.

• Today’s The Day

• A snapshot of the day in the life of our characters, but common routine or pattern of behaviour is broken (either intentionally or unintentionally).

• Moral Support

• One person offering support to another - why is support needed and what/how is support given and received?

• Race to the Finish

• A task needs to be finished - what is it and why is it important to complete?

• [Note these scenes often more about character and/or game than the task]

• The Fallout

• Something has happened and the scene is the fallout - what happened, who are affected and how?

• The Talk / The Revelation

• Two people somewhere, someone needs to discuss something with the other - what is being discussed and what is the result?

• Depending on how offers are asked for determines how the performers should approach the scene:

• What is a secret someone might reveal to someone else? Will likely be a Revelation scene.

• What was your grandfather’s occupation? Does not need to be a scene about a day in the life of the audience member’s grandparent.

• Often the word offer should be treated as a jumping off point rather than the focus of the scene.

• If wanting to lean into the TV Channel metaphor more, can ask for either specific programs that are on (e.g. The Simpsons) or genres (e.g. Soap).

• Can also ask for something unusual about the program (e.g. “A genre? News. What’s unusual? The anchors are trying to kill each other”), though also fun to leave that to the performers to decide.

• Conductor:

• Can be a cast member, host or tech.

• Preferably someone familiar with the performers and improv.

• Give enough space for performers to establish their scenes but not so long they run out of steam.

• Try on the first round to view each channel once before returning to a channel.

• View each channel at least twice, preferably around 3 times.

• Avoid going in sequential order, variety is fun!

• Number of Performers Required: 5 (1 Host, 1 Contestant, 3 Blind Dates)

• When getting the quirks, make sure to repeat and make absolutely clear who has what before the naive player returns - this will help both the other players and the audience.

• Quirk Types:

• Physical Quirk (something they do, look or feel)

• Verbal Quirk (the way they speak or sound they make)

• Mental Quirk (they believe or they think)

• Celebrity Quirk (they are or think they are)

• The Quirks:

• A degree of sensitivity should always be considered when selecting/playing quirks (avoid punching down).

• Tourettes comes up often - note that real Tourettes takes many forms, one way to respect the choice, be sensitive and keep things fun is to note that it involves an involuntary action, so what’s an action you would normally associate with Tourettes .

• It is often best to get a different type of quirk (along with unrelated ones) for each player, as it adds more variety to the game.

• Once the group is comfortable with the game, can consider adding a couple quirks together, though make sure not to overboard it.

• When playing the game, remember that everyone is a character with a history and a point of view. One way to avoid cliché or allow a quirk to dominate is to remember that this is just one facet of their personality and does not have to define them - just like we all have our quirks that don’t define us.

• When one of the blind dates with a quirk, allow your quirk to inform the answer - the key is that by answering the question sincerely with the quirk in mind, you are giving clues about it without needing to be too obvious (this isn’t charades after all!)

• For the naive contestant, the scene often works best when playing the dating game within the game sincerely - imagine you are the contestant and you are looking for love.

• The contestant should avoid trying to guess what the quirks are until the end, just focus on asking the questions and responding to the answer (can be at top of their intelligence)

• Question ideas for the naive contestant:

• Where would you take us on our first date?

• What’s your favourite hobby?

• What’s the riskiest thing you’ve done?

• Who is your role model?

• What’s your go to karaoke track?

• TBC