In improv it is the relationship between characters that fuel our scenes, and it is all too easy to wander off into high concept work losing touch with our core characters who are the ones who make scenes compelling.
This week we are going to look at keep our scenes riveted to our characters and our audience riveted to us. Expect an emotion-focused session that works on building relationships between characters and finding the simple comedy of human interaction. Simple improv, as easy as having a conversation.
Thursday 2 March 2017 7.30 – 9.30pm The Malt Cross We’re under the main bar – the doorway is inside, just to the left of the actual bar 16 St James’s St Nottingham NG1 6FG Find it! £5 / 3 concessions
It’s fun to be different people, but what about different things? Things are amazing. There’s endless opportunity to be objects, and to play otherwise inanimate stuff, and this week we’re going to explore your potential as more than just a bag of meat and sticks – we’re going to learn what it’s like to be a thing.
Thursday 16 February 2017 7.30 – 9.30pm The Malt Cross We’re under the main bar – the doorway is inside, just to the left of the actual bar 16 St James’s St Nottingham NG1 6FG Find it! £5 / 3 concessions
We’ve been doing lots of fun stuff with character recently, but for all the effort we put into making our charming, weird and funny characters we often just discard them after a few minutes and sit down. What a shame! This week we’re looking at creating characters and bringing them back – remember, a character is for a bunch of scenes, not just for Christmas (that’s your weird aunt Ronnie and uncle Merk you’re thinking of).
Thursday 2 February 2017
7.30 – 9.30pm The Malt Cross We’re under the main bar – the doorway is inside, just to the left of the actual bar 16 St James’s St Nottingham NG1 6FG Find it! £5 / 3 concessions
Next Thursday is Gorilla Burger – are you coming? Ace. Invite people! It’ll be even more fun.
Why? Everything we do in an improv scene happens for a reason. When we uncover those reasons we have more depth for our characters. When we have more depth for our characters the audience is more interested and as improvisers we have more options. This week we will go beyond the “who, what, where” and plunge into the “why”.
Thursday 26 January 2017
7.30 – 9.30pm The Malt Cross We’re under the main bar – the doorway is inside, just to the left of the actual bar 16 St James’s St Nottingham NG1 6FG Find it! £5 / 3 concessions
This jam is all about REALLY getting into character ~ how they walk, talk, think and feel. We’re not just talking about characters, we’re not even talking about characters where you need italics to get the point across. These are characters you write in giant angry internet capitals: CHARACTERS. It’s deeply fun to play roles you wouldn’t usually choose to play, and that’s what we’re gonna do.
http://renownedexplorers.com/
We’ll be doing some fancy exercises designed to help really get into their shoes before we launch into a bunch of short scenes. Bring your metaphorical footwear.
Thursday 19 January 2017
7.30 – 9.30pm The Malt Cross We’re under the main bar – the doorway is inside, just to the left of the actual bar 16 St James’s St Nottingham NG1 6FG Find it! £5 / 3 concessions
This Thursday the jam will be a chance to play as many scenes as possible – and we will focus on our purpose in the scene. In some scenes you will be given secret missions (just like the improv spy you always wanted to be) and in others your purpose will be known to everyone. Get ready to find your purpose.
7.30 – 9.30pm The Malt Cross We’re under the main bar – the doorway is inside, just to the left of the actual bar 16 St James’s St Nottingham NG1 6FG Find it! £5 / 3 concessions
Fracking hell, it’s nearly jam time again and this Thursday we will be drilling some core skills designed to train our brains to listen, respond and spot fun, interesting things to play with in our scenes.
There will be some full-on warm up games to get us in the right brain space and then we will unleash ourselves into some scenes and some montages. It’s like one of those brain training games Judi Dench uses in that advert but done in a room without Judi Dench*. Come along and train your improv brain.
* Technically, as it’s a drop-in, Dame Judi could turn up so better be there just in case. You wouldn’t want to miss that!
Thursday 2 July 2015
7.30pm – 9.30pm The Corner 8 Stoney St Hockley NG1 1LH £3
While everyone likes the freedom to do whatever their little heart desires in an open scene, there’s a reason why improv games are so enduringly popular. The restrictions often generate a laugh in themselves, and forcing people to act in certain ways is often intrinsically hilarious.
So, this week it’s all about the games. We’ll be playing some of the most popular shortform games – but we’ll be doing them right. We’ll be identifying what makes them work – and what doesn’t – and really drumming home the rules hard so everyone knows exactly how these games are intended to be played.
My index finger will be poised over the bell at all times, so expect guidance to get you back onto the fairway if you’ve strayed into the light rough. Ideally, of course, we want to reach the green in regulation and sink an eagle putt. I will stop the golfing metaphors now.
Thursday 25th June 2015
7.30pm – 9.30pm The Corner 8 Stoney St Hockley NG1 1LH £3
This week’s jam: No Material Likely To Offend Or Harm
This week’s jam is brought to you by: Parky
Doing the swears, invoking the Nazis and hinting at sexuals is all fun. Some times, however – perhaps if there are kids in the audience or we’re doing a show in front of a daytime crowd – the tone of the content does have to be a little bit different.
It’s not true that something has to be rude or offensive to be funny. There are plenty of laughs to be had in polite, clean scenes and that’s why this week all of our scenes are going to be U certificated.
So, what does a “U” certificate mean? Well:
Only infrequent use of mild bad language (“hell” or “damn”)
No overt focus on sexual behaviour, language or innuendo
No emphasis on the use of weapons
Some danger but quickly resolved and with a reassuring outcome
No negative behaviour that children may copy
Generally contains positive messages about friendship, loyalty and honesty
Here’s an example. The Paddington movie was passed as a PG, not as a U (and therefore would not be suitable for our jam). This is because:
Paddington hides in a fridge (classed as ‘imitable behaviour’)
Paddington rides on a skateboard while holding onto a bus
There is a mumbled use of the word ‘bloody’
There is a comic sequence where a man dressed as a woman is flirted with by another man
There is a scene where Paddington lies unconscious on a table while a taxidermist prepares their tools nearby
There is a moment where a boy straps fireworks to his shoes
So, bearing all these things in mind (see what I did there?) our scenes this Thursday will be clean, largely peril-free and with no rudes, naughties or swears. Harder than you think? You can bet on it.
NB: I’ll be on the bell and, having read the “U” regulations, my decision will be final. If I think you’ve gone too far, I’ll tell you. No correspondence or argument will be entered into or I’ll end the scene immediately. Ta!
Thursday 4th June 2015
7.30pm – 9.30pm The Corner 8 Stoney St Hockley NG1 1LH £3
