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Playing improvisation games Improvisation can be practised as a competitive sport or as a collaborative game. Viola Spolin pioneered this focus on games and collaboration and the Far Games belong to the same tradition.
During workshops, participants play improvisation games together and watch other participants playing, with pauses to share their findings and remarks. The games focus participants on their surroundings, taking their mind away from the fear of under-performing. First we play to win. Then we play to lose. Then we play to play. Rules give us the freedom to experiment. |
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Failing is acknowledged as a sign of genuine risk-taking and games can be repeated as many times as necessary for everyone to find a way to succeed. Free from the need to appear bright and original, participants can experiment with the way they project themselves and interact with others in a playful and supportive atmosphere. The improvisation games become gradually more sophisticated to finally produce fully fleshed stories. |
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Advice to improvisation facilitators
Give clear and simple instructions and make sure they are understood.
Only use rules if they improve focus.
Let players be in charge of their own experience.
Discuss the outcomes with participants rather than lecturing them.
Encourage participants to monitor their inner state.
Avoid all form of direct negative comments. Ask for critics to be respectful and constructive.
Do not force your tastes upon others.
Violent stunts are never improvised.
Recognise failure as a chance to progress, and try again.
Show your respect and appreciation.
Take risks. Try new games and new ways of doing old things. How can you ask people to take risks if you don't?
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Advice to improvisation players
There are no bad improvisers. Just teachers making wrong choices. If you think you're terrible just relax, it's their fault.
There is no catch, no trap, no intention to catch you off-guard.
It can be very tempting to erase difficulties by breaking a game's rules but without rules there is no game. Rules are the only fix point in the landscape. How you follow them is completely up to you.
Ask again and again if you need to clarify a rule.
Playing too safe is making matter worse because you are neither allowing yourself to fail nor to succeed.
Play the games to win. Then play the games to loose. Then play the games to play.
Make your fellow player look good if you want to look good.
Avoid anticipating. It's a lot more rewarding to try a game out and see what happens.
Discard any prepared idea before entering a game or a scene.
Show your respect and appreciation.
Involve yourself and agree to fail. Try new things. Success won't teach you as much as failure.
Give yourself the permission to play.
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