Posts by patrickgantz
Black Box Beats warm-up | Improv As Improv Does Best
[ad_1] Lights come up on black-clad high school students standing on and around wooden boxes of varying heights. You know what’s coming next. Staccato sophomoric pretension. A wonder to laugh at, if you’re not in the actual audience and/or have to drive a performer home afterward. Like with The Invocation, a structure of that kind…
Read MoreZoom In On Help Desk
[ad_1] With its focus on characters interacting, Help Desk games are perhaps the rubric most conducive to Zoom. As such, I found myself hewing much more closely to my typical Help Desk curriculum this class. The biggest hurdle came in navigating Pivots and Split Screens. Appearing on a Zoom screen it’s certainly not easy to…
Read MoreZoom In On To The Ether
[ad_1] The Patterns & Games class where we go over To The Ether games is always my favorite. This time was virtually no different. Understanding the atomic structure of patterns can help a group collaboratively build evolving molecules which combine into complex compounds. Patterns that facilitate game play can be defined by three “moves.” A…
Read MoreZoom In On Hey Everybody
[ad_1] “Hey, Everybody,” we say as our initiation in some form. Maybe it’s “Team, take a knee,” “Soldiers. Attention!,” or the Zhubin Parang special, “People, people, [important person] is ready for your questions.” The potential for trouble in a “Hey Everybody, get out here” initiation is high. Players may rush out on stage to support…
Read MoreZoom In On Organic Games
[ad_1] Students were taught the 4 Key Lessons for building collaborative improv games on Day One. In subsequent weeks focused one of 4 rubric group games designed to explore the power of each of those key lessons. At the end of the day – which really is the class showcase – the audience isn’t looking…
Read MoreZoom In On Patterns & Games
[ad_1] I taught my first Patterns & Games class through Zoom. I had been nervous going into it assuming I’d have to tweak my teaching materials significantly to work within this new world. But as I learned when approaching Silent Games, the mechanics of collaborative pattern play are applicable however Group Games are attempted. Need…
Read MoreZoom In On 4 Key Lessons
[ad_1] When I teach Patterns & Games in-person the first class is always Kick The Duck, Red Rover. I love this game. When I say “Go,” the class is to align behind a gibberish group game. It’s always a mess to start, and then I begin laying in the lessons and with each iteration the…
Read MoreZoom In On One Person Scenes
[ad_1] Agreement is awesome. Don’t you think. In class number two, we focus on that first of our 4 Key Lessons: Seek Symmetries. Bringing characters into group games brings new opportunities for chaos. Simplifying character-based group scenes with balanced stage pictures and shared emotional perspectives can help a team confidently navigate the chaos. Here’s how…
Read MoreCall & Response Connections | Improv As Improv Does Best
[ad_1] Dang, it’s been along time since I posted. There is a site re-design in the works and I have been working through teaching online. So lots of good things ahead for improvdoesbest.com. But here it is Halloween night 2020. I’m feeling a little hopeful (knock on wood). And an interaction just inspired me to…
Read MoreFun Times | Improv As Improv Does Best
[ad_1] Remember this Simpsons bit with Krusty about hemorrhoids and riding bikes? That “I can ride a bike again!” idea jumps into my head a lot (more often than a person should really think about hemorrhoids…probably). I think about it in conjunction with that “It’s just like riding a bike” expression used to refer to…
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