These tips will help you answer the question: What should you look for and what do you say afterward in an improv scene?
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Improvisation
by Lindsay Price
Improvising in pairs is an excellent training ground to improve listening and cooperation skills, and to practice exploring character and conflict. Students will read and respond to a Duet Improv introduction sheet, then apply their knowledge through pairs Improv exercises and reflect on the experience.
by Jennine Profeta
Characters have a lot of value in empowering your students’ improv. In this lesson, students will start to explore character in improv with the warm up game “Character Walkabout” and the improv game “Hitchhiker.”
This resource is designed to assist you in making your improvisation work as inclusive as possible. It includes questions to ask yourself, improv guidelines discussion, character names and pronouns, and additional discussion points. Use this guide to help create inclusive, safe spaces for all within an improvisation framework.
Part of Improvisation in Musical Theatre Unit
by Annie Dragoo
Students will demonstrate ability to respond vocally by participating in various improvisation activities.
Improvisation Acting
Part of Unit Two: Improvisation Basics Unit
by Lindsay Johnson
In this final lesson for this unit, students will participate in the improv game Hitchhiker as part of a peer and teacher assessment on the Improvisation Rubric.
Attachments
10 questions to use when evaluating improv performances.
Improvisation Assessment
Part of Improv Unit
by Anna Porter
Students explore how to trust themselves and work with others in improvisation through activities as well as playing games - Story Game, What are you doing?, and Press Conference.
This is a three lesson plan unit on introducing Improvisation. Part One: Introduction to Improv Students will understand what improvisation is and how to use the following rules: Trust Yourself and Accept all Offers. Part Two: Characterization & One Focus Students explore Characterization and One Focus by participating in activities and playing Ding, Emotional Waiter and Party Quirks. Part Three: Conflict and Tell a Complete Story Students will understand what conflict is and how to create it. Students will also understand how to use conflict to tell an improvised story with a beginning, middle and end. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the rules of improvisation through their final performance in Freeze as well as a written quiz.
by Karen Loftus
Improvisation is a great tool for storytelling and getting important concepts across to all students including struggling readers and writers. In this lesson, you’ll use the improv game “Scene Redux” to help strengthen the students’ understanding of main idea and detail as it relates to storytelling.
Newcomers to improvisation often struggle with quick verbal responses. They get caught up with self-editing, self-judgement, and self-censorship and feel they’re failing at the exercise if they’re not fast enough. The gibberish tool allows students to practice the act of response with intention without the pressure of real words. It gives them confidence to participate in an improvised scene. Students will create a gibberish language as a group. Focus on making gibberish a language. “Yes, it sounds silly, but treat gibberish as a language.” The words don’t matter. How you say them does. Students will move to small group conversations, and finally improv scenes.
Includes a list of scenarios, reflection, and assessment rubric.
Students will demonstrate ability to develop a character by participating in various improvisation exercises.
This resource has a list and description of six different warm-up games, great for improv groups or any theatre class.
Improvisation Warm-Ups
In this seventh lesson, students will practice their skills for the Lesson 8 test using a tongue twister (from Gilbert and Sullivan) as well as the improv game. Students will self-assess, and give/receive peer feedback.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of improv guidelines by using them in an exercise. This is an introductory improv lesson that is designed to build upon the actors’ tools in future lessons.
Improvisation Acting Musical Theatre
Part of Beyond the Basics: Rehearsal Strategies to Grow Your Actors
by Julie Hartley
This module explores the role of improv in character development; investing all cast members in the building of characters.
Improv activities for students, including an additional handout on CWOW.
Creativity Toolkit
by Ed Reggi
In this lesson, students will explore how to make their own Broadway musical through improvisation. Broadway musicals like The Book of Mormon, Urinetown, and Forbidden Broadway were developed from improvised work. Students will learn how to improvise an original musical in front of an audience. There are excellent opportunities for both the singer and non-singer who wants to explore improv like never before. This is also a great opportunity for singers to become far more confident with their performances. There are hands-on activities for students at all levels.
Musical Theatre
Part of The Process of Creativity in the Theatre Classroom
by Gai Jones
This lesson covers creativity in improvisation exercises.
Improv is a fantastic method to engage your students; this 3 lesson mini unit is a great way to introduce improvisation.
This unit focuses on learning the rules of Improv, trying games to build improvisation skills, and developing conflict and story line.Through the three lesson series, students will use journals, participate in class discussions, learn six different improv games, and perform for their peers.
Assessment tools include both informal assessment as well as a formal quiz that’s included in the unit.