In The Upright Citizen’s Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual, Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, and Ian Roberts share the following visual aid to explain Game.
It’s a straightforward visual aid that helped me learn Game well enough to begin teaching others in college. During this time I modified the visual aid above in an attempt to streamline “the anatomy of a scene” for my classes. I mostly changed the shapes to make it look prettier on a whiteboard. But I also separated a few elements and stuffed an Initiation Triangle onto the front end. This article will breakdown the graphic I designed below and briefly discuss how I teach Game to new improvisers.
Initiation
The first major change I made to the UCB graphic is replacing the “start” circle with another tool, the Initiation Triangle.
Every improv scene opens with an initiation, so I figured the graphic should as well. The Initiation Triangle represents the three questions a player wants to answer at the start of any new scene: Who are you? Where are you? What do these characters want?
Base Reality
After initiating, players ‘Yes And’ each other until they find a First Unusual Thing. Yes And builds the scene’s Base Reality. Think of Base Reality as the scene’s setting. This is more developed than the Initiation Triangle’s ‘where’ which begins simply as a location. For example, the ‘where’ of a scene may be an air hangar. Then players go on agreeing to develop the Base Reality; perhaps they discover the scene is set in World War I, the post-apocalypse, or the medieval times. If the last is true, players may go on to discover the medieval hangar is full of dragons.
First Unusual Thing
When players discover a detail that departs from the norm, this becomes the ‘First Unusual Thing’ (if it is recognized). Players can signal that they recognize a first unusual thing using a technique called ‘framing.’ Framing draws attention to the unusual by pointing it out: “What do you mean?” “That’s so unusual!” Players can also frame an unusual thing by repeating it.
“This hangar is full of dragons.”
“Yes, this hangar is full of dragons.”
Once the First Unusual Thing has been framed, players switch from making ‘Yes And’ moves to asking ‘If, Then’ questions. ‘If, Then’ questions serve as a guide to playing Game. They are:
If this is true, then what else is true? (heightening)
If this is true, then why is it true? (exploration)
Game
I define Game most simply as the ‘bit’ of a scene. Less simply, it is a collectively understood, unstated joke that everyone can play using patterns.
In my opinion, naming the Game is often harder than actually playing it. One of the reasons naming the Game can be challenging is because multiple bits can be pulled from a First Unusual Thing. The Game is truly decided only after the pattern begins.
One player may think the most logical Game to pull from “an air hangar full of dragons” is ‘modern depictions of fantasy elements.’ Another player may think the Game is ‘monsters in lieu of transportation.’
Playing Game can also be easier than naming it because even if you don’t name the game, you can play it by applying ‘If, Then’ questions to the First Unusual Thing.
Examples:
If this is true, then what else is true? (heightening)
If “an air hangar full of dragons” is true, then what else is true?
There is a Pegasus for stealth operations.
The enemies have a Phoenix.
The Navy has a Kraken.
Families are taking a cruise on the Loch Ness Monster.
Villagers commute to work on centaurs.
Rich kids drive chimeras.
If this is true, then why is it true? (exploration)
If “an air hangar full of dragons” is true, then why is it true?
There is a surplus of mythical creatures.
Humans are the dominate species of the land.
Mythical creatures are more powerful than technology.
Technology exists but the civilization is actually Amish.
Dragons watched Top Gun (1986) and got really pumped about it.
Working with the military makes Dragons less lonely.
Alternating Game Moves
The Upright Citizen’s Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual suggests alternating heightening and exploration moves. This allows the Game to always be changing and a changing Game can be taken much further. After the six heightening moves I listed above, I am already running out of new ideas. However, any one of my six exploration moves will add more fuel to the fire.
If there is a surplus of mythical creatures then there is probably overcrowding, or population controls. What does that look like? If Dragons were so easily influenced by Top Gun, maybe the King has been too easily influenced by a movie as well. Shrek (2001)? Why not? No wrong answers. The King has watched Shrek and now he is moving out to the swamp. This is a problem for the entire Kingdom. Thankfully the villagers do not care because they have just watched The Big Lebowski (1998). Exploration will always give new life to heightening!
More on the Graphic
Another difference between my graphic and the original is that I separate ‘Yes And’ from ‘Base Reality’ and ‘If Then’ from ‘Game.’ Yes And is a tool for developing Base Reality, but it is not the same thing. If Then is a tool for playing Game but it is not Game itself.
Obviously if I was teaching a class I would dive deeper into each of these subjects. Still, this is a good overview of how I approach Game. I start with my Anatomy of a Scene graphic (based off the UCB graphic) and then break down each element. In a standard four level program I consider this a level two discussion.
Suggested Exercises
Three Line Scenes.
Two players have three lines to reveal the scene’s Who, What, and Where. Players should not try to be funny. They should focus on completing the Initiation Triangle. I recommend students stand in two lines. One line side will always initiate, then players will go to the end of the other line.
FUT Freeze.
This works just like regular Freeze Tag, except instead of calling “Freeze!” when a player enters an interesting position, players must wait until a scene’s First Unusual Thing has all been established. Players may stand in a circle, on the back wall, or in two lines. Optionally, players must announce the Who/What/Where and FUT before beginning their new scene.
Game Runs.
Practice doing one leg of the longform, Spokane. Have players begin in a core scene until they discover a First Unusual Thing. Then they must cut to a new scene where they apply ‘If Then’ questions. Take the Game as far as it will go and then reset. Practicing full Spokanes can be helpful as well, but I often like practicing a single leg first. Juggling Game Runs while also maintaining an interesting core scene can be overwhelming if you are learning Game for the first time.
Game of a Sketch.
When it comes to naming Game, it can be helpful to practice on sketches. My go-to for this activity is always Key and Peele. Watch a few sketches as a class and name the possible Games. Great discussions can ensue from this activity! Based on the First Unusual Thing could the sketch have played a different Game? Did the sketch mostly heighten or explore? What are some alternative heightening and exploration moves?