The fundamental rule of improv is Yes, And… but there are few more helpful rules that help create the best, most funny and interesting scenes possible. When you’re out on stage cookin’, these 8 helpful kitchen rules will keep your scenes rolling, your team jiving, and the audience LOL-ing. These rules are pretty standard across theaters and are there to help you! Do yourself a favor and MEMORIZE THESE!
Never be strangers to each other
It’s more interesting when people have a history between each other. Maybe they’re sisters who never got along or co-workers who keep stealing each other's lunches, or competitive neighbors who always one up each other for the best holiday display. Having a shared history and deep roots make the stakes higher, the scenes funnier, and you know it’s been happening for years. Your scenes answer the question, “why today?” We finally see a longtime dynamic come to a tipping point.
Always be an expert, play to the top of your intelligence
So you don’t know about thermo-molecular dynamics? No one does! But that shouldn’t stop you from pretending you do. Not only will the audience love this shared experience and watching you ad-lib, but you’re helping your scene partners by “yes, and-ing” their move. There is nothing more boring than a person shrugging their shoulders and saying, I dunno.
Don’t do transactions
That’ll be $23.50. Ok, thanks. Bye. BORING. It’s alright to have a scene take place during a transaction, but don’t make it all about the transaction. The transaction can be a procedural move, but usually they happen between strangers! Violating our first rule! ALWAYS KNOW EACH OTHER! The scene isn’t about ordering a Starbucks drink, it’s about your childhood crush that maybe you have been working up the nerve to ask out for the last twenty years. Maybe it’s your arch nemesis from your old equestrian days. Perhaps its your former FBI coworker that left the bureau to pursue barista art. The point is, it can never be about your coffee order, it’s always about the two of you.
Don’t do teaching scenes
Much like a transaction scene, no one wants to watch someone else get taught something. That’s what YouTube is for. Teaching scenes tend to create one person dictating the action of the scene while the other person has to Yes And or generate new information, leaving the whole scene boring and tedious to watch.
Don't be generically bad at things
This goes against playing to the top of your intelligence. Plus, no one wants to watch someone be bad at something. If you are bad you are specifically bad. Bad chef is lame to watch. Chef who used to be a mechanic is more interesting. This chef is still bad, but they are bad in a very specific way.
Don’t be on drugs or drunk or a child
People who are drunk, on drugs, or children are experiencing the same base reality as everyone else. They are exisiting on another plane of existence. Fine for them, but how can we know what is unusual when we can’t agree on what is “usual”? Just don’t do it.
Never have it be your first day
Having it be your first day is a cross between being “bad at things” and “teaching scenes”. It’s my first day, how do I operate this flame thrower? This says, I am bad at this, teach me how to do it. It’s much more interesting to watch a veteran stunt person perform a feat of strength with their flame thrower.
Don’t play bored or apathetic.
In improv we always want to pick an emotion and stick to it. That way we can heighten and explore what it means to be and feel the way we feel. For example, a nostalgic hitman is much more fascinating than a bored one. They have no ability to heighten their experience or feelings. Same with apathetic, if you don’t care, the scenes have no stakes and therefore the audience doesn’t care.
Add information, don’t start the scene with questions
With the basic rule of Yes And, you always want to be gifting your scene partner with information. There is a huge difference between the scene start of: “Hey, what are you doing?” and “Mom, you are dressed as a teen at my school dance. Are you pretending to be one of my classmates again?” The second line is a question but it adds information and gives your scene partner everything they need to know about their character.