Playing The Victim

[valetoile]

I think that in scenes where there is a large status disparity, and we se a complete status reversal, yes, then what Jastroch mentions applies absolutely- when it happens it's often unbelievable. It happens in comedy a lot that way. The high and mighty person slips on a banana peel. Boom. Status reversal and hilarity. But a change that big isn't going to be believable drama. So yeah, you're right about that, Jastroch.

But status is constantly changing in scenes whether you're aware of it or not. Every time you're affected by something another person says, there is a potential change in status. A lot of status is about having something the other person wants. Ideally both characters have something the other person wants, be it love, approval, a pencil, whatever. And the changes in who wants what more at any given time change the status. You can play status in broad strokes or you can play it in fine shades. It's an awesome and amazing thing that happens all the time in our lives, and awareness of it on stage is an amazing tool. Like any other improv tool, we play with it in clunky, inelegant ways when we first start using it (just like the "yes and" of improv level one) and then we get good at it, and it becomes subtle and beautiful.

[lizardcatking]

Someone page Patti Styles. I took her OOB workshop and she demonstrated dealing with the newbie (or at least uncooperative) improviser. I was amazed at the examples she dealt with in jedi-like fashion. But I was too new to write things down or properly remember them. But it was amazing....

todd

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

Someone page Patti Styles. I took her OOB workshop and she demonstrated dealing with the newbie (or at least uncooperative) improviser. I was amazed at the examples she dealt with in jedi-like fashion. But I was too new to write things down or properly remember them. But it was amazing....

todd

well, that's because Patti is a Jedi...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWON8i6Mo84[/youtube]

[Jastroch]

Yeah. I'm glad this stoked discussion and not a flame war! Success! I felt compelled to say something because it came up in the workshop I did in OKC. I told them don't go for the status shift. So one of you guys have to go up there and counter point :>

Small status changes are okay, I suppose. I'm talking about complete status reversal. As an audience member, the "banana peel" moment feels like an invention, rather than a discovery to me.

On a meta note: it is interesting how these semantic differences big and small effect playing style so much. To me, doing a scene with someone going for the tilt feels like hanging out with a Canadian. So close, but so different. No good or bad value attached to that statement, it's just cool to me how these small changes language effect playing styles.

Another example that I've been thinking a lot about lately is the Circle of Expectations -- it has so much to do with games and heightening, but it creates a different set of expectations for the scene.

Has anyone else done a scene with someone from another theater and been like, "You're not improvising poorly, but I don't understand where you're coming from?"

[bradisntclever]

Another example that I've been thinking a lot about lately is the Circle of Expectations -- it has so much to do with games and heightening, but it creates a different set of expectations for the scene.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, too. The first few weeks of Improv 201 at UCB revolved around finding and identifying the first unusual thing in scenework, and that seemed to tie into the Circle of Expectations. I basically used the Circle as my radar, and once something popped up way outside of it, it was easy to identify the blip and lock onto it.

Has anyone else done a scene with someone from another theater and been like, "You're not improvising poorly, but I don't understand where you're coming from?"

Definitely. The first few Family Tides rehearsals had moments like this where we all learned to get on the same page with one another. By the end, it was great. I miss that show.

[shando]

Small status changes are okay, I suppose. I'm talking about complete status reversal. As an audience member, the "banana peel" moment feels like an invention, rather than a discovery to me.

Yeah as a Johnstone guy and hence a status dude, I'd still agree with you. I think a lot of status stuff gets done poorly, or in too forced a manner. That said, though, status is such a powerful concept if you can handle its subtleties it gives scenes an inherent tension and strength and watchability. People can feel the energy when status is played well--even if there isn't a switch, status often makes things happen. The key I think is staying open to discovery, as Jastroch says, and not forcing easy resolutions. And sticking to your status guns in a scene doesn't seem all that incompatible with concepts from other schools of improv thought. Status is really about character and point of view, how we behave, with a just a slightly more external focus.

Has anyone else done a scene with someone from another theater and been like, "You're not improvising poorly, but I don't understand where you're coming from?"

Yes.

Edited to say up above Val said much of what I meant to say about status much better than I. We're hierarchical beasties, and status is always happening in human interactions. Knowing how to play with it can result not in less realistic scenes, but more.

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

yes. yes. smarter people than me are saying what i mean. yes.

[Jastroch]

Yes to everything written. I suppose what caused my reaction was the idea of a complete reversal.

And, while we're often not couching it in terms of status on our side of the pond, so much of what we do with straight/absurd dynamics, whats and relationships is very closely related to status.

[jillybee72]

If this is something happening in class, you should ask your teacher about it so it can open up a discussion and the beginning improvisor can learn other choices.

[happywaffle]

If this is something happening in class, you should ask your teacher about it so it can open up a discussion and the beginning improvisor can learn other choices.

Jill's 500th post! AIRHORN

[karenjanedewitt]

late to the discussion!

Bill Arnett has a great technique for getting past arguing without losing your character. "Say yes, but do no." So your character doesn't want to do A, but instead of arguing for the entire scene and getting nowhere, you agree to what is being asked of you, but your attitude about it clearly has not changed. Ya know, just like in real life when we do stuff we don't want to do just to be agreeable.

[jillybee72]

I've been talking about it a lot lately - the fact that we only ever have a few hours to just introduce status, so we talk about the extremes but never the really interesting rubby rubby close together ones.

[jillybee72]

Has anyone else done a scene with someone from another theater and been like, "You're not improvising poorly, but I don't understand where you're coming from?"

Most often it will be like, "Oh, ouch, you come from a theater that does not value pausing for genuine emotional reactions, okay, I get it."