Favorite ways to take suggestions?

[Miggy]

The presence of awful suggestions first stood out to me at the All Star Maestro and then again at the big show at Out of Bounds, where each troupe still managed to put on great shows. Maybe it has always been as prevelant, but in the following weeks at the Hideout I keep noticing, over and over again, bad audience suggestions that are generally handled well, but still leaving an impact on shows and Maestro scenes.

I'm not trying to externalize or blame the audience for any shortcomings in my own performances or fault a one-time audience member for lack of creativity in a suggestion we've heard many times before. I am, however, curious to know what people's preferred method is of getting or drilling down to really good suggestions from your audience...or politely editing out bad ones?

[kbadr]

This is a really good question, and mastering the art of getting/using a suggestion is something I still need a lot of work on.

I think the trick is to first try to ask something that will have some personal connection to the audience, rather than "gimme a word." Ask about a good childhood memory, or an object they have sentimental connection to. Sometimes asking things like that will get nothing but cricket sounds, though...

As for dealing with "bad" suggestions, I have reached a point where I have absolutely no problem saying "c'mon, do you *really* want to see a scene/show about [insert crap suggestion here] ?" Or, take the suggestion and twist it. Expand it until you find something you can use. A great example of this is when our audience gave us "diarrhea" as a suggestion, and Wes (without missing a beat) said "oh, so you were sick?" and then we basically used illness as the suggestion.

There's a lot to be said for being able to take "poop" or "sex" and turn it into an amazing show or scene. I'm just not there yet. When we were in SF, Johnstone told us to only take a suggestion that truly inspires you, and it made me realize that it's ok to say "nope. don't really like that." And to anyone who argues against that (and in favor of always taking the first thing you hear), I'd ask them to think back to shows where the audience gave a truly unique, interesting suggestion, and remember the look on the players' faces when they heard it--when a truly interesting suggestion is given to the players, it's almost like they can't wait for the lights to go dark so they can start performing. They actually are *inspired* by the suggestion.

The trick is to make the audience think, and hope that they're warm enough to want to thnk a little and give you an intelligent response to your prompt. (the word "prompt" makes me think that getting a list of common "writer's prompts" might be a good thng to use to get audience suggestions)

[Roy Janik]

I have several thoughts on this.

1. During the one day intensive, Johnstone said that one of his earlier ideas was that improvisers should ask for "a suggestion that inspires" them, and that they should keep asking until they hit one that does. He said that in practice this failed miserably because improvisers don't want to admit that something inspires them, because then the pressure's on.

PGraph has since played with something like this a few times, but I've found that after the 3rd suggestion or so, you end up saying "Yeah, I guess", or "That'll do" because you don't want to hold up the show or look like you're waiting for the 'right' suggestion.

2. This past weekend in Omaha, I saw a troupe called The Weisenheimers play. I noticed that when they took suggestions they asked for a LOT of things and then just took the ones they wanted. This worked, but also seemed somewhat cheap.

3. My favorite technique is the patented Wes Bain Kitten Yarn Bounce method. You basically swat the suggestion back to the audience until you get something reasonable. Like so:

Wes: Can I have a word please?
Audience: Poop!
Wes: Excellent. Now what's something else you do as a little kid, other than pooping a lot?
Audience: Sucking Your Thumb!
Wes: Great! We'll take thumb-sucking as our suggestion.
*show starts*

It creates a conversation with the audience, it doesn't insult them by acknowledging that their suggestion was (heh) crap, and it doesn't look like you were cheating. If you know to look for it, it's obvious what's going on, but most people won't notice or care.

Of course, I still really admire the Coltowne method:

Chris: Hi, we're Coldtowne. Can I have a word, please? Any word.
Audience: Poop!
Chris: Thank you.
*show starts*

[mcnichol]

Great topic! There seem to be two ideas here: creative ways to elicit suggestions, and how to deal with "bad" ones.

I don't think there's any one good way to get a suggestion -- some are just better suited for some shows than others. Sometimes you might just want a physical object, because you are doing a show/scene where that's going to influence your character choice, or perhaps you want a location because you are going to be in that location. For something like Freeze tag, I've always heard the "something you heard someone say today" and that becomes the first line of the first scene. As long as there is some reason/thought behind it, anything can be a good suggestion-getting device. I've sometimes asked for something like "favorite childhood memory" because, more often than not, it will get the audience to think of positive things and will get them out of that potential mindset of "Let's see these improvisors deal with this!" You can always just ask for "a suggestion," with the understanding that you are opening yourself up to the "sex", "dildo", and “Hitler" pool.

That said, there are some great things you can do with those "bad" suggestions as long as you don't see them as bad. I remember a show where the group got the suggestion of "dildo" and so the first scene involved a baton and a relay race. Everyone knew where that baton came from, but it wasn't the focus of the scene, and in my mind, the literal suggestion never should be the focus. It is a suggestion only, and should serve to inspire things within the show, not necessarily be directly in the show. For instance, "dildo" might make you think about loneliness, a stick, privacy, pleasure, a robot, battery-powered, etc. That's a ton of scene/character ideas right there when you get past the literal meaning of the suggestion. When Dasariski took "Cocaine" as their suggestion ("line from a 70's song) at OOB, I thought "Oh crap." But they didn't focus on that throughout the show -- they just used it to inspire the characters, and what they were doing, etc.

And I personally don't believe in telling an audience member that their suggestion is not worthy, or just ignoring the first suggestion. That's just me, but I think part of the challenge of doing this (and the excitement) is dealing with whatever comes your way with absolutely no judgment (of the suggestion, of your fellow players, of yourself, etc.)

[Wesley]

The telling part is that so many of those incredibly shitty suggestions came from improvisers. You can say "it's improvisers blowing off steam" all day, but to me it seemed that once they become audience members they forgot what it was like up there AND their IQ dropped 27 points.


WARNING: Unnecessarily long reply


Personally, I have several methods I've experimented with as far as taking suggestions.

First, I seek specificity as much as possible. I ask "what was your grandfather's occupation?" because they don't have to "think" about it. If you say "can I get an occupation?" they either go silent for thinking (and fearing their answer isn't good enough) or blurt out prostitute. But if you ask a question they already know the answer to, it will still be a random variable for you, but several people will shout answers out.
Get them to reply before they can think about it and you'll get better answers. The shitty answers come from people that want to get a joke in too, but they still normally need a second to "think" of a "funny" reply. Don't let them.
(What was the first class you got an F in? Where were you the first time you kissed a boy or girl?)

Second, I try for several suggestions at once. If I ask a question so that they want to (and do) answer, I can selectively filter the response. "Did you say prostitute? Haha, but I heard war photographer first."

Third, I steal their thunder and use "bad suggestions" as examples. "I need a relationship between two people?" will return doctor/patient or student/teacher half the time. I often add, "like a doctor and his patient or student/teacher?" Then they can't say those. Likewise, if you give good examples, you can raise the level of suggestions, "I need a weird or unusual relationship between two people, like, I don't know, a witchdoctor and human sacrifice?"
(I also find that stutter in giving your example can help reduce their shyness. Makes you look vulnerable.)

Fourth, I purposely pervert their answer. I acknowledge (important), but subtly change an answer. One time I drilled down about a date and the person said it was ruined because they had diarrhea. So I replied "Wow, you got sick? Hmmm, what do you troupe members think of illness, does it inspire? OK, when the lights come up a show based on the suggestion 'illness.'" They never said the word, but they bought it when I organically changed it.

Fifth, on rare occasion, I've used slight chastisement ("I need an interesting career someone might have, and don't prostitute or proctologist, because everyone does that"). That can be dangerous though and depends on the crowd.

Recently, I do like to drill down as best I can by asking a question that has easy follow-ups. (What was the first movie you saw on a date? What was it about? How was the date?) I try not to go past three questions. This way you can stop at any point if inspired, or, if not inspired, ask a follow-up. Plus, even though you take "one" suggestion, you can bring back any of the things they said and they'll find it twice as funny.
Keeping the first one vague, helps, too. "What is a happy childhood memory of summer?" then you can drill in several directions. ("playing baseball with my father." then you can drill on baseball or their relationship with their father).

Finally, take charge and manipulate people. Make them like you. Act like your favorite part of the show is taking that suggestion. Reiterate it, ruminate on it (and the question you ask), make that moment count, smile, be open with your body (crossed arms or blocking the stage lights with your hand are more closed body postures and put people on the defensive. Keep the arms out, palms up. Subtle body language that says, I'm open, let me have it). Humans are notoriously predictable and manipulatable creatures and I've found 50% of suggestion taking is garbage in/garbage out. Don't be overly bubbly or aggressive, but be strong. Nothing worse than a weak suggestion taker--they are asking to be steamrolled. Also, try stating what you need instead of asking. "I need a career..." is stronger than "Can I get a career..."
And simply don't take a shitty suggestion. Laugh it off and say "we did that last time" or "I was thinking of something lessAdam Sandler and more Oscar Wilde." Don't slump, don't act like 'great another poop show,' laugh it off with them, they got their joke in, but just don't take it.

[kbadr]

Finally, take charge and manipulate people.

No single sentence better sums up our good friend Wes...

[Wesley]

Oh, I almost forgot.
TRAIN YOUR AUDIENCE OVER TIME.

This is reason B for rewarding the best suggestion of the night with free tickets in a Maestro format where you take A LOT of suggestions. First, it is good PR and brings people back, but second you are saying "See, that was a good and creative suggestion. "Poopie," not so much."

If we keep taking shit, they'll keep giving it.

[valetoile]

I find that asking specific members of the audience removes that protective anonymity, where people feel free to yell out lewd things. But ou have to ask something easy, like "what's your middle name?" then when they say "david" you can ask, "david starts with a d- what's a word that starrts with a d?" to the whole audience.

[Wesley]

No single sentence better sums up our good friend Wes...
Exactly what I meant for you to repost and reply about! My powers cannot be stopped!

Basically, for me, it boils down to this: Set yourself up to get the suggestion you want. Therefore, to some degree, you are responsible for the suggestion you get. If you set it up to get shit, don't complain when they give it to you.
If you want them to think, make them think. If you just want an item or emotion or whatnot, ask it so you get the item with minimal chance of shenanigans. Your body, voice, and pace can be as important as the question in the response you get.

Another idea we've done is provide our own, albethey random, suggestions. For example, we did a christmas gift exchange for our show last year, where we took turns opening secret santa gifts we got for each other, then the scene would be inspired by the gift. We did another where we used the game Apples to Apples to get suggestions.

[the_orf]

... in my mind, the literal suggestion never should be the focus. It is a suggestion only, and should serve to inspire things within the show, not necessarily be directly in the show.

I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. Shows should not look to be "about" the suggestion. The suggestion is merely a stepping-off point. And if those first few steps are silent and done in the time between when the suggestion is taken and when the very first scene begins, even better. Take for example the earlier example of "dildo" being turned into a baton--several steps were taken between hearing "dildo" and performing a scene involving a race baton. The audience didn't need to see or hear any of them.

Personally, I hate scenes that start with the obvious usage of the suggestion. I saw a scene where the suggestion was "sprinkler." The first actor came on stage and played the part of a sprinker. The second actor came on stage and played in the water of the sprinkler. The third actor followed and said to the second actor, "Playing in your new sprinkler, huh?" It made me cringe, not because the suggestion was lame but because the use of it was.

Who cares what the suggestion is? It's up to the improvisors to take whatever comes their way and make it interesting / challenging / inspirational / fun. That usually means, don't be so freaking obvious. If somebody gives you the suggestion "poop", there are a jillion ways to go with it other than doing a scene that revolves around poop. Because we all know, good scenes revolve around character relationships, not around inanimate props or naughty words.

That being said, my two favorite ways to ask for a suggestion are (1) to ask for "a word, a phrase, an idea, anything at all, just shout it out"; or (2) to ask for a suggestion of a concept. The first way gets you going into the unknown at full speed, which I find to be a good portion of the fun of improv (or anything). The second way is always vague and general enough that it can be twisted around to inspire a good scene.

But my favorite-est way to ask for a suggestion is to not ask for one at all. I love just running on stage with my fellow cast members, doing a bunch of physical stuff, and letting 'er rip from there.

After all, a suggestion is just a transparent way of pandering to the audience and letting them think that they're actually involved in the production of the show*, when we all know they're not because they weren't at any rehearsals with us.

(* - Unless you're doing short-form gamey stuff, in which the whole point of the suggestions IS to let the audience be truly involved as they try to make their own jokes and one-up the cast.)

[Roy Janik]

I saw a scene where the suggestion was "sprinkler." The first actor came on stage and played the part of a sprinker. The second actor came on stage and played in the water of the sprinkler. The third actor followed and said to the second actor, "Playing in your new sprinkler, huh?" It made me cringe, not because the suggestion was lame but because the use of it was.)

And that sprinkler's name... was Roy.

*shrug*. Okay, so I'm decently bad about using suggestions. I either use them right away obviously or forget about them. The problem with me is I'm desperately trying to get out of my head, and thinking too much about how to extrapolate sprinkler to some sort statement about life the universe and everything keeps me in my head.

It's definitely a skill I could work on. Which is why I want to try out the Deconstruction... to work on the concept of themes throughout a piece.

[kaci_beeler]

I think an audience can be seriously disappointed if you don't use the suggesstion in a tangible way. If you get the suggesstion "Coffee Pot" and you never bring up anything about or related to coffee pots, they think, what the fuck, why did I give you that if you weren't going to use it?

If you're going to ask for a suggestion, use it, don't just take one cause it's what everyone else does or you feel obligated because it's "improv". Or, if you'd rather not use objects, ask for things like an emotion or a theme. If you still think that "steers" improvisers and themes in the wrong way, don't ask for anything.

Why can't a suggestion be both loosely or complexly used? Roy was a human sprinkler, so what, I thought it wasn't that obvious, and that particular scene had a nice surprise at the end.
Sometimes what you think is obvious might not be obvious to anyone else, and it surprises and delights them. This happens to me all the time, I'm doing something, and I think to myself, "oh man, maybe this is too obvious" but then people end up liking it and I hear later, that was a great choice!
Once in a show we got the suggesstion "microwave", and I did a silent opening scene where a girl was sneaking in at night and putting a cat into the microwave. As I thought of it after the lights went down, I thought, fuck it, it's what I've got, I'm gonna use it, and it inspired one of the better longform stories we've ever done.
But, more than anything, I don't think the improviser should sit backstage trying to figure out the most inane way to use the suggestion. Aren't people trying to get out of their heads? Do what feels right, whether it's an interp or the obvious tangible use.

I think the audience should and can feel apart of any show, no matter the form (unless your point is to focus on yourself). Why else are we onstage? The audience feeds us energy, they help us do great work. We would all improvise at home for ourselves if the audience didn't help us out so much. Luckily, if it's a good show it's also a lot of fun for them too.
The audience actually plays a huge role in the production of a show, probably bigger than they think.
If you have a stone cold unattentive audience, do you have one of your best shows? Usually not.

[Wesley]

... in my mind, the literal suggestion never should be the focus. It is a suggestion only, and should serve to inspire things within the show, not necessarily be directly in the show.
--------------------------
Shows should not look to be "about" the suggestion. The suggestion is merely a stepping-off point. And if those first few steps are silent and done in the time between when the suggestion is taken and when the very first scene begins, even better. Take for example the earlier example of "dildo" being turned into a baton--several steps were taken between hearing "dildo" and performing a scene involving a race baton. The audience didn't need to see or hear any of them.

I'm not sure I fully buy this theory. When you ask for a suggestion, I think most audience members view it as you making an implicit contract with them that you will use it.

I think that what *we* think a suggestion is and what *they* think a suggestion is is usually pretty different. I don't know that they understand "suggestion" may mean "inspiration" and not a literal suggestion--at least not our "untrained" Austin audiences. I've been to several shows where the suggestion was ignored and people seemed upset by that.
Ex: I went to one where the suggestion was BBQ. The troupe launched into a word association game and wound up on ice hockey. Then they began a scene about ice hockey. The guy in front of me leaned over to his wife and actually said "Did I say BBQ? I thought I said BBQ. Maybe not." Then he slumped a little and laughed a lot less at the show than anyone else. I don't think he said BBQ to inspire the players, but because BBQ had some meaning for him and he wanted to see that played out. Then he felt denied.

And I can't tell you the number of times I've done a show (happened recently with a Cops & Lawyers episode) where after the show they said "Good show...but you never used 'garbageman' like you were supposed to." Supposed to!! (Admittedly, some shows, like that one, tend to necessitate a literal use of the suggestion.)

I do not think our audiences understand "inspiration" vs. "suggestion" and I know they don't all forget when you fail to use it.

Personally, I have mixed feelings on this. I am a fan of *not* taking a suggestion if you don't mean to literally use it (or at least in a form that is obvious if an indirect inspiration. If you ask for something found in a kitchen and they said "insect" then a scene about the Beatles would be accepted and probably seen as a creative interpretation. A scene about picking flowers because you have some personal flower/insect memory they don't know about might confuse them).

One can always just come out and do a show without a suggestion. I mean, why do we really ask for one anyway? To "prove" we are making it up? To connect to the audience and give them the feeling of input? If the former, I don't think it necessary. If the latter, then I'd argue that an inspiration that wanders too far from the original risks alienating rather than connecting--especially if those connections are done during lights down and the audience doesn't see the evolution of thought.
(Some of the best shows I've seen took the suggestion very literally at first, then used it in a different context, then made a pun on it, then went further and further until the suggestion was a memory...but you saw how they got there.)

I don't know. As I said, I have mixed feelings. It is improv--there is no right or wrong way--but I do think we sometimes forget in pursuit of our own artistic visions what audiences expect to happen when we ask them for a suggestion.

[the_orf]

As I thought of it after the lights went down, I thought, fuck it, it's what I've got, I'm gonna use it, and it inspired one of the better longform stories we've ever done.

That's what improv is all about, the "fuck it, it's what I've got, I'm gonna use it" mentality. Which is why the suggestion shouldn't matter. Fuck it, that's what you've got. Go with it.

And that sprinkler's name... was Roy.

Ooh... sorry about that, Roy. So much for my keeping things anonymous.

Why can't a suggestion be both loosely or complexly used? Roy was a human sprinkler, so what, I thought it wasn't that obvious, and that particular scene had a nice surprise at the end.

Yes, that scene did end up being a nice one. But you had to work a lot harder (at least from this audience member's point of view) because you started out with a scene about a sprinkler instead of a scene about character relationships and their feelings.

There's nothing wrong with playing the suggestion straight-up. The problem comes when you try to make the suggestion the focus of the scene, which is what happened for the first couple minutes of the sprinkler scene. Then somebody finally made a move that pulled some character arc into the mix, and that's when it took off. If you just jump in with the character arcs and let the suggestion inform the present situation happening on stage, then the suggestion can be the most inane thing in the world and still be inspiring.

(refer to Erika's comment about the Dasariski "cocaine" suggestion. Yes, they used the suggestion, but the scene was not at all about cocaine.)

I think the audience should and can feel apart of any show, no matter the form (unless your point is to focus on yourself). Why else are we onstage? The audience feeds us energy, they help us do great work. We would all improvise at home for ourselves if the audience didn't help us out so much. Luckily, if it's a good show it's also a lot of fun for them too.
The audience actually plays a huge role in the production of a show, probably bigger than they think.
If you have a stone cold unattentive audience, do you have one of your best shows? Usually not.

That same reasoning applies to scripted shows too. And to stand-up. And to music concerts. All live performances need to connect with the audience, whether or not they take a suggestion from them to start the show.


As Wes said, some people feel there is a "right" way to use a suggestion, some people don't. Some people interpret "suggestion" and "inspiration" differently. You've got to do what works for you as a performer. But if 95% of your audience members consistently say "that sucked" then you should probably work on new ways of incorporating the suggestion.

You can't please everybody. So you should probably just try to please Wes.

[Wesley]

So you should probably just try to please Wes.

Thank you!

Seriously, though, all I'm saying is that if it is an "inspiration" we might want to rethink the way we ask for it to make that clear. All audiences are different, and a good show's a good show, regardless. However, I've often gone to shows to watch the audience as much as, if not more than, the players and I think we sometimes forget what it might be like to be in the crowd with no improv experience/knowledge whatsoever.

As I said, it isn't a matter of right/wrong, I don't think there is such a thing. It is merely a matter of making it clear to the audience what's going to happen with what they give you so they don't give it with false expectations.

It's probably why I persoanlly don't understand/think so much modern art is crap--but other modern artists go around patting each other on the ass and singing one another's praises. They are so far down into the art and theory and philosophy that they sometimes forget how to make it connect with those of us that aren't.

Of course, I'm probably way off base. I usually am. Sadly, the knowledge that I am rarely stops me from spouting off as if I know what I'm talking about. Weird, that.