Invulnerability in Improv

Jastroch · Post by **Jastroch** » January 18th, 2009, 1:44 am

You know what I was thinking? How infrequently we, as improvisers, play characters that are completely invulnerable to physical or emotional damage-- rain man meets the hulk.

I want to see more of this.

Zach · Post by **Zach** » January 18th, 2009, 4:57 am

Actually, right off the top of my head, I can think of handfuls of examples of characters being shot, stabbed, having heavy objects dropped on them, melted, and more than all others combined, having their necks snapped, without suffering any ill effects what so ever. In fact most of the time they are able to go on talking about an activity, standing in space and conducting vague negotiations about indeterminate objects and/ or actions without any ill effects from their attacks.

HerrHerr · Post by **HerrHerr** » January 18th, 2009, 11:51 am

Deaths are usually a lot messier and take longer than they do in improv as well. Someone once pulled a gun on me. She fired the gun and made the weakest sounding gunshot possible. It was so pathetic that i just had to say, "What? a water pistol? You shot me with a water pistol???!!"

Buckman and I once had a pact to die slowly from a gunshot wound in any scene we encountered where the shooting was done out of fear and not really for the benefit of the scene. Imagine Tim Roth's character in Reservoir Dogs.

acrouch · Post by **acrouch** » January 19th, 2009, 3:05 am

HerrHerr wrote:Deaths are usually a lot messier and take longer than they do in improv as well. Someone once pulled a gun on me. She fired the gun and made the weakest sounding gunshot possible. It was so pathetic that i just had to say, "What? a water pistol? You shot me with a water pistol???!!"

Buckman and I once had a pact to die slowly from a gunshot wound in any scene we encountered where the shooting was done out of fear and not really for the benefit of the scene. Imagine Tim Roth's character in Reservoir Dogs.

That would make a great Maestro set-up.

ratliff · Post by **ratliff** » January 21st, 2009, 7:20 pm

It's funny you should mention this, because my high school students do this all the time . . . and it's not that entertaining. I think an experienced improviser could do a lot with the idea, but then an experienced improviser would probably do so by giving the character realistic human feelings, and therefore vulnerability. For beginning improvisers, though, I lump this in with coming onstage with a gun or as mom and ordering everyone around: it's a way to avoid any emotional involvement with the scene.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » January 21st, 2009, 9:21 pm

I love how Steve Carrell's character on The Office takes improv classes and always pulls out a gun in scenes.

ratliff · Post by **ratliff** » January 21st, 2009, 10:31 pm

Frank wrote:I love how Steve Carrell's character on The Office takes improv classes and always pulls out a gun in scenes.

I think Bob McNichol said he took classes with a guy who actually did this.

ratliff · Post by **ratliff** » January 22nd, 2009, 12:25 am

Jastroch, why do you want to see this? The more I think about it, the more boring it seems.

Jastroch · Post by **Jastroch** » January 22nd, 2009, 1:06 am

I thought it was a funny quip to make when I made the post at 3am.

acrouch · Post by **acrouch** » January 22nd, 2009, 1:28 am

ratliff wrote:Jastroch, why do you want to see this? The more I think about it, the more boring it seems.

It's a parody thread of Cody's Vulnerability in Improv thread.

mcnichol · Post by **mcnichol** » January 22nd, 2009, 6:46 am

ratliff wrote:
Frank wrote:I love how Steve Carrell's character on The Office takes improv classes and always pulls out a gun in scenes.
I think Bob McNichol said he took classes with a guy who actually did this.

His characters, literally without fail, had one or more of the following traits in each scene:

1. they had a gun and were ready to use it
2. they were crazy and admitted as much
3. they were on or were seeking drugs, man

He stopped taking classes after Level 2.

ratliff · Post by **ratliff** » January 22nd, 2009, 8:49 am

acrouch wrote:
ratliff wrote:Jastroch, why do you want to see this? The more I think about it, the more boring it seems.
It's a parody thread of Cody's Vulnerability in Improv thread.

I guess with the boards you're either all in or likely to get inadvertently punked. Ratliff duped, over and out.

Curtis + computer · January 22nd, 2009, 9:14 am

ratliff wrote:
acrouch wrote:
ratliff wrote:Jastroch, why do you want to see this? The more I think about it, the more boring it seems.
It's a parody thread of Cody's Vulnerability in Improv thread.
I guess with the boards you're either all in or likely to get inadvertently punked. Ratliff duped, over and out.

It takes a vulnerable man to admit that, Ratliff. Thus YOU HAVE MISSED THE POINT ENTIRELY.