When you have nothing...

[HerrHerr]

...what do you do heading cold into a new scene b/c there has been an edit as a way to let your fellow players know you have nothing?

Can't remember who, but someone once told me that they open an oven door and pull out something.

If I start brushing my long, luxurious hair, then I have nothing.

If I use a metal detector and not say anything for awhile, then I probably have nothing.

[York99]

...what do you do heading cold into a new scene b/c there has been an edit as a way to let your fellow players know you have nothing?

Can't remember who, but someone once told me that they open an oven door and pull out something.

If I start brushing my long, luxurious hair, then I have nothing.

If I use a metal detector and not say anything for awhile, then I probably have nothing.

I would argue that if you open an oven or brush your hair, you DO have something.
My advice in this situation is from the Annoyance school of thought. Just say and/or do something... anything. Take care of scene partner by taking care of yourself.

[Roy Janik]

We sort of covered this extensively two weeks ago in the jam. I forget where I cobbled together these techniques from, but they partially come from Mac Antigua.

My current thoughts on what to do when I have nothing:

1) Start with a truth.
"I think that..."
"I've always thought that..."

2) Start with a feeling/emotion.
"I feel..."
"I like..."
Or just say another character's name, inflected with whatever emotion comes to you. This establishes your character's emotional state and calls for someone to join you on stage.

3) Look at your partner and tell them what they look like.
Assuming someone joins you on stage, just look at them and say what you see.

"You look happy."
"You look sad."
"You look tired."
"You look like a fuzzy bear."

I like this last technique best of all, because it doesn't require you to come up with anything. You just look at your scene partner and draw your inspiration from them. Plus, you're endowing them with your first line.

[HerrHerr]

Can't remember who, but someone once told me that they open an oven door and pull out something.

If I start brushing my long, luxurious hair, then I have nothing.

If I use a metal detector and not say anything for awhile, then I probably have nothing.

I would argue that if you open an oven or brush your hair, you DO have something.
My advice in this situation is from the Annoyance school of thought. Just say and/or do something... anything. Take care of scene partner by taking care of yourself.[/quote]

Oh, I agree. But there are times (especially if your team is playing some quicker montage improv) when a troupe or individuals are not having the clearest of nights. By telling your troupe (or the members just knowing), "When I do this, I have nothing," can help clear the potential clutter of someone stepping out thinking that you do have a good idea working.

Especially for newer troupes still learning how to just jump out and get going. Helping folks who are a bit gun-shy in their early days.

[kbadr]

It's been a long time since "having nothing" has actually bothered me. I'm always so confident in my troupemates' ability/willingness to jump out and add to whatever I've (consciously or unconsciously) done. If I walk on stage with something, sweet. If I don't have a clue, I don't have that panic moment anymore, because I know that once someone else walks on stage, I can at least react to something about them. And suddenly, we both have something to work with.

Improv!

[York99]

The cathedral starts with just one brick.

[kbadr]

And each indulgence gets you a brick.

[apiaryist]

I'm a newbie.

1. I always assume that my partner(s) have something.
2. Just stepping on stage is something to me.
3. I do not Improvise for food, so it's okay for me to have crappy scenes.
4. I always want to do my best.

[mcnichol]

Just say or do something with (any) emotion behind it and some semblence of detail, and it doesn't matter what, and yr good. Anything can be a scene start, the key is just not second guessing yourself or your partners in what it is.

Or pirates.

[LuBu McJohnson]

You can certainly tell when I have nothing.

1. I find a chair
2. I do something with the chair
3. I find an emotion based on something I have done with the chair.
4. I pick out a character that might be based on the emotion. By this time either I start the scene or the scene has already started.

It's a process. Just wish it didn't HAVE to involve a chair.

[Marc Majcher]

You can certainly tell when I have nothing.

1. I find a chair
2. I do something with the chair

That is almost exactly what I do, only my technique pretty much ends there. Maybe add:

3. Stand/sit there looking stupid with the chair, longing for the sweet release of death.

I suppose that could be entertaining after a while, but I wouldn't bank on it. I'm totally stealing Roy's "you look..." trick from now on, and if there's nobody else there, I'll just tell the chair how pretty it looks today. Over and over.

[kbadr]

PGraph's version of that used to involve stacking of chairs.

[Roy Janik]

PGraph's version of that used to involve stacking of chairs.

Which in turn, was stolen from Polite Society.

[vine311]

PGraph's version of that used to involve stacking of chairs.

Which in turn, was stolen from Polite Society.

I've seen Craigy do this a lot too and have stolen his love of moving furniture as well.

[kbadr]

He's more of a bench stacker/tilter.