How to Do a Backwards Improv Scene

Video Transcript

"JAYNE ENTWISTLE: So we're playing some of our favorite improv games for you, and this next game sure makes my brain hurt, I'll tell you that. But it's a great game for working that special improv skill. It's called the backwards scene. So what happens is from the audience we get the first sentence of a scene, then what we do is we start at the end of the scene and we work ourselves backwards until we finally get to the beginning sentence. Now because we don't have an audience here today, I've just created an opening scene: Those are some big apples. So, this is the scene we have to finally end up with. We're going to start at the end. You ready? All right, and for the sake of this, how about we are knitting? All right. Those are some big apples. ANDREW STUBBLEFIELD: Fine, Sarah. I'm leaving. JAYNE ENTWISTLE: I tell you, I'm going to win this contest once and for all. ANDREW STUBBLEFIELD: You think that you're so great. JAYNE ENTWISTLE: I think my knitting is the best in this town. ANDREW STUBBLEFIELD: Maybe if you didn't always break things, you would be a better knitter. JAYNE ENTWISTLE: Dang it. I dropped a bowl of fruit. ANDREW STUBBLEFIELD: Those are some big apples. JAYNE ENTWISTLE: So there is an example of the backwards scene. We started at the end and we had to work all the way forward to the sentence: Those are some big apples."