Improv Rules & Structure

Video Transcript

"JAYNE ENTWISTLE: So we're going to be learning some of the rules and structures of improv, the basic building blocks and the foundations of how to build a good improv scene. ANDREW STUBBLEFIELD: Jayne, you said rules. I thought it was all improvised. JAYNE ENTWISTLE: Well, it is improvised. But in order to expand and go anywhere you want in your mind, it's really good for everybody to know how this works. How they're all going to work together on stage, instead of, just sort of, a chaotic free for all. We learn these basic structures and it allows us to build really great scenes. A story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. It has characters. It has a who-who, a who, a where, a what. It has conflict. It has resolution. These are all great things that make a great story. While in improv, we're basically telling a story. It might be a short story, and in that case, in a short scene, we want to get across. Who are we? What are we doing? Where is this scene going? What's our character? What's our conflict? How are we going to resolve it? In that way, we build great scenes. So you see, we learn all of these building blocks. And we kinda stack them up and bang! We know exactly how to build a great scene and feel confident on stage."