Playing the "Bucket" Improv Game

Series Summary

Improvisational theatre is a form of theatre in which the actors use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously. Actors typically use audience suggestions to guide the performance as they create dialogue, setting, and plot extemporaneously. Many improvisational actors also work as scripted actors, and "improv" techniques are often taught in standard acting classes. The basic skills of listening, clarity, confidence, and performing instinctively and spontaneously are considered important skills for actors to develop.

In order to improve your improvisational skills, the best thing to do is practice and practice. In this free video series, our expert will teach you how to practice improv with a number of games to be played with a partner. You'll learn the "Bucket" game, the "Name Rap" game, and the "Lounge Singer" game, among many others. With these acting tips and instructions, you'll be able to impress fans of theatre and the stage with a fine-tuned improv performance!

Video Transcript

"Hi we're here learning how to play some improv games today and now I'm going to show you a game called Bucket. To play Bucket you're going to have your entire team tear up slips of paper and write out single lines of dialog. They can vary and they can be about everything and them ore unique and creative lines of dialog the more fun your going to have with the game. Once you have your slips pulled and prepared you're going to place them all into a bucket or a hat, which we're using in this case, and then you're going to have two or three players start a scene and continue the scene and then one at a time pull slips of dialog out of the bucket and integrate those lines of dialog into the scene. You need to go ahead and agree with whatever is said even if it seems completely non- sequitur or random. Dan B. and I are just going to go ahead and demonstrate how to play the game. We've prepared the following slips in this here hat of paper. We have about six, we'll probably only get through a couple of them here as we show you. So watch and enjoy the scene. "Hey Nick did you eat my sandwich?" "Um, you know I, I don't really remember there are so many sandwiches in that fridge." "We'll let me tell you which sandwich it was" "Okay" "It was the one in the fridge and I had clearly written on it man to man what's the tallest tree you've ever climbed." "Aw I see it's that kind of sandwich that you would eat and you'd have the energy to actually go out and start going out and doing stuff. I don't think it was that one when I ate it I still felt a little tired." "Oh did you really?" "Yeah in fact I yawned and I stretched and I said to myself I'm telling you man she hasn?t ever kissed a dude" "Oh you talking about Kelly?" "Yeah" That's how you play Bucket."