How Not to Shut Down A Comedy Scene

Video Transcript

"On behalf of Expert Village, this is Paul Zuckerman with the cast of Chicago City Limits here in New York City, and today we're going to show you some techniques for improvisational comedy. Just as justification helps build the scene, denial shuts the scene down. A lot of times in provisional class the teacher will say never use the word no. It's not so much the word, but blocking the idea, blocking the energy shuts the scene down. Let's see what happens when that occurs. So, I guess we should go to the movies. It's really nice to meet you. I've been looking forward to meeting your for a long time. Well, there's no movies here on the mountaintop where we're hiking. That was big block. The women in the scene just pretty much stopped the energy of what was going on. Let's see what would have happen had she agreed and justified rather than denied. I'm really looking forward to going to the movies with you, Linda. It's really nice to finally meet you. Yeah, I know. Blind dates are not usually my thing. Me either. But I have this good feeling about this. The last blind date I was on she was actually blind and nobody told me. Oh my! I know, and I took her to an art museum."