Magnet Improv Level 5 Class Notes

Instructor: Armando Diaz
Date Taken: October 2010

Level 5 at the Magnet focuses on creating an improv revue—four shows that your team does together. I went back to my normal heavy note-taking ways for this class, but can you blame me? It was Armando Diaz teaching!

To learn more about the Magnet training program, go here.

Class #1

• the goal of the class is to learn how to put on an entire show (from start to finish)
• the attitude you want to have is that anyone off the street should be able to come in and enjoy themselves (not just other improvisers)
• if you have a bad show, dont give an excuse as to why
• nobody is so good that they should be an asshole to people
• key focus of forms:
• montage—fast paced, higher energy
• monoscene—pov and committed character
• time-dash—how time affects characters
• freeze tag—trust your instincts, visual, commitment
• initiations are a reaction to something that happens in a scene that we dont see (start in the middle)
• simplicity is always appreciated
• good improvisers trust in just being… (no need to always talk)
• concept alone isnt theater. concept with an attitude is
• great players are calm and patient and wait for inspiration
• listen well, internalize and think about how you can connect to the other person
• the goal of the first beat of the monoscene is to create the world the scene will take place in
• the difference between a monoscene and group game in a harold is that you have more time for different characters to play varied povs (wheras in a group game a lot of times youll all have the same attitude)
• your object work should be specific enough that it tells the audience who you are without you needing to speak
• every scene is about one truthful thing

 Class #2

• often times the funniest thing to do is be vulnerable
• be affected by what people say
• be your experience, dont state it
• most premises have been done. it’s the specifics that differentiate them. take the idea and personalize it
• WHO you are is so much more important than the premise of a scene
• Del’s “the third thought”—get past the trivial, go to the deeper thought
• when on stage, you shouldnt be thinking as an improviser, you should be thinking as the characters youre playing
• discovery in a scene is an awesome thing
• monoscenes feel counter-intuitive because each character should have their own thing. especially as a walk-on, dont give in to the feeling you should be a character to heighten someone elses game, have your own character and then youll help others play their game while youre playing yours
• its like a potluck—everyone has to bring something different in order for it to stay lively

Class #3

• every character has a pov and it’s often defined in the first thing you say or do. if you get lost, go back to what you did first in a scene
• actions speak louder than words, dont forget your object work
• EXPERIENCE THINGS ON STAGE
• spontaneity (discovery) is the drug of improv
• star trek—orignal series was fun because they experienced what was happening. later generations were just people logically thinking about it and coming up with a resolution. be Kirk, not Picard? Screw it or kill it.

Class #4

• follow your character’s pov and motivation
• the real genius players remember how they started and stay committed to it
• there are different “sized” ways of playing a game. sometimes youll need a sledge hammer, sometimes youll need a paint brush.
• theres a difference between heightening and increasing. increasing just adds more stuff; heightening is specific to your character and pov and playing more of that
• in a good scene, both characters have a pov (and game)
• specifics are very important when it comes to heightening or additional game moves. e.g. language that was used is very important
• if you know how you feel, you dont have to analyze as much
• pov is one of the most important things to make sure you understand—it will take you the furthest and make your scenes easier
• if you arent sure how you should be reacting, get specific and that will help inform you

Class #5

• emotion can be a pov.
• each action your scene partner makes heightens your emotion. you know that is the case so the only “work” you have to do is justifying your emotional reactions
• play for competence (have your characters be smart). to play “bad” is harder than “trying” but “fail”
• the more truthful we are the easier things will be
• dont play in the middle
• a scene is initiation -> reaction -> justification

Class #6

Guest Instructor: Christian Capozzoli

• physicality is king, emotion is queen – joe bill
• every gift should be treated as such, have a reaction to it, state what is, give specifics
• characters should be hypersensitive to their pov
• if you have a really talky first scene, then you gotta play the 2nd beat even more actively

Class #7

• play game harder. dont wait for other people to help you play game, make the moves yourself more
• physicality is king and can buy you some time to speak

Show #1

• be ready on the edits
• each character had a sense of history which is really good
• whenever someone comes out, make sure you react to that person

Class #8

• dont be so concerned with plot moves, allow yourself to play in the emotion you give yourself
• remember CROW—character, relationship, objective, where
• dont forget to express your philosophy and circumstances in between game moves to heighten each move
• two behaviors overlapped is the relationship.
• even when you have strong game scenes, there should be a strong relationship. all scenes are relationship-based regardless of how strong the game is.

Show #2

• specificty of game is important. look to your first scene that gives you the details

Show #3

• dont change your character in 2nd beats.
• be careful of adding too much importance to a detail from the previous scene; by talking about it again it makes it more important than it needs to be
• its about your personality more than anything else.
• you never want to be an improvisors wanting people to do something. put more focus on reacting
• edit on an emotion and dont be scared to leave what happens to the audience’s imagination

Show #4

• be careful of using nondescript gifts, hammer them out in first beats so you can play with them
• gift your scene partner because that will give you something to react to
• for second beats dont close the door to discovery, especially if youre first beat established a weirdness. play with the gift you gave yourself for having fun