What Type of Improviser Are You?
Exceptional improvisers possess versatility, yet each individual has their distinctive strengths! Billy Merritt from UCB advocates for the "Pirates, Ninjas, Robots theory" as a framework for categorising the diverse types of improvisers that emerge in a scene. Take the quiz and find out which kind you are, then read the book to join our discussion of it at April’s book club!
The suggestion is “chess”, you…
Initiate as a life sized pawn, “Pawn takes knight!” you proclaim
Initiate by taking a chair and sitting down with a look of concentration
Make some ticking noises from the sidelines, setting up the stage for someone to jump
Someone hands you an apple and says “use this wisely”, you…
Go to grab to it but notice it’s actually hot and glowing
Say “you mean that? My nutritional afternoon snack” looking perplexed
“Hey put me down!” you call from the sideline, embodying the fruit
You’ve found yourself on stage dancing, you…
Commit HARD, the audience has to believe it!
Mirror the moves of your teammates, there’s a lot of you on stage and you want to make sure there’s not too much going on at once
Pour yourself a drink, object work helps set the scene
You check the clock, there’s only 3 minutes left in the show, you…
Initiate a group scene, with the energy high, now’s a great time to get everyone on stage
Bring back a funny character from a previous scene, everyone likes a callback!
You narrate out to the audience, connecting the dots between two stories
Mostly As
Fearless and daring, they commence scenes with bold, unconventional choices, while fellow players strive to rationalise and endorse these decisions. It takes the audacity and inventiveness of a pirate to propel a half-hour improv performance.
Mostly Bs
Robots epitomize pure logic. They consistently ground the audience in reality, questioning, 'What defines my character, and how would they genuinely respond to this?'" In every scene, there's a need for the straight person to balance the pirate, establishing the boundaries of humor and preventing the scene from careening into the realms of absurdity.
Mostly Cs
The ninja takes the reins, directing the scene subtly, the ultimate justifier, devoid of ego. For the ninja, glory lies in slipping away, navigating in and out unnoticed. A player with ninja-like finesse edits seamlessly, leaving no trace. “The ninja is the linchpin connecting all the scenes together.”
Text by Marlies Iserlohe
