The improv sport “The Next Chapter” is a enjoyable full-class exercise. It takes the standard “Freeze” improv sport and turns it on its head. In that sport, small teams of scholars create an improvised scene, and when the instructor calls “freeze!” the following group of scholars creates a brand new situation from the earlier group’s frozen poses.
In “The Next Chapter,” the small teams nonetheless freeze when the instructor says to take action, however the subsequent group of scholars picks up the place the final story stops, creating a brand new improvised “chapter” with every subsequent group. The result’s one lengthy improvised story that may nonetheless take many inventive turns, however maintains the characters all through the method.
The studying objectives for this improv sport embody creating teamwork expertise and inventive fast pondering expertise. Additionally, this sport challenges college students to pay attention fastidiously and recall particulars from earlier “chapters” to proceed their scene and make it slot in with the general story. Try it!
Instructions
1. Have college students get into pairs or teams of three.
2. Select one group to begin.
3. For the primary group, assign the scholars a relationship or particular roles. For instance: scientists engaged on an experiment, Grandma babysitting her grandchild(ren), an train teacher and pupil(s).
4. Give the primary group a setting to begin: a lab, a gymnasium, a shopping center, a film theatre, a playground. Make positive the entire class hears the position and placement assignments clearly!
5. The first group will begin their scene as the primary chapter of the story.
6. When the scene involves a pure pause or after a set period of time (your choice), name out “freeze!” The group who’s performing should freeze in no matter positions they occur to be in.
7. Have the following pair or group of scholars take over the roles in both a steady or new setting, i.e. the following chapter of the story. The college students should take the identical place and roles that the earlier college students had been in. From there, they’ll both proceed the story because it was, or provide you with a inventive transition into the following scene with the identical characters.
For instance: The first chapter establishes Grandma babysitting her two grandchildren. Second chapter: consuming lunch. Third chapter: going to the park. Fourth chapter: coming residence for naps. Fifth chapter: baking cookies. And so on. The tales may be as mundane or fanciful as the scholars want, so long as the story is sustained in a method that is sensible.
8. Students should keep in mind any particulars established within the prior scenes and proceed them going ahead. Going with the Grandma instance, the children will keep youngsters and Grandma will nonetheless be Grandma. If one of many college students says their character identify is Brad, then it stays Brad. Remember the standard rule of improv: “Yes, and…” Once a element is established, everybody goes with it and provides extra to maintain the scene going.
However, college students can add particulars and create new situations inside the story that make sense. For instance, maybe the children uncover that Grandma is a undercover agent, or Grandma reveals she’s into road racing and takes the children on a wild journey in a race automotive to the playground. Important particulars want to remain the identical. For instance, college students cannot randomly change a personality’s identify from Brad to Steven. However, if there’s a clear cause — maybe Grandma frequently will get her grandchild’s identify blended up and he retains correcting her — it might probably turn out to be a “bit” (a humorous recurring second or joke) and in that case, it’s acceptable.
9. Continue till all teams have had an opportunity to carry out. The last group has to create a conclusion of some kind.
10. Students will full and submit an exit slip (discovered under).
Kerry Hishon is a director, actor, author and stage combatant from London, Ontario, Canada. She blogs at www.kerryhishon.com.