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We’re gearing up for out first show on Tuesday, April 28th. We are the opening slot for Claymore Productions’s Free Improv Show (Admission is $5). We get 20 – 25 minutes (closer to 20 if we can help it) to do our thing.
It’s rough, because we haven’t been rehearsing with time limits, and our sets have run anywhere from 20 – 55 minutes. Tha rules in most cases. But we’ll have to reign it in for Tuesday.
With this on my mind, I found Bill Arnett’s latest blog post about improv and elementary school paper writing. When he was a kid, he had to write an 8 – 10 page paper every week for schoool. Many of them would quickly come to a close a few lines into the eighth page. This is not ideal for improv either. The trick is being confident enough to find an ending, and end when you find it. Worrying about the clock will only cause that sputtering dying feeling that all my grade school papers had too. Thanks, Bill.
If it’s good, if it has some themes, if it has a place to go make sure it goes there. Find an end for your shows. Have a conclusion. The person on lights is following you. Tell them your show is over by striking a big tableau and freezing or by marching off stage together. The audience will smell the ending and the tech person will too.
