Yes and is a fundamental tool for improvisers. This simple idea allows players to build on each other’s ideas instead offering too many ideas or being negative. For many beginners, and often more experienced players, saying “yes and” to another players idea can be very challenging. There’s why:
- Self Conscious: Players are so nervous about what they’re going to say that they don’t hear what their scene partner says.
- Fight for Control: Players feel that the story/interaction is a competition and often fight for control.
- The future can be frightening: Players feel threatened by moving into the unknown and will negate perfectly good ideas. Even ideas and story lines that they made earlier in the scene.
Here is a simple and fun exercise that helps reinforce building on each other’s ideas. You will recognize the format if you are familiar with the performance game “New Choice”.
How to Play
After you’ve introduced the concepts of saying ‘yes’ to the ideas (offers) of your fellow players, you ask for two volunteers.
Ask them to improvise a short 60 second scene start (or 30 seconds if the group is hesitant)… say that one of their classmates will hold a bell (think hotel front desk bell). The classmate will ring the bell if he or she perceives either actor is negating ideas (blocking) or being negative.
Each group chooses their own bell ringer.
If the group asks for an example of blocking or being negative, I will often call on two volunteers to demonstrate before I say anything. Give them credit; they know what it is even though they may have trouble doing it.
Blocking
Player A: Principal Harding, you have one minute until you address the student body.
Player B: There is no student meeting today.
Being Negative
Player A: Let’s do something fun today. Let’s go to the beach.
Player B: Okay, but I’ve got to be covered up all the time, I get terrible sun burn.
Notes
As the workshop leader, I encourage you to celebrate even the smallest victory. This will encourage participation in the group.
When and if the bell rings, encourage the players to avoid defending their choice. I often say, well this is just an exercise where we’re trying to strengthen just this small skill. I also encourage curiosity by saying, “That’s interesting, but why don’t we see why your classmate rang the bell, they might have seen something we didn’t.”
If necessary, I remind them that it is very normal to want to kill ideas or take control of them.
The things I like about this exercise:
- The actors to step into the role of ‘instructor’ by holding the bell. It breaks down the teacher-judges-the-player relationship.
- It builds a very small and key building block of improvisational theater
- It allows a playful attitude about failure
- There are many teaching opportunities that appear during the activity
Origin
This exercise was inspired by a game in Keith Johnstone’s book Impro for Storytellers and can be changed for your groups needs and your style. If you’re an improv instructor looking for exercises, this is 375 pages of good stuff.
“New Choice” is one of over 370 games listed in The Playbook. Get a copy. You’ll be glad you did.