Phoenix Comedy Character Development | Jester’Z Improv
Phoenix Comedy Classes
It has been discussed in the past that good comedy follows a set of rules. But, the rules themselves can be turned into brilliant performances when they are channeled through a good character. A strong character with a distinct point of view can be a powerful tool in performing, both comedically and dramatically. Developing a character can add value to a scene, it can bring life to a topic that would otherwise be very bland to watch, and it can give the performer a way to get more involved in a scene.
A character can go from over-the-top to mundane and uninteresting. Any character in the spectrum can be used, but there it is important to choose a character wisely. The audience might love seeing the living embodiment of a flesh eating virus with lactose intolerance, but as the scene drags on, there is no connection to reality with that character.
Can it be related to an audience? Sure it can. But, it is difficult to do. When you bring a multi-level marketer with an abundance of positive sales-pitches, then you have someone people can relate to. So when developing a character, keep a few things in mind:
- Define a strong position for your character. What does your character love? What does your character hate?
- What does your character do when met with a conflict? Is your character a strong leader or a lower status that follows another leader?
- What does your character do for a living? How do they feel about their job?
- Is your character relatable to an audience?
Emotion #2 | Phoenix Comedy Classes
Phoenix Comedy | Jester'Z Improv Comedy
I have said this before but it is once again important to talk again and again about characters emotions. If the exposition of a scene is the foundation, then the emotion is the meat.
In our beginning class we work a lot on emotion because it is a hard principle to apply to scene work, particularly when you start improvising. When initially studying improv we are told to have characters, so we either create characters that are shallow, with vague point of views and undefined emotion or we input ourselves into scenes and situation that we have no point of view about and/or no connection with. The problem with both of these scenarios is that with out a point of view or emotional substance there is no way scene partners can find the relationship within the scene. Instead we rely on our own wit or “the joke”, instead of relying on relationship, emotion and connection.
Here are a couple of ideas that can help you focus on emotion:
1. Have a Point of View – If you have a point of view you can have an emotional response to scenarios with in scenes.
2. Respond Emotionally – So often players are given gifts in scenes that are listened to but denied because we do not respond emotionally.
3. Silence – I think Alanis Morissette said it best, “Why are you so petrified of silence?” Silence can be an improvisers most precious tool… Silence can such the audience into your scene like nothing else can.
3.5. Shut Up – This is a .5 to silence because when someone is trying to build silence it is just as important that his/her scene partner to puts a period on their statement.
4. Be Real – Give real honest responses to situations! In a scene it is so easy to deny a player emotionally by not responding honestly. True responses are what make improv funny.
One of the best scenes I have ever seen came this last week in our beginning class. It was a break up scene, the women in the scene didn’t feel understood. The guy was shocked because he loved her but realizing that what he was doing in the relationship wasn’t enough and asked what he could do. The women said it was too late… And the emotion in that scene was so real that the guy couldn’t even respond and a lingering silence grew until the entire class was laughing hysterically. What made it funny was the realization that we had all been in that situation before and had felt that same way… Nothing in this scene wad funny, but everyone still laughed because of the truth of the scene.
Don’t Panic | Jester’Z Improv
Douglas Adam’s said that the one of the reasons why the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy was such a huge hit was because it had, Don’t Panic, writing in friendly letters on the front cover. He was of course referring to his fictional guide to space exploration. However, we can take a great deal from those two words, Don’t Panic.
Particularly when you are first starting out in improv but also after you have been performing for years, we sometimes have a tendency to panic on stage… this happens even more when you are in front of an audience. This, panic, is cause by several things… unconnected scene work, lackluster audience response, denial on stage. Whatever the cause may be it is important that you not panic.
Here a couple of things to do when you feel a panic come along in an improv scene:
- remember to listen – one of the most fundemental principles in improv and often the first to go out the door when you start to panic.
- relationships – probably the reason you are starting to panic is because you scene have no relationship. nothing to connect with the audience.
- forget the audience – okay, so don’t for get the audience all together, but start playing for yourself, put the fun back in improv.
- be patient – the opposite of panic is patient. Trust the scene and the players you are working with. Trust the art of improv and remember the fundamentals.
6 Week Beginning Improv Class | Jester’Z Improv
This last 12 week beginning improv class was so overwhelmed with students that we have decided to do a 6 week course starting Saturday February 27th at 9am – 12 noon. Hopefully the Saturday and early morning will accommodate students schedules a little better.
The class will cover the basics of improv including, but not limited to: agreement, listening, emotion, team work, characters and basic scene work. A 6 week course is very intense but does offer some great advantages that the 12 week course does not offer. For example, a 12 week course is sometimes a larger commitment then most people want to make. It also forces the student to focus on fundamental improv principals on a week to week bases with out the interruption of ancillary principles.
The class will be taught by Preston Smith who has been teaching, directing and performing improv comedy with Jester’Z Improv for 3 years.
Class enrollment is $200 and includes 6 weeks of classes and a graduation showcase on April 3rd at 6:00pm (yes, there will be a class on April 3rd in the morning.)
For more information or to register for this class please contact Dalane at 480-423-0120
Why do we create characters on stage? | JesterZ Improv
This is round two in character development blog posts
I am relativity sure that I am not beating a dead horse by going on and on about character development. Tonight in our character development class I posed the question: Why do we create characters on stage? There were a number of great answers that were all correct; to add emotion, variety, point of view and so on… However, there was one answer that I really want to talk about and it is this: To give the audience something they can relate to.
As much as I love a flesh eating zombie on stage with a mild case of narcolepsy, it is really hard to relate to that person… not impossible, but hard. Now create a sales person character who has a huge smile and straight teeth with an overly intrusive personality and you have someone that I can relate to… not only me but other improvisers and audience members.
When the audience can relate to our characters it sucks them more into the scene and makes them believe the idea of the scene better. If an audience member is more involved in the scene, the more they will like it. A great group that I think does this really well is Ratliff & Jackson out of Austin… 19 minute scene between a father and his daughter… as relate-able as it comes! Check out the video here.
Here are a couple of great exercises to help build better relate-able characters:
Interview Exercise
3 or 4 students walk around in the room, the teacher points out the way the student is walking, what they are leading with and so on. The teacher then tells the student to change their walk a little bit, lead with something else. The teacher repeats the process with all students walking around the room. He then invites the students to sit in chairs in front of him where he conducts on interviews of each character, asking them questions while the student stays in character. Once the teacher has interviewed all the characters, the characters are then invited to do some scenes together.
Character Mimic
4 or 5 students sit in chairs on stage. One student just starts talking in character about what ever the character has on its mind. After 30 seconds of so, another students starts talking as a different character, this patter repeats itself until everyone has introduced themselves as a character. Now is where it gets a little crazy… Students can now take turns talking in character, if a students likes another students character they can go and stand behind the student chair and talk as the other students character at the same time the first student is talking as their character… and so on, even to the point that ll 5 students are talking as the same character.
Phoenix Comedy Classes
JesterZ Improv Comedy Classes
We are coming to an end of what has been a brilliant round of classes. The showcases have been great and the audience attendance for the class showcases has been really high. With all this positiveness, we are very exited to get our next round of comedy classes started.
Advanced Class after a Showcase
Here is a list of the classes that we have coming:
(step 1) Adult Beginning Improv:
Beginning September 30th
Wednesday night 7-10pm
12 weeks : $350
2 showcases
(step 2) Character Development:
Beginning September 28th
Monday 7-10pm
12 weeks : $350
2 Showcases
(step 3) Adult Advanced Improv:
Beginning October 1st
Thursday 7-10pm
12 weeks : $350
4 showcases
For more information, click on the links above or visit: www.jesterzimprov.com
We are also working on putting together a Beat & Sketch Improv Class : call: 480-962-9262 if your interested.
All these classes have limited enrollment so call for registration asap: 480-962-9262
Improv Comedy: Getting to the Emotion
Shortform Improv: Emotion Emotion Emotion
Longform Impov has a great luxury that shortform improv doesn’t have. Time and care can be taken to get to the emotion of the scene. On the other hand, shortform improv doesn’t have 5 to 10 minutes to find the emotion within the scene. In bad shortform, the emotion is simply skipped over for gimmick and/or bits. In good shortform, the exposition is assumed and established, and an emotional drive or punch is brought into the scene by all players involved.
How is this done?
First, the scene needs to be started with a strong emotional relationship. It doesn’t always have to be a husband and wife or parent and child. Co-Workers, friends, neighbors… recently in rehearsal EK and Brandon had a brilliant emotionally changed scene about a hot dog stand operator and his long standing customer.
Second, the tilt, punch or drive, whatever you want to call it, needs to be introduced into the scene. There will be a moment where you will feel the need for something in the scene, this is when you make an emotional statement about the other player(s) that will emotionally charge the other player(s).
Finally, the significance of the emotional change will be determined by the emotional reaction of the other player(s). If the emotional statement is deflected or denied there will be very little emotional impact to the scene, but if the statement is accepted and reacted to in a deep rooted emotional way, then you will draw the audience further into the scene and prepare them for a bigger pay off.
Please visit our Contact Us portion of the website for more detailed contact information.
Making Reservations
Call: 480-423-0120
Corporate Contact
Call Jef and Shurlin Rawls at: 480-962-9262
Email
info@jesterzimprov.com
